I’m noticing the growth on my tortoise isn’t “smooth”. Is this normal?

Julian32122

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2020
Messages
59
Location (City and/or State)
Vallejo
My 9-month old Russian tortoise is growing quickly and I’ve noticed that his shell isn’t perfectly smooth. I’ve never owned a tortoise before so I don’t know what to expect but is it normal for his shell to have lots of lines and look a bit rough/ridged as shown in the pics? I’m not referring to pyramiding, rather just the texture of his shell.

I’m sure this isn’t a big deal but I’d just like to learn as much as possible :)
 

Attachments

  • 5AFB9BA4-ECF1-4E0D-816B-769892A87A39.jpeg
    5AFB9BA4-ECF1-4E0D-816B-769892A87A39.jpeg
    1.5 MB · Views: 58
  • 0E410489-0E03-4BD6-A606-07C4502024D3.jpeg
    0E410489-0E03-4BD6-A606-07C4502024D3.jpeg
    1.3 MB · Views: 57

MichaelL

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2018
Messages
983
Location (City and/or State)
Ocala, Fl
That is a perfect russian tortoise shell! Very well done! So many captive bred babies are raised poorly and grow up with horrible shells. It's nice to see a perfectly healthy one. :)

Oh and those ridges are perfectly fine.
 

Julian32122

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2020
Messages
59
Location (City and/or State)
Vallejo
That is a perfect russian tortoise shell! Very well done! So many captive bred babies are raised poorly and grow up with horrible shells. It's nice to see a perfectly healthy one. :)

Oh and those ridges are perfectly fine.
Thank you! I’m glad the hours upon hours of research paid off. I’ve only had him for a little over half a year at this point but I can’t wait until he’s fully grown. Always looking for ways to ensure everything is fine as he matures. Thank you for your insight :)!
 

Julian32122

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2020
Messages
59
Location (City and/or State)
Vallejo
That is a perfect russian tortoise shell! Very well done! So many captive bred babies are raised poorly and grow up with horrible shells. It's nice to see a perfectly healthy one. :)

Oh and those ridges are perfectly fine.
I’m happy to hear! Admittedly it was kind of scary at first because I know babies aren’t the best to begin with, but he was literally the only tortoise I could find in-person and online so I jumped the gun and invested money into a closed chamber with all the things he needed as a baby. Glad it’s all paying off and he’s healthy/happy :) Thank you for your insight Michael!
 

MichaelL

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2018
Messages
983
Location (City and/or State)
Ocala, Fl
I’m happy to hear! Admittedly it was kind of scary at first because I know babies aren’t the best to begin with, but he was literally the only tortoise I could find in-person and online so I jumped the gun and invested money into a closed chamber with all the things he needed as a baby. Glad it’s all paying off and he’s healthy/happy :) Thank you for your insight Michael!
No problem! Do you have pics of your enclosure? I'd love to see them, one of my russian's eggs will hatch in the next couple weeks so I need ideas for the enclosure!
 

Julian32122

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2020
Messages
59
Location (City and/or State)
Vallejo
No problem! Do you have pics of your enclosure? I'd love to see them, one of my russian's eggs will hatch in the next couple weeks so I need ideas for the enclosure!
76B21206-C77C-4B91-B3CA-214774220EBB.jpeg
Sure - here’s a recent pic of my setup. The Zen Habitat enclosure was a little pricey but I really enjoy it. I’ve recently added more fake plants and more wooden houses to make things more interesting for my tortoise. It’s always undergoing new changes (thinking of adding a humid hide soon). But I make it a priority to make sure the temps are right and soak my tortoise everyday for 30 mins.
 

MichaelL

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2018
Messages
983
Location (City and/or State)
Ocala, Fl
View attachment 325475
Sure - here’s a recent pic of my setup. The Zen Habitat enclosure was a little pricey but I really enjoy it. I’ve recently added more fake plants and more wooden houses to make things more interesting for my tortoise. It’s always undergoing new changes (thinking of adding a humid hide soon). But I make it a priority to make sure the temps are right and soak my tortoise everyday for 30 mins.
Awesome!!
 

TaylorTortoise

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2020
Messages
1,461
Location (City and/or State)
Abington
My 9-month old Russian tortoise is growing quickly and I’ve noticed that his shell isn’t perfectly smooth. I’ve never owned a tortoise before so I don’t know what to expect but is it normal for his shell to have lots of lines and look a bit rough/ridged as shown in the pics? I’m not referring to pyramiding, rather just the texture of his shell.

I’m sure this isn’t a big deal but I’d just like to learn as much as possible :)
What are the red dots on your tortoise?
 

TaylorTortoise

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2020
Messages
1,461
Location (City and/or State)
Abington
View attachment 325475
Sure - here’s a recent pic of my setup. The Zen Habitat enclosure was a little pricey but I really enjoy it. I’ve recently added more fake plants and more wooden houses to make things more interesting for my tortoise. It’s always undergoing new changes (thinking of adding a humid hide soon). But I make it a priority to make sure the temps are right and soak my tortoise everyday for 30 mins.
How did you make this
 

TaylorTortoise

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2020
Messages
1,461
Location (City and/or State)
Abington
Also, How do you have the lights set up? It looks like there is an opening where the lights lay on possibly a screen?
 

Julian32122

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2020
Messages
59
Location (City and/or State)
Vallejo
Also, How do you have the lights set up? It looks like there is an opening where the lights lay on possibly a screen?
I got the enclosure from Zen Habitats. I did the PayPal 4-Payments plan when purchasing ($400 total). If you’d like the specific measurements, I can look it up :) It’s important to note I got the PVC version so the “wood” doesn’t warp (it’s not real wood, just a design on top of PVC). The enclosure can be doubled in size if I buy another one so I’ll do that once my tortoise is almost fully grown.

I attached a few pics of how I currently have my enclosure setup. Let me know if you’ve got any questions.
 

Attachments

  • D5228D24-1B0C-4320-ABC0-8F7F59275D6C.jpeg
    D5228D24-1B0C-4320-ABC0-8F7F59275D6C.jpeg
    2.5 MB · Views: 24
  • 18B51C36-60A8-4864-BFBA-F3CE8F252C83.jpeg
    18B51C36-60A8-4864-BFBA-F3CE8F252C83.jpeg
    1.1 MB · Views: 24
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    2.2 MB · Views: 24
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    1.9 MB · Views: 23
Last edited:

New Posts

Top