hello

richard fife covers this topic in his new leopard tortoise book

lack of humidity seems to be my number one guess

i have had the same experiences with one being smooth and one having raised scutes.

But in the outdoor enclosure they did not stay in the same spots

the smooth one always hid under the opuntia cactus bush

It was always moist under the bush but where i live in southern ca it gets really hot for most of the year

she turned out perfectly smooth

the other was always out and about I never saw him in a high moisture hiding spot usually burrowed in the straw hut he developed some raised scutes

these tortoises as babies stay in burrows for most of the first 2 years in the wild

i have never seen it affect a tortoises health having raised scutes

burrows are warm with high humidity

we are now hatching tortoises naturally outdoors in our enclosures and leaving them outside from birth in covered enclosures

only time will tell

thanks

jeff

planet reptiles

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