Is this a DT?

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Shelly

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I rescued this guy a few weeks ago, and he's out of hibernation now..
If he is a DT, he is the oddest I have ever seen.
He is VERY small, only about 4-5 pounds, even though he is at least 36 years old. He is very pyramided for a DT, his shell kind of has an "8" shape to it, he has a very big nose, and his plastron is colored very oddly for a DT. He does have "nuchal scute" but it is very small.
Opinions??
alley.jpg
 

Yvonne G

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He's probably a cross between agassizii and berlandieri. The plastron is a dead giveaway for me. If you'll tip one of YOUR desert tortoises over and compare the indent on the plastrons, you'll see that this tortoise's indentation is way overstated. That's the Texas part of him. Also, I think he was kept in the house too much...not enough sunshine. That's why his shell looks like that. Just a guess, though.
 

egyptiandan

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I leave and Yvonne gets better :D I should leave more often :p Yvonne is right it is a Desert/Texas tortoise hybrid.

Danny
 

Shelly

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Awesome!! I am so proud of myself that I suspected that!
The previous owners found him as a youngster in 1975 walking down an alley in Burbank, Ca. (BTW, that's his name, Ally the Turtle)
I'm not sure that he was ever kept indoors, but I will check on that. He does walk funny, so there might be some MBD in his past.... so maybe he was...
Is that coloration of the plastron normal?
 

egyptiandan

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Yes the plastron color is perfectly normal for a hybrid.

Danny
 
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