Plastron kinda... convex?

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Ivyna J. Spyder

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Weird thing with my baby redfoot. I was checking him over today and I noticed on his underside, one side of his plastron is sticking in a bit, compared to the other side. I don't think it's always been that way. Also might be a bit 'soft' but really he's so young his entire shell feels a bit soft to me so I'm not sure what's normal.

Is this something I need to worry about? :\ He's eating and seems otherwise fine.

I think it could be because of how he tends to lay on some smooth rocks in his enclosure... Maybe it's causing little indentations?
 

Kristina

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How old of a baby is your "baby?" Babies are kind of folded in half across the middle in the egg. Sometimes it can take awhile for them to "straighten out" and they can have some funny lumps and bumps until they do.

I highly doubt it has anything to do with what he is laying on.
 

matt41gb

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If that were the case then it would be "concave." The rocks could definitely be causing the indentations. I would take the rocks out of there, red-foots don't benefit from them. What is your enclosure like?

-Matt
 

Ivyna J. Spyder

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Whoops yeah I meant concave >_O That's what I get for posting when tired.

Aaaand today it looks like it's all back to normal! Weird.
 

Kristina

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Not to be crude, but maybe he had just pooped - a lot. Or was in need of a drink of water. My little Greek will drink until she turns almost into a complete ball, and then when she pees soon after she goes back to normal shape, lol.
 

Madkins007

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Baby Red-foots are, as Kristina said, pretty flexible. I would not worry too much about it, although I would keep an eye on it a bit.

It is my personal theory that this is a part of what is causing pyramiding- taking a little tortoise that was hatched with a soft shell, and feeding it in such a way that it grows before the shell has a chance to harden. Not so much a matter of how much we are feeding- more like what sort of things are we feeding? But again, this is just my theory.
 
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