Does this look normal?

[Tartaruga!]

Hi, does this look normal plz?

---

the white stuff is calcium powder, after having her bath, she's been for a munch n typically walks all over it lol ...

it's the central ridge and inwardness either side, i'm worried about ... been trying to search online anything about it and i keep seeing that it's the beginnings of tell tale signs of a male ... is this correct can anybody tell me plz?

 

[GBtortoises]

Hi, does this look normal plz?


View attachment 29542



View attachment 29543



View attachment 29544

---

the white stuff is calcium powder, after having her bath, she's been for a munch n typically walks all over it lol ...

it's the central ridge and inwardness either side, i'm worried about ... been trying to search online anything about it and i keep seeing that it's the beginnings of tell tale signs of a male ... is this correct can anybody tell me plz?

---

The growth that you're seeing has nothing to do with being male or female, but is typical of indoor captive growth and to some extent the beginnings of accelerated growth. This type of growth comes from several different factors in a captive tortoise's environment but the catalyst is most often being kept too warm consistently.

 

[Tartaruga!]

so should i not have the heat lamp on as long?

---

approx 8 hours a day the heat and uv light is on ... warm end is in the late 20s and cool early 20s ... in the evening late teens.

 

[GBtortoises]

8 hours a day is actually not long enough in terms of light and heat. Your temperatures are probably okay, but it's hard to say with just "late and early". What is the basking temperature? Ambient humidity? How often does the tortoise drink or have the opportunity to? Substrate and moisture level? Diet? Vitamin supplements? Calcium?

 

[Tartaruga!]

8hrs give or take ... i turn them on approx half 9am, up until about 2 wks ago, she was up n about before i turned them on, but it's autumn/winter here at the mo, so temps have dropped. then they are on all day, the uv lamp i tend to turn off about half 6pm which is when i'll bathe her, if i dont, she goes to her house to sleep. if it's her night to bathe, after i'll give her more food if she wants, sometimes she does, other times she doesnt. then i'll put her back, leaving the heat on, mainly so she doesnt get too cold with her being wet after her bath. then she'll bask for a while and make her way to bed, then i'll turn the heat off. sometimes it'll be 7 other times it'll be 9 ... i try and keep it on until she's in her house tho.
the thermometer i have isnt digital so being precise is hard. when i say late 20's it's just under the 30 marker, so if it was mph, i'd say 28 and same with early 20's, i'd say 22.
basking temp would be 28, where she basks is under the lamp on different pebbles, she props herself up.
humidity, i dont know ... i do spray every other day the substrate, which is topsoil and playsand 50/50
she has a bath every other day, always a bowl of water and food is washed with water. it's weeds i've picked, dandelions, pansy's, spider plant, geranium, then kept in fridge, so is washed before giving her. i sprinkle her food every other day with calcium powder and cuttlefish scrapings ... also the cuttlefish is there for her to nibble, although i've never seen her take it herself.