desert tortoise develops thin white lines between scutes on shell

by chris
(minneapolis mn)

i am not sure exactly how old my tortoise is, but believe him to be between 13-17 yrs of age. he is in an enclosure for the winter, we regulate the heat, and have a 125 watt solar glo uva/uvb bulb. he appears happy, and his appitite has not changed much, however, has slowed. (chalked it up to winter in MN) today when i was feeding him i knowticed he has developed some thin white lines between the scutes of his plastron. i am sincerely hoping this is a growth issue that i have not yet encountered in my 4 years with him.

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Feb 04, 2010

white lines round scutes
by: supervic

Hi i have a 6 year old redfoot and 2 leopards (kept seperately), just noticed all three have white lines round the scutes

all three appear healthy, i suspect the puppy food we give (occasional small amounts to supplement the greens) might be adding too much calcium

we have followed the feeding advice of the uk breeder (his adults were very healthy and active) and until now have had no problems

let me know if you get any answers- thanks
supersupervic@hotmail.com

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