A tortoise shell is rarely perfectly smooth. There will be growth rings around each scute, giving the shell a rougher surface. It's when the individual scutes start to form peaks, or when the shell looks misshapen, then you have problems.

If you are not sure, you could post a photo.

It's hard to tell the age of a tortoise. At 4 inches it could be on the verge of adulthood, and may not be showing its true gender yet. My 1st CB tort was almost 4" and looked female. Then a couple months later he was definitely a male. Males are generally smaller, and at 4" are getting close to "puberty". If female, it has a way to go yet.

Either way, at 4" it probably has a little more growing to do. The age doesn't make much difference in how you care for it once they hit this size.

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