Extra Sscutes are those that do not appear normally on a turtle or tortoise. They are formed when incubation conditions are not correct, such as when the eggs are too hot or to dry. Often these scutes are near the front between the costal(side) and vertebral (back) scutes, or in the back between the costals and vertebrals. If you look at your turtles scutes closly you may be able to see a scute that looks out of place or asymettric, squishes other scutes or grows outwards as the turtle grows. Extra scutes are usually not a serious health problem, they just cause a turtles shell to grow slightly abnormally. Thanks for being concerned about your turtles.

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