Possibly dumb question about my Russians new growth

jsheffield

Well-Known Member
Moderator
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2018
Messages
3,114
Location (City and/or State)
Westmoreland, NH
Hello, I was giving Chili his weigh-in, inspection, and bath, and noticed a line of what I assume is growth on his shell.

IMG_20191217_161843.jpg

Is there something wrong with him or my care of him... What should I be doing to fix it?

Thanks,

Jamie
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,405
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
No, he's fine. He's growing a more high domed shape, so you see more extensive new growth on the bottom sides like that. The growth between the scutes has to maintain the silhouette that's programmed into that particular tortoise.
 

jsheffield

Well-Known Member
Moderator
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2018
Messages
3,114
Location (City and/or State)
Westmoreland, NH
Because he's not a forest tortoise, not an omnivore, not a young tort, not changing every day like the other three are, I thought he'd fade into the background...

Instead, he's the first one up everyday, the first one I feed, and perhaps because his table is by my desk, the one who seems to check in with me most during the day.

I took him in out of pity, but I've really fallen in love with the crusty old man.

Jamie
 

RosemaryDW

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2016
Messages
4,144
Location (City and/or State)
Newport Coast, CA
Nothing like a Russian for energy! Only two and a half more months (hopefully) until spring; I’m already looking forward to her coming out of hibernation. My husband, on the other hand, is happy for the yard to have a chance to recover from her stomping and eating everything in her path.
 

glassbird

New Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2020
Messages
22
Location (City and/or State)
Seacoast area of New Hampshire, USA
I am so glad that I found this forum, and SO GLAD that I found this thread! My new (rescued) tortoise has this exact thing going on with his/her shell. (I am not sure if he/she is male or female yet, so forgive the waffling, please.) At least I can stop stressing about that...and continue with my search for information on possibly letting her/him hibernate before Spring returns to New Hampshire! Thank you!0108201209d.jpg
 

TechnoCheese

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Feb 20, 2016
Messages
4,505
Location (City and/or State)
Lewisville, Texas
I am so glad that I found this forum, and SO GLAD that I found this thread! My new (rescued) tortoise has this exact thing going on with his/her shell. (I am not sure if he/she is male or female yet, so forgive the waffling, please.) At least I can stop stressing about that...and continue with my search for information on possibly letting her/him hibernate before Spring returns to New Hampshire! Thank you!View attachment 285358
It’s definitely too late to put your tortoise into brumation, and it seems that you have a male from the tail length. However, a plastron picture could help us tell for sure :)
 

jsheffield

Well-Known Member
Moderator
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2018
Messages
3,114
Location (City and/or State)
Westmoreland, NH
I am so glad that I found this forum, and SO GLAD that I found this thread! My new (rescued) tortoise has this exact thing going on with his/her shell. (I am not sure if he/she is male or female yet, so forgive the waffling, please.) At least I can stop stressing about that...and continue with my search for information on possibly letting her/him hibernate before Spring returns to New Hampshire! Thank you!View attachment 285358
Another NH Tortoise Keeper!

Jamie
 

Lyn W

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
Messages
23,497
Location (City and/or State)
UK
No such thing as a dumb question here Jamie.
It's better to be safe than sorry so ask away!!
 

Lyn W

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
Messages
23,497
Location (City and/or State)
UK
I am so glad that I found this forum, and SO GLAD that I found this thread! My new (rescued) tortoise has this exact thing going on with his/her shell. (I am not sure if he/she is male or female yet, so forgive the waffling, please.) At least I can stop stressing about that...and continue with my search for information on possibly letting her/him hibernate before Spring returns to New Hampshire! Thank you!View attachment 285358
Hi and welcome!
If you post in the introduction thread with some pics of your set up and your torts story we'd love to hear it.
Too late for hibernating this year but plenty of good advice on TFO for the future.
 

glassbird

New Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2020
Messages
22
Location (City and/or State)
Seacoast area of New Hampshire, USA
Dang..is it too late for hibernating this year? I have been slowly cutting back on the MVB and cutting back on the food. He/She keeps putting herself into the coolest (60 degree) corner and staying there for days until I pull her out and place him/her in the basking area (100 degrees). Then he/she is active for 2-3 days...and then bam...back to that dark cool corner. I have a room in my house that stays a consistent 45 degrees, and was planning on boxing her/him up around Feb 15th and letting her hibernate for at least a month or two. (After not feeding and doing daily soaks for at least two weeks.) Not a good idea?

