White lines

[Suze65]

I get very confused over this, some people say white lines around the scutes are just new growth, nothing to worry about. And others say, it's fast growth, so not a good sign. So which is it, your thoughts please.

[sandy]

Originally Posted by Suze65

I get very confused over this, some people say white lines around the scutes are just new growth, nothing to worry about. And others say, it's fast growth, so not a good sign. So which is it, your thoughts please.

White lines around each scute, should not be visible to the naked eye. If you can see it, then its a sign of fast growth. The wider the line the faster the growth.
Saying that some tortoises will have the odd growth spurt, but this should not be every month. This is why I recommend keeping a note each month of their weight gain. After a few months you can see what the average gain is.
Most say a gain of between 2-3grm is average. No growth is also not a problem, as some months they dont gain weight.
Tortoises in the wild grow half as fast as those in captivity as we all tend to over feed lush foods.

[Suze65]

Thanks Sandy, I have to say, I very rarely see these white lines, only on a very few occasions have I seen them on any of my torts, and then very fine, and I must confess I don't always weigh my torts every month, when they get to over a year old. But I am very aware of how heavy they feel, and I find that I do notice if one of them suddenly feels light ( not that this has happened often) I don't control their food, I let them eat what they want, but as was discussed on another thread, I find our British summers, being like their spring, controls food intake quite naturally, some days they eat a lot, and on cooler days they eat less. And I don't give them any extra heat during the summer, they just have cold frames to warm up.

[CherryBrandy]

are there just typical growth lines and then there are distinctive white lines ? I must say I have 1 v old tortoise who has a very long distinctive white line on her shell but doesn't look like a growth line at all, more a colour defect. She has 'normal' growth lines up until she got elderly and now they are just dark. My elder folk spur are v heavy and I love it when I pick them up and they are so weighty but compared to my Horsfields the flesh on them is skinny runts, the Horsfields are lovely tubby legs like tubby little elephant legs- not sure they have massive growth marks on their shells though.

[Gordon]

Originally Posted by sandy

White lines around each scute, should not be visible to the naked eye. If you can see it, then its a sign of fast growth. The wider the line the faster the growth.
Saying that some tortoises will have the odd growth spurt, but this should not be every month. This is why I recommend keeping a note each month of their weight gain. After a few months you can see what the average gain is.
Most say a gain of between 2-3grm is average. No growth is also not a problem, as some months they dont gain weight.
Tortoises in the wild grow half as fast as those in captivity as we all tend to over feed lush foods.

So how does this work on torts outside I have a female thh that has had nothing else but what is in their pen and she has big growth lines.

[Stellanne]

I agree Gordon, most of my torts tend not to show growth lines but one in particular does....always. She is the tort that has a very deformed shell and when I rehomed her I was told she was 'greedy'. She was kept outdoors and in the same environment as another tortoise (which I also rehomed), but her shell is not too good. I have always puzzled about this and would love to have some explanation.
I don't know whether she eats more than the others, she doesn't appear to do.. X x. X hugs x x

[Suze65]

My eight year old Margie has always been "small" for her age, yet sometime she has white lines, a male Margie that I recently re homed was very big for his age, last time I looked there were no signs of white lines, so I'm puzzled ! As I've said mine don't get any extra heat in the summer, they only have cold frames, so when the weather is cool and cloudy, they don't eat so much, I hope this replicates more natural feeding patterns. So I don't think they are over fed.

[CherryBrandy]

I thought I would take a closer look at Missy Olive because of your post Suze about white lines and though this looks really big marco they are like a cotton thread. Missy olive is nearly 60 and the lines haven't troubled her and I thought they were growth until this posting? Do you think its ok?

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[Suze65]

My sister in law recently looked after an old Margie for a couple of weeks, he's about 60, and while he was with her a fine white line of growth appeared, so I think they can still show some growth even at a ripe old age. My feeling is that it's not fast growth and therefore bad, but just simply new growth.

[sandy]

Originally Posted by Gordon

So how does this work on torts outside I have a female thh that has had nothing else but what is in their pen and she has big growth lines.

I dont ever see white line growth on any of my iberas, and they have the run of my garden. Which is how it should be, other than if they have a sudden growth spurt:0)
Obviously they do have growth lines, but you should not be able to see them when they are white. If you do then its excellerated growth.