Small dents in the turtle shell are a natural aging process. The irregular, small depressions in the bone armor, which I call age dents, are caused by age-related changes in the connective tissue of the periosteum. Due to the slowing down of cell renewal, mineral loss and the decrease in moisture content, the connective tissue loses its elasticity and elasticity and thus forms dents. During regular bone renewal, these are molded in the bones and ultimately also in the horny shields. In the wild, the dents appear from an age of around 50 years. Since weak connective tissue is not just a symptom of old age, these age dents sometimes appear much earlier in turtles that are kept in human care. The reasons for this are a lack of exercise in containers that are too small and an incorrect, one-sided, low-mineral, high-carbohydrate and high-fat diet.