Shell deformity?

[shawngt2]

Hey everyone,

I've noticed something with my Cherryhead Redfoot tortoise. He appears to have an extra 3 scutes. That's right....and 3 EXTRA scutes! LOL If you look at the below photo you'll see that down the center of his body he has 6 scutes and with all other redfoots I have noticed 5. The one that appears to be extra is the second one behind his head which is small and longer than normal. It does appear to be raised a little like two tectonic plates colliding together. Also, he's got 1 extra on each side. I've looked up some cherryhead photos and I don't see this occurrence anywhere else. This may be something to worry about, maybe not.. Opinions???

Shawn

 

[Yvonne G]

Its quite common. Usually happens when the egg is incubated at a higher temperature, but sometimes happens for no good reason. There is no cause for concern.

Yvonne

 

[cdmay]

There are extra scutes but at least the shell looks symetrical.
There will probably be no negative side effects though. Also, I am fairly certain that when the animal is an adult, very few people would even notice. My guess is that this will grow to be a female.No worries!

 

[ArkansasKelly]

There are extra scutes but at least the shell looks symetrical.
There will probably be no negative side effects though. Also, I am fairly certain that when the animal is an adult, very few people would even notice. My guess is that this will grow to be a female.No worries!

Please keep in mind that the extra scutes mean female thing is completely wrong. I have had several tortoises with extra scutes turn out to be male. Though, I have yet to see a male calico cat.

ARKelly

 

[shawngt2]

Thanks everyone,

Like I've said, I've attempted to find photos of a shell similar to my redfoot without success. Here are some additional photos, you'll clearly see that center scute that is shaped like a ski jump. You'll also notice that most all his scutes are not normally shaped compared to other redfoots.

 

[cdmay]

[Please keep in mind that the extra scutes mean female thing is completely wrong. I have had several tortoises with extra scutes turn out to be male. Though, I have yet to see a male calico cat.

ARKelly
[/quote]

Completely wrong? I too have seen a male here and there that had extra scutes but they were mostly all wild caught. The vast majority of captive hatched animals with extra scutes that I have seen have been female.
Still, that doesn't mean they will all be female. I simply said that it would be my guess.

 

[ArkansasKelly]

Completely wrong? I too have seen a male here and there that had extra scutes but they were mostly all wild caught. The vast majority of captive hatched animals with extra scutes that I have seen have been female.
Still, that doesn't mean they will all be female. I simply said that it would be my guess.

I'm sorry Cdmay, I did not mean for it to come out that way. All I was saying is people need to realize that just because a tortoise has extra scutes does not always mean it will be a female. I apologize for coming off wrong.

ARKelly

 

[cdmay]

[[/quote]

I'm sorry Cdmay, I did not mean for it to come out that way. All I was saying is people need to realize that just because a tortoise has extra scutes does not always mean it will be a female. I apologize for coming off wrong.

ARKelly
[/quote]

No, no. You didn't come off wrong at all. It IS true that we shouldn't assume that all extra scute animals are necessarily female, or that extra scutes are always from high incubation temperatures.
Other possible causes are gentics and very low humidity during incubation. In these cases you might very well get a male.
I was only saying that most of the captive hatched tortoises with this condition that I have seen have nearly all been female. These were probably, but not for certain, incubated at high temps. Also, I know of many breeders who intentionally incubate at higher temps to get a higher percentage of female hatchlings. These breeders also produce unusually larger numbers of extra, or split scute hatchlings.

 

[shawngt2]

Damn, that doesn't sound good. It doesn't apperar to cause him any problems but I wonder what could be wrong on the inside.

 

[Redfoot NERD]

Damn, that doesn't sound good. It doesn't apperar to cause him any problems but I wonder what could be wrong on the inside.

Shawn what goes on outside does not particularly mean there is anything wrong inside.. before hatching!

I believe that there are 'stages' of development.. one egg in the same clutch will hatch a week or three before/after the rest. And one hatchling in that same clutch will have deformities and his siblings will be perfectly normal. The scenario's go on and on.

[ and you know where I am with this ] What we do after they hatch DOES make a difference. Most of mine are.. [ and most everyone's CAN be.. their choice ] perfectly smooth and healthy from the same clutch/year/environment and diet. Then there's always the extremes and exceptions!

Is anyone learning anything from this thread?

NERD

 

[shawngt2]

Terry, good to know. He's been on your diet regime since I've had him with the exception of substituting earth worms for protein once a month.

his living quarters are exactly as per you recommendations since two weeks from initial advice (originally bought what store recommended - TOTALLY OFF.

Anyhow I hope everything is ok with him because that ski jump has occured in the past month and now I'm not sure how to stop it.

So I have nothing to be concerned about? Have you seen shells like my guy has?

Happy New Year!!!

Shawn