- Joined
- Feb 9, 2011
- Messages
- 685
Hello,
I acquired a sulcata about a month ago. S/he's about 12" long, weighs 14 pounds, and is supposedly about 8 years old. It has severe pyramiding, as well as some sort of large indentation on the side of its shell. I've attached a photo. If anyone can answer my questions, I'd be extremely grateful.
First of all, does 14 pounds seem about right for a 12" sulcata?
Secondly, do torts with severe pyramiding or previous MBD tend to stay on the smaller side, or do they grow pretty well once their issues are addressed?
Third, what could have caused such a large indentation on its side? Does that go along with pyramiding, or MDB, or something else?
Finally, what is the most reliable way to tell gender if the shell is horribly deformed? I was told it's a female, but the supracaudal scute is curved downward so much that poop sometimes gets stuck in the shell by the tail, and I have to clean it out. I can't even see where the cloaca is on the tail because of that. The tail is less than 2 inches long, which makes me think female, but then the plastron seems slightly concave, which suggests male. However, upon close examination, it's evident that the entire plastron is somewhat misshapen because of the indentation along the side of the shell. Any other body parts I can look at to determine gender? Any other ideas?
Well, crizzle, my photo didn't come through...
I acquired a sulcata about a month ago. S/he's about 12" long, weighs 14 pounds, and is supposedly about 8 years old. It has severe pyramiding, as well as some sort of large indentation on the side of its shell. I've attached a photo. If anyone can answer my questions, I'd be extremely grateful.
First of all, does 14 pounds seem about right for a 12" sulcata?
Secondly, do torts with severe pyramiding or previous MBD tend to stay on the smaller side, or do they grow pretty well once their issues are addressed?
Third, what could have caused such a large indentation on its side? Does that go along with pyramiding, or MDB, or something else?
Finally, what is the most reliable way to tell gender if the shell is horribly deformed? I was told it's a female, but the supracaudal scute is curved downward so much that poop sometimes gets stuck in the shell by the tail, and I have to clean it out. I can't even see where the cloaca is on the tail because of that. The tail is less than 2 inches long, which makes me think female, but then the plastron seems slightly concave, which suggests male. However, upon close examination, it's evident that the entire plastron is somewhat misshapen because of the indentation along the side of the shell. Any other body parts I can look at to determine gender? Any other ideas?
Well, crizzle, my photo didn't come through...