Yes, I will do a proper post in the introduction thread soon. I would love some experienced eyes telling me a gender. This he/she, his/her thing is getting old!
 

Sa Ga

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2019
Messages
653
Location (City and/or State)
MN
I just rescued my RT, Morla, this past Sept. She seemed to want to brumate this winter but I didn't let her. (She did not really want to eat and she would just crawl to a corner and want to sleep.) I kept her warm and fed so she couldn't. I just didn't want to risk it bc I didn't know what I was doing with it yet.

Then she was diagnosed in Nov w/ chronic kidney disease (due to her past poor care--which shows just how important covert things like hydration/humidity and proper diet is--and how easy it is to miss the bad effects until it's almost too late!). This likely would have killed her had I brumated her!
(Signif dehydration naturally occurs during brumation and CKD will not permit such levels of it without the kidneys poss shutting down for good.)

This led to many discussions with my vet (she is one of the Mall of America Sea Life staff vets, so she has a plethora of reptile expertise and knowledge!). I was worried Morla would be missing out or be harmed by not brumating.

But....I came to learn that brumation is actually hard on them--go fig, not eating or drinking for months, stuck cold and immobile. Remember, they don't do it because it's fun. They do it because their natural climate gets inhospitable and they HAVE to. And some simply never wake up. ?

It is natural but a behavior they no longer need to do if they're safe and sound in your warm house. After reading just the stories here on this forum, it just doesn't seem worth that risk.
 

glassbird

New Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2020
Messages
22
Location (City and/or State)
Seacoast area of New Hampshire, USA
Wow! Some thought provoking stuff there! I am in the same position...mine came from an original owner who was, almost, being willfully ignorant. I don't know if she/he is is super healthy...probably not! OK! Hibernating is off the table this year. I will slowly bring the lights back up, and get back to feeding more. Maybe I just dodged a bullet...
 

Sa Ga

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2019
Messages
653
Location (City and/or State)
MN
Wow! Some thought provoking stuff there! I am in the same position...mine came from an original owner who was, almost, being willfully ignorant. I don't know if she/he is is super healthy...probably not! OK! Hibernating is off the table this year. I will slowly bring the lights back up, and get back to feeding more. Maybe I just dodged a bullet...

Yes, unfortunately they are very good at seeming well...until they're not. I cried at the Vet's when Morla was diagnosed because she had seemed SO healthy when I got her and I thought it was something I'd done wrong that did this to her. But the vet said something like CKD develops over a good span of time, not 5 weeks. So she was actually quite sick for a while.

It is likely that ones that didn't wake up from brumation had something hiding that took hold once in their vulnerable state. It's recommended that you do a full physical (especially bloodwork/x-rays etc) to be sure everything is ok bf you brumate.

Morla's xrays ID'd calcium deposits to the underside of her rt shoulder scute, which led to bloodwork confirming that her phosphate/calcium/uric acid levels were extremely off and that the kidneys were not working properly (the deposits are the body's way of trying to compensate for the wacky blood levels). Be warned though...such a thorough physical runs about $500. So safe brumation is also expensive! Lol
 

Viola B

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2018
Messages
234
Location (City and/or State)
Idaho Falls, Idaho
We sure do get attached to these little ones. So sorry for for you and your sweet tort. Thank you for sharing this with us.
 

Sa Ga

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2019
Messages
653
Location (City and/or State)
MN
We sure do get attached to these little ones. So sorry for for you and your sweet tort. Thank you for sharing this with us.

Thank you, Viola. It's crazy how much I love the little gal! 'm doing everything to keep her happy and as healthy as possible. Here's to hoping she can still grace me with many more years of her goofy nose nuzzles! ❤?
 
Top