Groove in her Shell

[Sally Franklin Christie]

Hello Everyone!

My tort who remains nameless is doing well. She has grown in length and weight. She looks good.

The area of her shell that I think of as a sort of cheerleader's skirt is my concern.

I have looked her over, turned her this way and that and there is just no way to get a photo of what I am feeling.

Her shell is hard, textured, nice. Over the tail area, center, where the skirt is, there is a notch or groove between her rounded part of her shell and the skirt. It is solid, not mushy. Is it okay?

How would I spot early pyramiding?

Is there a map of tort shells that has a name fore each little scale? If there is it would be very helpful for me to describe it better.

I think she is just fine and thriving but I'd like a better vocabulary so I can ask this question again.

Thanks everyone!
Sally and she who has not been named...

 

[Tom]

A pic would help. Here is a link for some tortoise anatomy.
http://reptilis.net/chelonia/bodyplan.html

 

[Sally Franklin Christie]

A pic would help. Here is a link for some tortoise anatomy.
http://reptilis.net/chelonia/bodyplan.html

What a very good link. Thank you.

Now, I am going to include a batch of photos I just took. Poor girl did not want to be top side down. But I got a photo in any case.

Top shot with my daytimer ruler showing her size.

Belly Shot, a blur of little stubby legs. She really didn't live giving this one up..

Okay, in this one the center of the photo shows the area at her tail end that I am concerned about and the next photo is the best shot I could get in profile, if you follow just the outline against the paper towel back drop you can see the out scoop and swoop in...

Here is the shot that shows the swoop...bump...



I think she looks good, she has even recovered from the flipping I put her through but she would like that shot not to get passed around FaceBook.



Sally

 

[Sally Franklin Christie]

I meant she didn't 'like' having the belly photo taken, she did 'live' through it...

 

[biochemnerd808]

I see what you mean with the new growth, but are you sure that it is 'mushy' or does it feel more waxy (but doesn't squish in)? New growth feels kind of waxy. If it is SOFT however, that would be of concern.

The little 'swoop' is pretty normal, and I would classify it as normal tortoise variability. Even within a species there is a lot of variation. In some it is pretty flat, almost nonexistent, in others it flares up like a swooshing skirt.

 

[Sally Franklin Christie]

Thank you.

I forgot to mention the feel of her shell, taking photos put me in the visual mode.

Using the soft part of my finger her shell is textured but there is a pattern to the texture it isn't giantly bumpy or rough. As far as how hard her shell is... it is uniformly hard all over. I had a tortoise before her who had a squishy shell and a growing dark spot around her belly. This tort does not have that. I did notice a clearish tiny marginal type growth up near where her head pokes out but it looks very friendly.

I was mostly wondering about the swoop bump being caused by an area that maybe wasn't growing and constricting there to cause the growing part to bump out.

I am confusing myself.

Anyway, she feels as good as the photos make her look.

Thanks!
Sally

 

[biochemnerd808]

If her shell is nice and hard, then I would just wait and see - is the 'swoop bump' just on one side, or on both? Symmetrical growth is almost always normal.

Thank you.

I forgot to mention the feel of her shell, taking photos put me in the visual mode.

Using the soft part of my finger her shell is textured but there is a pattern to the texture it isn't giantly bumpy or rough. As far as how hard her shell is... it is uniformly hard all over. I had a tortoise before her who had a squishy shell and a growing dark spot around her belly. This tort does not have that. I did notice a clearish tiny marginal type growth up near where her head pokes out but it looks very friendly.

I was mostly wondering about the swoop bump being caused by an area that maybe wasn't growing and constricting there to cause the growing part to bump out.

I am confusing myself.

Anyway, she feels as good as the photos make her look.

Thanks!
Sally

 

[MasterOogway]

A pic would help. Here is a link for some tortoise anatomy.
http://reptilis.net/chelonia/bodyplan.html

That is a great link thanks

 

[Sally Franklin Christie]

If her shell is nice and hard, then I would just wait and see - is the 'swoop bump' just on one side, or on both? Symmetrical growth is almost always normal.

Thank you.

I forgot to mention the feel of her shell, taking photos put me in the visual mode.

Using the soft part of my finger her shell is textured but there is a pattern to the texture it isn't giantly bumpy or rough. As far as how hard her shell is... it is uniformly hard all over. I had a tortoise before her who had a squishy shell and a growing dark spot around her belly. This tort does not have that. I did notice a clearish tiny marginal type growth up near where her head pokes out but it looks very friendly.

I was mostly wondering about the swoop bump being caused by an area that maybe wasn't growing and constricting there to cause the growing part to bump out.

I am confusing myself.

Anyway, she feels as good as the photos make her look.

Thanks!
Sally

The swoop/bump is very symmetrical, elegant even. It is around the back of her shell and if she were a human woman we might even say she had junk in her trunk.

No one here seems alarmed so I am going to relax about it.

Thanks!
Sally