White Ring Around Hermann Neck

[RatQueen_Irene]

I wanted to make sure this wasn't a sign of illness or injury - there's a white band around my eastern hermann tortoise's neck, just behind the head. It spans all the way around and is usually hidden in the initial fold there except when enthusiastically eating. Is it new growth, where the scales haven't fully hardened/colored yet, or where they've been worn away somehow? I don't see any abnormal puffiness, though I could be missing it. He's a few months old at this point.

 

[RatQueen_Irene]

 

[RatQueen_Irene]

For anyone who finds this in the future, it turned out to be a juvenile shedding stage! The previous scales had been stained heavily by using one brand of coco coir over another, and they were coming off in a normal shed growth spurt to reveal unstained scales below. There was no redness or irritation, his back legs also shed afterwards, just a bit more subtle. They've matched the rest of his body now!