Horsefield escape artist

[Faygen]

Hello, George has a terrible habit of thinking he’s some sort of dare devil and the other day he fell around 4ft on to a carpeted floor but managed to get himself wedged between his table top leg and the wall, I was there as he did it so he wasn’t stuck for more than a couple of seconds but I sat with him a while after and gave him a wash so I could check for any damage he may have caused himself, no damage apart from a scuff on the top of his shell that I can see although I did spot these very faint dark lines all across his shell is this just new growth or has he damaged his shell?

thanks for reading. Fay

 

[Yvonne G]

A lot of tortoises don't have real depth perception, and just walk right off the edge of anything - table, pool, etc. Be sure the sides of his enclosure are too tall for him to climb out.

 

[Yvonne G]

@ZenHerper @zovick

Do you notice that you can see the seams between the bones through the scutes? Do you think that's anything to worry about?

 

[ZenHerper]

Oh gosh - that's really crazy!

Not sure what to think. Photographic artifact from a really good camera?

Is the keratin laying down too thin?

Is he growing too fast? (Overfeeding? Growth factor error?)

Is the UVB source insufficient to cure it full-thickness to a dark color? I'd expect there to be other MBD symptoms...


@Faygen Is this George? Do you know his actual age? How much has he grown since you've brought him home? What kind of camera do you use to photograph him?

@Yvonne G @zovick I see it here too in these photos from January:

Shell health

Unsure if I'm been a little paranoid but I got George about a month ago and his shell has always looked this way but is something wrong? His scutes seem a bit sunk in on some sides.. he's a Russian and 4 years old

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[zovick]

Oh gosh - that's really crazy!

Not sure what to think. Photographic artifact from a really good camera?

Is the keratin laying down too thin?

Is he growing too fast? (Overfeeding? Growth factor error?)

Is the UVB source insufficient to cure it full-thickness to a dark color? I'd expect there to be other MBD symptoms...


@Faygen Is this George? Do you know his actual age? How much has he grown since you've brought him home? What kind of camera do you use to photograph him?

@Yvonne G @zovick I see it here too in these photos from January:

Shell health

Unsure if I'm been a little paranoid but I got George about a month ago and his shell has always looked this way but is something wrong? His scutes seem a bit sunk in on some sides.. he's a Russian and 4 years old

www.tortoiseforum.org

I think the shell looks OK. The scutes are just abnormally translucent, IMHO. Perhaps as the tortoise ages, they will become less and less translucent, but that is just a guess. Only time will tell on that score.

As long as the tortoise continues to eat and act normally, I personally would not worry about anything.

 

[Faygen]

Oh gosh - that's really crazy!

Not sure what to think. Photographic artifact from a really good camera?

Is the keratin laying down too thin?

Is he growing too fast? (Overfeeding? Growth factor error?)

Is the UVB source insufficient to cure it full-thickness to a dark color? I'd expect there to be other MBD symptoms...


@Faygen Is this George? Do you know his actual age? How much has he grown since you've brought him home? What kind of camera do you use to photograph him?

@Yvonne G @zovick I see it here too in these photos from January:

Shell health

Unsure if I'm been a little paranoid but I got George about a month ago and his shell has always looked this way but is something wrong? His scutes seem a bit sunk in on some sides.. he's a Russian and 4 years old

www.tortoiseforum.org

Sorry for the late reply I had lost my internet for a while whilst moving Yes this is George I forgot I took that photo yes you can see it there too he’s got the correct lighting etc and eats well and is a very active little boy he’s grown abit since I’ve got him I keep a track of it monthly and I used an iPhone 12 Pro Max to photograph him I was told he was 5 years old but I also know he was bought from a shop and they were told he was around a year and a half old so I suspect he may be younger his shell has got a bit darker over the last 6 months as well

 

[ZenHerper]

Moving is the worst. *shivers*

For tables and Russians, it is best to afix some kind of lip to the top of the walls. It needs to reach far enough into the space so that the tort can't get a foot up onto it.

He's really pretty!

 

[Faygen]

Moving is the worst. *shivers*

For tables and Russians, it is best to afix some kind of lip to the top of the walls. It needs to reach far enough into the space so that the tort can't get a foot up onto it.

He's really pretty!

Yea we added a lip the day I wrote this and he hasn’t got out since I’m going to build him something much much deeper shortly as I think he will be able to get out over the lip shortly he’s a sneaky one much sneakier than my previous rescues