Tortoise scutes

[Sam2710]

These are my two new babies one has 5 scutes running down middle the other 4 is this abnormal?? Both parents have 5 so wondering why the other has 4. Any ideas ??

 

[chubu]

Hello, such cute babies.
From my knowledge, i think it just means two shell plates grew together before hatching. It won’t harm them or affect their growth.

 

[zolasmum]

They are both lovely, and it will actually be helpful for you to be able to identify either one of them easily !
Angie

 

[zovick]

These are my two new babies one has 5 scutes running down middle the other 4 is this abnormal?? Both parents have 5 so wondering why the other has 4. Any ideas ??

5 is the normal number of central scutes. Chubu is correct above in saying that two of the normal 5 scutes fused together so that they look like only 1. This type of thing (and also extra scutes) can be caused by higher incubation temperatures.

 

[Sam2710]

Thankyou xx the incubator has been an issue as couldn’t keep temps right during the heatwave we had in June. Beautiful babies Bert and Ernie despite whatever sex they will be

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thankyou xx the incubator has been an issue as couldn’t keep temps right during the heatwave we had in June. Beautiful babies Bert and Ernie despite whatever sex they will be

They are so cute! Just a quick heads up, if they’re together they are going to need separating, pairs don’t work for tortoises unfortunately, it gets worse the older they get.

I’d also have a look into a different substrate if you can, it looks like some kind of reptisoil or top soil? Those are best avoided, damp coco coir, orchid bark or cypress mulch are your best bets.

You might hopefully find these helpful

Care guide from one of the most experienced members

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

I made this thread based on the forums care information and added visual aids, it covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But I’ll add some more ideas below for closed chambers

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

tortoiseforum.org

These are some different closed chamber options

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, this one here is good to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates(explains a bit about soils), housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Hope they come in handy!

 

[Sam2710]

I have a mixture of top soil and coco coir soaked and mixed together I’m spraying every day and adding water twice a week and mixing up the lights I have Arcadia uv bulb kit from swell reptiles

 

[Sam2710]

They are so cute! Just a quick heads up, if they’re together they are going to need separating, pairs don’t work for tortoises unfortunately, it gets worse the older they get.

I’d also have a look into a different substrate if you can, it looks like some kind of reptisoil or top soil? Those are best avoided, damp coco coir, orchid bark or cypress mulch are your best bets.

You might hopefully find these helpful

Care guide from one of the most experienced members

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

I made this thread based on the forums care information and added visual aids, it covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But I’ll add some more ideas below for closed chambers

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

tortoiseforum.org

These are some different closed chamber options

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, this one here is good to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates(explains a bit about soils), housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Hope they come in handy!

Shame it doesn’t say what is good

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Shame it doesn’t say what is good

The ‘housing young Russian/herman’ contains all the good stuff to use