I looked over that thread and didn't see any issues at all, what your seeing in comparison to the other rescues is just a different husbandry result. When a tortoise starts to pyramid or is in conditions less than favorable of a perfect microclimate they seem to grow upwards. This is also a combination of diet too. All of our youngster Redfoots we keep grow at a more flat, smooth rate than of a oblong high growth. Your growth on gib is perfectly fine. It could also show differences in genetic make up from the parents too.Kelly - this is incredibly helpful to me. I have a 1.5 year old baby, Gibby, who is round and flat, top and side views respectively. My other two recently-adopted rescue rf's are very "oblong" and very, very tall, top and side views respectively.
I started a thread somewhere else the other day, asking people if my round, flat little guy has problems because he is SUCH a different shape. Now I see here this is a matter of natural gene pools that have developed regionally.
This thread is very informative and comforting to me, worried that Gib was malformed because he's so broad and flat.
Thank you for all your very valuable contributions to this community in particular, and for your general contributions to the body of rf knowledge too.
Youngsters showing a more flat physical appearance as you have mentioned.
And then as adults this is what physically is trying to be achieved to resemble a WC animal.
And not this. Although we have seen plenty like this come through our care that appear and act completely healthy, we don't know what the longevity of animals representing this physical shape end up like as mature adults many many years-decades down the line.