Few extra scutes

[Sarahnoelle]

Hello, I was gifted a new baby Greek tortoise for Mother’s Day. Noticed she has a few extra scutes/split scute. Also the right side is a little higher than the left side. Maybe lopsided from her shell? I don’t know age but looks like she still has her egg tooth. I’ve read it’s completely normal and shouldn’t indicate any health issues, however I’ve had a hard time finding too many adult photos online with extra scutes. Has anyone had much experience with this? Thank you!

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Welcome to the forum!

I know @Yvonne G has some experience with adult tortoises with extra scutes.

Here is a thread with photos of different species and different ages:

A Thread For Your Pictures of Split or Extra scutes

Hey all you keepers of tortoises with split or extra scutes!! Come on here and post pictures of your tortoises along with a bit of info on them. It will be interesting to follow along the lives of your tortoises with aberrant scures. Post your pictures here with a little info about the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[COmtnLady]

Welcome to The Forum!

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

All species of tortoise-hatchlings need warm and humid conditions to thrive.

It is very important to keep hatchlings hydrated. In case you hadn't heard it before, they need daily soaking in warm water (85F to 90F), that is only as deep as where their top and bottom shells come together. Because it is so shallow it will cool down quickly and you don't want your baby in chilly water, so it is important to keep an eye on the water and replenish with warm when as it cools. Steep-sided plastic boxes, with sides are taller than the hatchling, work best, but anything that yours can't climb out of will do. They will scrabble around and act like they want out, but do not take them out until they have soaked at least a half an hour... Constantly warm water, half-hour, though longer is better. Put your baby back into its chamber when it nice and comfy warm (not when the water has cooled off and its time to replenish. Keeping your little one warm is important.)

They also need to be in a closed-top chamber for the first two to three years of life. Having it enclosed is the only way to maintain heat and humidity. They need the temps they live in to be mid-80sF to 90sF and the humidity to be in the mid-80%s.

Here is a plan for a young hatchling's enclosure for the first few months, that can later be used as an emergency, evacuation, or hospital tank.

How to make a closed-chamber baby habitat out of a 55gal Sterilite bin

Since several folks have asked about how to make a closed chamber baby enclosure out of a 55gal Sterilite tote, here are some pics and description of how I do. This is not the most beautiful option, but since the babies will only be in here for 9-12 months, I'm okay with that. My own Russian...

tortoiseforum.org

Good things to know ~

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Things to avoid (that pet shops try to talk you into) -

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

As to the scutes - Some of the more experienced members will chime in soon. To me they just mean that makes your tort easily recognizable - unique.
@Yvonne G
@Tom




There is a lot to learn and think about at first, so to save yourself time, stress, money, and possible harm to your new baby - run it past everyone here before you invest in things that might not be the best for your little one. We will do our best to help you help your tortoise thrive!



Happy new tortoise!



.

 

[Tom]

Hello, I was gifted a new baby Greek tortoise for Mother’s Day. Noticed she has a few extra scutes/split scute. Also the right side is a little higher than the left side. Maybe lopsided from her shell? I don’t know age but looks like she still has her egg tooth. I’ve read it’s completely normal and shouldn’t indicate any health issues, however I’ve had a hard time finding too many adult photos online with extra scutes. Has anyone had much experience with this? Thank you!

Some of them hatch out a little lopsided. Most straighten out over time.

Split scutes happen sometimes. As far as we all know it is cosmetic and has no effect on health. They can happen due to high incubation temps, like when someone is trying to incubate for females, but there is also a genetic component too that can bring about split scutes.

 

[Sarahnoelle]

Some of them hatch out a little lopsided. Most straighten out over time.

Split scutes happen sometimes. As far as we all know it is cosmetic and has no effect on health. They can happen due to high incubation temps, like when someone is trying to incubate for females, but there is also a genetic component too that can bring about split scutes.

Thank you! I’ve been reading by up on it and seems harmless. Nice to hear reassurance from others. Started calling her a her due to the increased chance of female too but who knows!

 

[Sarahnoelle]

Wanted to share a few more pics of Sprout

She looks to have an extra scute on the left side along with an extra, split scute on the right. You can also see where her shell is a little higher on one side, and she has a colorless little belly!