Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i'm a paranoid tort mom, what can i say. i want to get things right... how does he look to you guys?

ta-daa.

Not really! It look just fine. You are obviously doing a good job.

seriously, thanks for the comment! i only wonder 'cause his shell isn't as smooth as some i've seen... he has more of a "ridgey" (for lack of a better word) thing going on. he doesn't have any pyramiding, at least.

That 'rough' or sculpted look that you mention is perfectly normal in a captive tortoise for a very simple reason.
Even if given an ideal diet, perfect humidity, access to natural sunlight and lots of TLC, a captive tortoise will look more sculpted simply because it isn't pushing through vegetation or forcing it's way into tight hiding places it's whole life. This causes a normal amount of wear in wild specimens that usually doesn't occur in captive animals.

makes perfect sense, though! in some places the growth rings even stand out a bit from the inner scute... i was almost starting to wonder if he was deformed for some reason or another, though my vet said he looked good at his last visit and that as long as he wasn't pyramiding, he was cool.

i'd rather err on the side of paranoia, so thanks again for your replies! this board is such an awesome resource!

(and I know you know better, Carl)
Beautiful looking RF.
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Ed
Tortoise_Keepers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

nm