One year of growth

[JokingYeti]

We adopted Maple May of 2022. She was not getting proper care by her previous owners. At some point she was either dropped or attacked by a dog which caused two of her scutes to be damaged and fused together. We are doing everything we can to make sure she is in good hands now. We think she is around 5yrs old but don’t know for sure. Currently weighs about 48lbs. These photos show exactly one year of growth from August 2022 to August 2023.

 

[wellington]

Looking good.
I would guess the fused scutes are likely from hatching. Damaged scutes take a long time to heal and likely wouldn't look normal for a long time.
It's just a thing that happens here and there for no real know reasons. Could be from temps when incubated.