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Originally Posted by mediterraneansuze
I have read about tortoises having slightly bumpy scutes in the wild, ( one persons observation, not a scientific research ) in areas where there seems to be less water to drink, so the amount they have available to drink + humidity + nutrients all goes towards smooth shell growth. Also ( and I'm probably very wrong ) I have read that when the torts in the wild hide under woody shrubs, this constant brushing against the shell also contributes towards smooth shell growth ( maybe that's the oils ) .
Just another point for anyone who still thinks too much food is the problem, just recently my sister in law went on a walking holiday in the southern peloponese, she noticed ( in April) a plentyful supply of " wicked weeds" . So they can eat as much as they like at that time of year, and the temps were warm ( not hot ) and some days quite cool .
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The same works over here for weeds, I always sort of feed up my tortoises from May until around the beginning of August. I sow my seeds in October all over the garden. So they germinate and grow for when my tortoises come out of hibernation. They are sort of over fed, or make pigs of themselves on the weeds. Then in August I have lots of hibiscus flowers and lavvy flowers along with any weeds that are still around. This tends to be less amounts of food. Then at the beginning of September my tortoises have already began to slow down ( you can hardly notice this, but they have) so can come out and graze as they wish, with the odd top up of food now and again. Then as the days get really short, they will be ready for hibernation.