Growth after shell injury?

[Sab]

Hi all

I have two marginated tortoises: a 3-year old male and a 2-year old female.

When the male was 15 months old he was bitten by my dog, who literally tore him open. Fortunately, he was epoxy-repaired and had no infection, and he's now alive and well, although he's not growing. This was almost two years ago, and he's grown half an inch since. In the meantime, the female has doubled her size and is now much larger than the male.

Probably I shouldn't be too concerned, because he's active, he has an appetite, he's not being bullied by the female, he is curious and sociable, and he seems to be fine though tiny. But I wonder, will he ever grow, or will he remain bonsai-like? Should I be worried?

Thank you!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

Well, that was a pretty hard and invasive injury he went through. I think it's to be expected that he would be slow growing. I'm not familiar with the marginated tortoises, but in some species the males don't get as big as the females.

As long as he's eating, acting normal and seems to be getting along ok, I wouldn't worry too much about him. One thing to keep a look-out for would be if his soft body seems to be growing more than his shell.

 

[Jabuticaba]

Hello & welcome!


May
THBs: Darwin & Merlin
Aussies: Dax, Vegas, & Cricket
IG: @AUSSOMEAUSSIES

 

[yillt]

Hello.
How long is his plastron. Can I see a photo please??

 

[tglazie]

Well, in the case of a marginated tortoise, the males actually grow larger than the females. Consider yourself lucky. I lost a three toed box turtle years ago to a dog. I can tell you that most encounters I know end in tragedy. This leaves you in a bit of a rare position, watching over a tortoise that has actually survived a dog attack. I wouldn't imagine his development will be normal, given that resources that would normally be allotted to growing are now engaged in reconstruction and repair. But like Yvonne said, so long as he is eating, moving, and not sickly, he should be fine, but unfortunately, his condition means that you will always have to be extra watchful, in case there are complications.

Sincerely,

Tom Glazier

 

[Sab]

Well, I used to be terrified at the idea of his internal organs growing while his shell remained the same, but both his soft and hard parts seem to be small altogether. I do consider myself lucky, as the vets first told me he would no probably not survive, yet here he is, with no problems whatsoever apart from his tiny size

His plastron is 4.3 inches long (11cm) while the 1-year-younger female's is 5.7'' (14.5cm).

I'm posting photos of them both, plus a pic of where the male had to be largely repaired.

As I said, he seems healthy and happy and active and hungry, but he's not growing and he's also not gaining weight, even though he eats as much as she does (she will finish sooner though because her bites are larger, but once she stops he will keep on eating).

 

[tglazie]

So has it been a year since he sustained the injury, and he grew a half inch in that time? Is this correct? Did he sustain any injury to his internal organs or to his limbs or head? I'm wondering if his ability to process the nutrients in his food may have been inhibited, which would compound troubles over rate of growth. I don't know, just a thought. I'm hardly an expert on veterinary medicine. But yes, this is an unusual case. I'd say the best you can do is keep an eye on him. If his growth flatlines over the next few months, perhaps another vet check would be in order, just to make sure that everything is healing. And don't let that female get too much size on him; make sure to separate them before too long. Prevention of bullying is always best, though you will find forum members have a range of opinions on this subject.

T.G.

 

[Sab]

That's it, he's grown about 1 cm since the incident. But his organs were not injured. We could see his lung through the crack, but there was no blood, and his limbs and head weren't hurt either since he made sure to hide them. As for bullying, they seem to get along fine so far, but I do worry when they're eating because if she keeps growing his head will easily fit her mouth, though I guess he'd be wise enough to hide his head before she chewed it off, right? :-/