# Egyptian, catching some of the last rays of summer



## shackleton (Sep 22, 2008)

My buddy Shackleton, Testudo Kleinmanni, soaking up some of the season's last rays and munching some delicious tucker.


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## Isa (Sep 22, 2008)

Very nice pics Doug

Shackleton is such a cutie and an adorable little tortoise


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## spikethebest (Sep 22, 2008)

very cute. and very nice pics. i really enjoyed them. thank you for posting!


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## Crazy1 (Sep 22, 2008)

Doug, Shackleton is a cutie and I love his name. Is the white on the front of his shell where the outer shell has peeled off? Or from an injury? By the way love the pics.


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## shackleton (Sep 22, 2008)

Crazy1 said:


> Doug, Shackleton is a cutie and I love his name. Is the white on the front of his shell where the outer shell has peeled off? Or from an injury? By the way love the pics.




Thanks Robyn. I named him after Sir Ernest because he seems like a pretty dauntless little explorer himself.

The white area on the front of his carapace, and he's got a bit on his trailing edge too, is the bone of his shell where the keratin scute is gone. He came to me a looking like he'd had a few fender benders in his time. (-Hey life happens  ) 

His doctor (-we always do a yearly check up at the end of the season, it's coming up, in fact.) says he's just fine health wise, but that keratin will most likely never grow back. 

It's been nine years, and it does looks much "tidier" than it used to, kind of like a faded scar rather than an angry red wound, but that's probably as close to perfect as he'll get. That's okay, I've got a few nicks and scratches myself.


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## egyptiandan (Sep 22, 2008)

Great pictures Doug 

The bits of bone that are exposed are dead and no, no scute material will grow over it. But  there is new scute material underneath the dead bone. By now it should be loose and won't bother him at all if you took it off.

Danny


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## YuriTort (Sep 22, 2008)

shackleton said:


> My buddy Shackleton, Testudo Kleinmanni, soaking up some of the season's last rays and munching some delicious tucker.



Oh my, he is a real cutie


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## sushisurf13 (Sep 22, 2008)

Shackleton is so cool!


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## drgnfly2265 (Sep 25, 2008)

Wonderful pics. 

In a way, the nicks and scratches are like lifes war wounds. It shows that you are out there enjoying life 

___________________________________________________________

Jamie

1 Sulcata (Bowser)

www.myspace.com/bowsertortoise


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## shackleton (Sep 25, 2008)

drgnfly2265 said:


> In a way, the nicks and scratches are like lifes war wounds. It shows that you are out there enjoying life




Absolutely Jaime! 

Shack's a little rock star, and hey, you see how Keith Richards looks these days.


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