Skeletal conditions in tortoises

Tortoises have a special skeleton. The bones have grown together to form a box around the body. Only the head, legs and tail are exposed. When the tortoise is being attacked or is frightened he draws his head, legs and tail into the shell as a defence mechanism.

Millions of years ago, the tortoise had ribs, but over time the ribs became flatter and wider until they joined together to make the skeleton. The skeleton is made up of bone, and on top of the bones are scutes. The bones and the scutes do not lie directly over each other which give the skeleton extra strength. The back bone or vertebrae are part of the shell.

You should never drill a hole in the shell to tie your tortoise up; the shell is made of bone and has a blood and nerve supply which means drilling holes is very painful.

Oil does not need to be added to the shell; it might make the shell appear glossy but it does not help your tortoise at all. If it is very hot, it will only make him hotter!

The top part of the shell is called the carapace and the bottom part of the shell is called the plastron. The male’s plastron is indented to allow it to mount a female whilst mating. Some females and males have hinges on the plastron. Each scute also has a name depending on whereabouts it is on the shell.

Pyramiding is a condition where the shell grows too quickly and the shell scutes develops a ‘pointed’ appearance. Although this is not painful to the tortoise it is thought to be caused by too much protein in the diet or poor incubation before hatching. It is important to ensure you are feeding a good balanced diet to ensure you do not feed too much protein.

If you see any problems with your tortoise whilst he is growing, take him to your veterinarian for a check-up.