swirly circles

[erinnco22]

Hello Tortoise Forum-ers!
I was wondering if anyone knows what these swirly little circles inside the shell are..or if they are anything to be concerned about??
Thanks!

 

[wellington]

Not sure what they are or why some torts have them. But I do know they are normal and nothing to worry about.

 

[erinnco22]

Thank you! That makes me feel so much better! Honestly, I kind of like them just for some reason the idea of it being a fungus was worrying me

 

[wellington]

Someone not too long ago had the same thing on their tort. Don't remember if it was same species, but I think so. I like them too.

 

[RedfootsRule]

There was a discussion about this, long long ago, in an article far far away..... Its growth. I notice it with my tortoises all the time. The amount increases substantially under varying amounts of growth. At times, you can actually estimate the growth rate of a tortoise, judging by how many circles there are....I've only done this after seeing how many there are when the tortoise is under a growth spurt, to when it is not growing much. There are few, unnoticeable white swirly circles in tortoises when tortoises are growing slowly, and when the growth accelerates, the circles appear everywhere. So it is completely natural.