Plastron not fully closed

[Shanna17]

Hello! I hatched a baby Hermanns that had quite a large yolk sac and now the plastron doesn’t seem fully closed. I thought with time it would close more and it has its just been really slow. He’s almost 3 month old now and there’s just a thin layer that is covering it. He is fine otherwise, eating well and really active. He did have some clutch mates that are perfectly fine as well. Just wondering if anyone has had anything similar and if it eventually closed or stayed the same.
Thank you.

 

[zovick]

Hello! I hatched a baby Hermanns that had quite a large yolk sac and now the plastron doesn’t seem fully closed. I thought with time it would close more and it has its just been really slow. He’s almost 3 month old now and there’s just a thin layer that is covering it. He is fine otherwise, eating well and really active. He did have some clutch mates that are perfectly fine as well. Just wondering if anyone has had anything similar and if it eventually closed or stayed the same.
Thank you.

It does look abnormal for three months of age. This reminds me of the situation in human babies where one or both of the fontanelles (junctions between main parts of the skull) do not close and the brain is virtually unprotected from trauma. In those human cases, the open fontanelles are covered with metal plates to protect the brain.

You could just do nothing and see what transpires. It is unlikely the tortoise will experience trauma severe enough to puncture that scar in captivity.

Or, though I am not sure exactly what could be done professionally for your tortoise, I would recommend trying to keep that area from being punctured for now and if it doesn't close in 6-9 more months, taking the tortoise to a good exotics vet who may be able to cover the area with a surgical closure such as I mentioned for humans or cover it non-surgically with a plastic or metal protective plate (assuming you think it is worth the investment which would be required).

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

The photo sort of reminded me of this video:

So it could be worse. I am curious, has he been growing on track with his clutch mates?

 

[Shanna17]

The photo sort of reminded me of this video:

So it could be worse. I am curious, has he been growing on track with his clutch mates

The photo sort of reminded me of this video:

So it could be worse. I am curious, has he been growing on track with his clutch mates?

Oh wow! Yeah I’m glad I can’t see his beating heart. I’m all ready worried enough. This is now so it is a lot better than when he first hatched. But yes he’s been growing on track with his clutch mates.

 

[Shanna17]

Oh wow! I’m glad I can’t see his little heart beating. This is it now so it is a lot better than when he first hatched. And yeah he’s growing just as well as his clutch mates

 

[zovick]

Oh wow! I’m glad I can’t see his little heart beating. This is it now so it is a lot better than when he first hatched. And yeah he’s growing just as well as his clutch mates

Maybe by the time it's a year old, it will close on its own. Obviously, just be careful not to puncture through the soft area somehow in the meantime.

Good luck!

 

[wellington]

To avoid puncture, I would not use any wood chip type substrates.
I would use coconut coir and make sure it's fine grade and inspect for any stick type pieces that may have gotten by.

 

[Tom]

Hello! I hatched a baby Hermanns that had quite a large yolk sac and now the plastron doesn’t seem fully closed. I thought with time it would close more and it has its just been really slow. He’s almost 3 month old now and there’s just a thin layer that is covering it. He is fine otherwise, eating well and really active. He did have some clutch mates that are perfectly fine as well. Just wondering if anyone has had anything similar and if it eventually closed or stayed the same.
Thank you.

Did you use a brooder box type set up for the first 7-10 days after hatching?

 

[Shanna17]

Did you use a brooder box type set up for the first 7-10 days after hatching?

I kept him in the incubator on a damp paper towel for a long time as I was waiting for it to close more and I was scared he would puncture that thin film. Probably for 14 days

 

[biochemnerd808]

Hi there.
One of my hatchlings (from a damaged egg that I incubated in a top corner of the incubator because I ran out of space) has an open plastron like that. I'm not sure if the damage to the egg or the possibly higher temp caused it... You can see its heart beating through the gap:
Open Plastron video

The hole has closed by about 30% at this point, but you can still see her heart beating.

It is also blind in 1 eye, but seems to be doing ok. I'm giving this little one to a keeper who has 2 other tortoises from me. She will have a good life with her.

Monica Houghtling hatched a leopard baby with an open plastron like this, and by 1 year old, it had closed up. She put a little protective shield on it. I'm keeping mine on soft, moist coco coir.

 

[COmtnLady]

For some reason I thought the worst birth defect a tort could survive with would be missing scutes or deformed legs. So this question is to the experts here -
Could a shield the size of the plastron be created with tough plastic cut from a milk jug or similar, and then taped to the carapace (so that the plastron was undisturbed)? It would need changed and washed off every other day so that no grit got between the shield and plastron, but that non-allergic paper tape should be strong enough without doing harm. Would that work or would that cut off air to the affected area and hamper the soft part from closing better? Inquiring minds want to know....

 

[biochemnerd808]

I wouldn't add anything for now, while they are still growing rapidly. Just make sure there is nothing poky in the habitat. The skin could get a fungal infection if plastic is covering it and trapping moisture.