Uneven shell growth... help

annettenicolee

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Hey,

My tortoise is having uneven shell growth. The plates aren't separating evenly. I don't know what could be causing this. My tortoise has a UVB lamp, heating on one side, she consumes dark leafy greens aswell as tortoise pellets (that are just dried greens in a compact form with additional fibre) and I use calcium powder every now and then. Recently I have tried to move her heating lamp higher to make the hottest spot a bit less hot, hoping this could help with the uneven growth. Also I'm not sure if she is growing TOO fast or not? And her shell has started to protrude around her back legs. Otherwise she is very active and has good appetite, does't seem like anything is bothering her.

I have had her for almost 2 years now. She is a rescue that my dad brought home. I don't know how old she could be so if anyone has any guesses, I'm curious to know!

1. Does anyone have any suggestions? I have read that "rubbing" between the plates could help them separate. Some sources recommend using oil with the rubbing while others are very against oil. So I'm not sure what to do...

2. Is she growing too fast? If so, what do I do? Feed her less or feed her less frequently?

3. Is protrusion around back legs normal?

4. How old do you think she could be?

Also I'm new here. Stumbled upon this forum while trying to google solutions to my problem:). Me and my tortoise are from Finland, information about tortoises is very limited here, sadly.
 

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zovick

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Hey,

My tortoise is having uneven shell growth. The plates aren't separating evenly. I don't know what could be causing this. My tortoise has a UVB lamp, heating on one side, she consumes dark leafy greens aswell as tortoise pellets (that are just dried greens in a compact form with additional fibre) and I use calcium powder every now and then. Recently I have tried to move her heating lamp higher to make the hottest spot a bit less hot, hoping this could help with the uneven growth. Also I'm not sure if she is growing TOO fast or not? And her shell has started to protrude around her back legs. Otherwise she is very active and has good appetite, does't seem like anything is bothering her.

I have had her for almost 2 years now. She is a rescue that my dad brought home. I don't know how old she could be so if anyone has any guesses, I'm curious to know!

1. Does anyone have any suggestions? I have read that "rubbing" between the plates could help them separate. Some sources recommend using oil with the rubbing while others are very against oil. So I'm not sure what to do...

2. Is she growing too fast? If so, what do I do? Feed her less or feed her less frequently?

3. Is protrusion around back legs normal?

4. How old do you think she could be?

Also I'm new here. Stumbled upon this forum while trying to google solutions to my problem:). Me and my tortoise are from Finland, information about tortoises is very limited here, sadly.
Your tortoise looks quite good and from the size, I would guess it could be as much as 4-5 years old. The scutes which are not separating sometimes happen for no apparent reason, and I am not aware of anything which can be done to make them separate. They just seem to do what they want. Certainly, you can try rubbing oil between the scutes to see if anything changes, but in my experience (60+ years) it won't change anything. Mineral oil, coconut oil, or even glycerin are OK to try if you want to try your luck and see what happens.

The protrusions in front of the back legs are also normal and may become more pronounced as the tortoise gets older.
 

Lokkje

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I agree. Many years ago we used to rub oil on our desert tortoises to make the shells look good. Other than coconut oil making them smell pretty it didn’t seem to accomplish anything.
 

annettenicolee

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Your tortoise looks quite good and from the size, I would guess it could be as much as 4-5 years old. The scutes which are not separating sometimes happen for no apparent reason, and I am not aware of anything which can be done to make them separate. They just seem to do what they want. Certainly, you can try rubbing oil between the scutes to see if anything changes, but in my experience (60+ years) it won't change anything. Mineral oil, coconut oil, or even glycerin are OK to try if you want to try your luck and see what happens.

The protrusions in front of the back legs are also normal and may become more pronounced as the tortoise gets older.

Okay! Thanks for the information. Now I can worry a bit less knowing these things are somewhat normal!
 

annettenicolee

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I agree. Many years ago we used to rub oil on our desert tortoises to make the shells look good. Other than coconut oil making them smell pretty it didn’t seem to accomplish anything.

Hmmm okay. I guess I will just try to better her enclosure according to the care sheet that was linked! She does have a heated side and a cool side but she's missing a humid hide box! For substrate I use orchid bark and peat keeping one side a bit damp and the other side dry.:D
 

KarenSoCal

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The care sheet has been updated. Here is the up-to-date version.

 

annettenicolee

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Helsinki
The care sheet has been updated. Here is the up-to-date version.

Thanks!
 

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