They see me rollin...

With regard to it being a gopher tortoise--

I have looked up photos of a gopher tortoise, and they do not seem to have the same "peaking" in the shell segments that this clearly displays in the first photo. They tend to be flatter and rounder. Now, I am no expert or anything, but it seems that this would mean to classify it as something different? Do tortoises in captivity tend to grow differently?

Edit: I guess i spoke too soon-- looks like that would be a male then if that is what it is?
 
With regard to it being a gopher tortoise--

I have looked up photos of a gopher tortoise, and they do not seem to have the same "peaking" in the shell segments that this clearly displays in the first photo. They tend to be flatter and rounder. Now, I am no expert or anything, but it seems that this would mean to classify it as something different? Do tortoises in captivity tend to grow differently?

Yes, pyramiding like this is a sign of improper diet, lack of typical wear, etc. I'm open to hear other IDs, but it is not a sulcata, thats for sure.

Chris
 
With regard to it being a gopher tortoise--

I have looked up photos of a gopher tortoise, and they do not seem to have the same "peaking" in the shell segments that this clearly displays in the first photo. They tend to be flatter and rounder. Now, I am no expert or anything, but it seems that this would mean to classify it as something different? Do tortoises in captivity tend to grow differently?

Edit: I guess i spoke too soon-- looks like that would be a male then if that is what it is?

That's what I was thinking as well.
 
Yes, pyramiding like this is a sign of improper diet, lack of typical wear, etc. I'm open to hear other IDs, but it is not a sulcata, thats for sure.

Chris

I've seen what tortoises look like when they receive improper care, her shell doesn't look like that all.
 
I've seen what tortoises look like when they receive improper care, her shell doesn't look like that all.

I've seen much much worse as well and I don't mean that as harshly as it may have come across. The fact is, captive tortoises get pyramiding from a combination of diet that doesn't match what they would be getting in the wild and from a lack of normal shell wear. If this is a gopher tortoise, that type of shell shape isn't typical and its caused by those factors.

Chris
 
I've seen much much worse as well and I don't mean that as harshly as it may have come across. The fact is, captive tortoises get pyramiding from a combination of diet that doesn't match what they would be getting in the wild and from a lack of normal shell wear. If this is a gopher tortoise, that type of shell shape isn't typical and its caused by those factors.

Chris

This is exactly the case. Lack of pyramiding is a point of pride among tortoise breeders and those who love them as much as those here love chameleons.

Thy pyramiding can't likely be remedied now as it has to do with diet and UVB when they are growing. A sulcata will get pyramiding from too many veggies and protein (they only eat grass ideally). I am not sure what this is exactly but it is not a sulcata. I have been researching them for years and have seen hundreds. I really want one but the set up makes getting ready to own a parson's look easy.
 
I've seen much much worse as well and I don't mean that as harshly as it may have come across. The fact is, captive tortoises get pyramiding from a combination of diet that doesn't match what they would be getting in the wild and from a lack of normal shell wear. If this is a gopher tortoise, that type of shell shape isn't typical and its caused by those factors.

Chris

Thought I'd note that I posted a link to this thread on a Turtle & Tortoise forum to get their thoughts on the ID and it was pointed out that another very common cause of pyramiding, possibly even more likely than diet, in tortoises is improper humidity, particularly in their hides.

At any rate, you can view the thread here to see their thoughts: http://www.turtleforum.com/forum/upload/index.php?showtopic=147342

So far from the replies they've indicated that it is definitely not a sulcata and appears to be a gopher tortoise but we'll see if anyone else chimes in.

A friend of my suggested it might be an Asian Brown Tortoise !

I'm not sure but I think Manuria emys, like G. sulcata, have much larger scales on the front legs than this guy does. Still looks like a gopher tortoise to me.

Chris
 
I didn't mean for this to turn into a full on tortoise debate, lol. Basically, it would have died if I hadn't found it in the pool. I just thought it was a cool pic. But if you want I can take pics of the tortoises top and bottom shell also the back legs in the morning if it would help.
 
I didn't mean for this to turn into a full on tortoise debate, lol. Basically, it would have died if I hadn't found it in the pool. I just thought it was a cool pic. But if you want I can take pics of the tortoises top and bottom shell also the back legs in the morning if it would help.

No real need. I have been trying to rule it out . But it is 100% a Gopher Tortiose
 
I didn't mean for this to turn into a full on tortoise debate, lol. Basically, it would have died if I hadn't found it in the pool. I just thought it was a cool pic. But if you want I can take pics of the tortoises top and bottom shell also the back legs in the morning if it would help.

sometimes threads get away from the original purpose. lol :)
 
Gopher for sure. I have raised a few. They can be confused with sulcatas when they are young as they are tan when they hatch. As for keeping it, more power to you. Folks can beep all they want about it being a species of concern but that doesn't stop the government from letting folks bulldoze them to death.
 
sometimes threads get away from the original purpose. lol :)

Lol, yeah I've noticed.

Gopher for sure. I have raised a few. They can be confused with sulcatas when they are young as they are tan when they hatch. As for keeping it, more power to you. Folks can beep all they want about it being a species of concern but that doesn't stop the government from letting folks bulldoze them to death.

True.
 
Aww I missed all the fun! Indeed not a sulcata for absolute sure. As Chris said, the peaked shell scutes are common in captive tortoises, though that does not make it normal. This does not indicate improper care necessarily though as the leading theory for mild pyramiding like this is lower humidity in captivity than their native environment. Diet, lack of UVB and hydration are also thought to play a part, but with cases of dietary pyramiding it is usually more severe.

The reason we are interested in identifying it correctly is to give your sister realistic expectations and so she can provide proper husbandry for that species. Gopher is likely, though desert tortoise also sticks in my mind. Luckily gophers, deserts and sulcatas have a lot of similarities in husbandry, but it will probably not grow very much more. So your sister won't have to worry about it bulldozing her entire yard! Another thing to be aware of is gopher (and a lot of desert) tortoises are notorious for carrying something called mycoplasma - a bacteria that they are forever affected with that can cause chronic upper respiratory problems, or no symptoms at all. It's almost ubiquitous in the Florida gopher tortoise population (wild and captive). So if yours starts to have any upper respiratory signs it may need a course of antibiotics to get over the secondary infection from the mycoplasma lowering its immune system. Mycoplasma itself cannot be cured. This is also important because if your sister ever gets another tortoise, especially one of another species, they need to be kept separate. Mycoplasma can be harmless in one species, but can kill others if they're exposed to it. If the bottom shell is concave then it is a male btw.

Here's one of my gophers:
full

He's about a foot long and is over 40 years old.

Fyi: severe pyramiding of a redfoot from inadequate diet and lack of UVB:
full


Back to the topic at hand. :)
full

(sulcata w/4 foot iguana)
 
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yeah i have two like i said before and i live in FL i didn't want to say that it was a gopher tort but that is was it appears to be. CUTENESS always wanted to find a baby but never have. So instead I got my girls. Thats when i first got them. So they are always pretty much tan with brown lines.
 

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