Concave Plastron on East. Hermanns Normal?

[noles82]

My new tortoise is 56 grams and 2.5" long. I got it from Reptmart at the end of May this year. I feed it clover, dandelions etc. and Mazui. I soak it nearly every day for about 20 minutes. I use a tube UV bulb and a separate basking light.

I just noticed that it's Plaston seems slightly suken in around the abdominal area and that the center line going from head to tail is raised. Is this normal? I have tried to take a picture but it does not show the concave feature very well.

Anyone have some advice? Should I be concerned?

 

[GBtortoises]

A photo of the area in question would help greatly. Without that I'd take a wild guess and say as long as the area is fairly hard to the touch it sounds like you could have a young male Hermann's tortoises. At 2.5" your tortoise may be in the early stages of sexual development. That is not to say that it is becoming sexually mature, but is possibly starting to develop it's male characteristics.
This is if the are in question is fairly hard or just very slightly pliable to the touch. If it feels unusually soft and/or thin it could be the beginning of a vitamin deficiency. In this case, usually you will also see unusual softness in other areas of the shell too.

 

[noles82]

A photo of the area in question would help greatly. Without that I'd take a wild guess and say as long as the area is fairly hard to the touch it sounds like you could have a young male Hermann's tortoises. At 2.5" your tortoise may be in the early stages of sexual development. That is not to say that it is becoming sexually mature, but is possibly starting to develop it's male characteristics.
This is if the are in question is fairly hard or just very slightly pliable to the touch. If it feels unusually soft and/or thin it could be the beginning of a vitamin deficiency. In this case, usually you will also see unusual softness in other areas of the shell too.

I am posting a few pictures. As I wrote earlier, it is hard to see in the pictures but the centeral seam is raised like a ridge and the just to the left and right of this ridge the Plastron seems to be slightly suken in the adominal region. Please take a look a the pictures and let me know what you think.

 

[Cathy L]

A photo of the area in question would help greatly. Without that I'd take a wild guess and say as long as the area is fairly hard to the touch it sounds like you could have a young male Hermann's tortoises. At 2.5" your tortoise may be in the early stages of sexual development. That is not to say that it is becoming sexually mature, but is possibly starting to develop it's male characteristics.
This is if the are in question is fairly hard or just very slightly pliable to the touch. If it feels unusually soft and/or thin it could be the beginning of a vitamin deficiency. In this case, usually you will also see unusual softness in other areas of the shell too.

I am posting a few pictures. As I wrote earlier, it is hard to see in the pictures but the centeral seam is raised like a ridge and the just to the left and right of this ridge the Plastron seems to be slightly suken in the adominal region. Please take a look a the pictures and let me know what you think.

I have a Hermann's that is now about 200 grams and 4 and a half inches. I have noticed this same thing on him/her, especially the central ridge. I hope someone will be able to tell us if it is anything to worry about.

 

[GBtortoises]

The central ridge be more pronounced is a very common growth occurrence on Hermann's tortoises (and other Testudo species ) that are raised indoors, kept very warm overall and fed lots of vitamin rich foods. It's called accelerated growth. The rate of that growth will vary greatly depending upon individual conditions. Essentially the tortoise is growing faster than a "normal" rate. It's not that big of a deal as long as it doesn't get too out of control to where the tortoise begins to exhibit elongated nails, overgrown beak and other shell abnormalities.
As far as I can see from the photos the only sunken areas that I can make out are just in front of the rear legs. If this is what you're referring too it is completely normal for what your tortoise subspecies may be. It's difficult to tell from just those photos but it appears as though your tortoise might be a Dalmatian Hermann's, Testudo hermanni hercegovinensis, not an Eastern Hermanns, T. h. boettgeri. But only more clear plastron and carapace photos would tell for certain

 

[noles82]

Thanks for responding GB. I am attaching more pictures for review. The sunken areas are directly next to either side of the central line and are on the abdomen area. It is hard to see on the pictures but the central line being raised makes this more pronounced when viewing in person.

If a add more greens and less Mazui to it's diet will the central seam become more normal over time? Should I do more soaks, or less soaks?

After viewing these additional pictures does your opionion change regarding anything you thought before? Does this now look like an Eastern Hermann's?

I appreciate all the help.

 

[GBtortoises]

In the additional photos the ridges actually look normal based on the rest of the growth. It does appear that your tortoise might have been kept a little too dry before you got her. But with regular watering (soaking) and spraying that should become smoother since she is young. The plastron photos are still a bit blurry to tell 100% for certain but she does appear to be a Dalmatian Hermann's.