Tortoise's shell

[frankyroma]

My tortoise is 2 years old (nearly 3) and since I bought it the front of the shell has always been slightly indented... Her diet consists of different weeds from my garden, and there is a cuttle fish bone in the enclosure, although I've never seen it eat any, just climb all over it! Is there anything else I can do?

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Oh, there is also a UV and heat light obviously as well

 

[Yvonne G]

That indented part is on shell that was there when the tortoise was a baby. All the new growth is growing normal and looks great.

 

[frankyroma]

Thank you! I'm worrying about everything!

 

[Tom]

I see the new growth staying exactly the same or worsening.

What you call indenting, we call pyramiding. It is when each scute grows up forming a pyramid shape instead if growing out and flat. It occurs when there is growth in conditions that are too dry. Judging from your substrate, I'm going to guess you've kept this tortoise pretty dry since you got it. Probably what the breeder recommended. A damp substrate, a humid hide, a shallow water dish and a covered top are all way to combat this in a hatchling. At nearly three years old, it won't change a whole lot, but the new growth might come in smoother. If the tortoise is well fed, well hydrated, and all else is good, this is only cosmetic and won't hurt anything.

 

[frankyroma]

I have half the enclosure with this substrate and the other half is a mixture of top soil and sand, would you recommend that I covered the entire enclosure with it?
Thank you for the advice