almost 3 month since i got my little radiata.
heres little update.
he grown from 65 grams to 77 grams. is this a normal growth rate?
heres little update.
he grown from 65 grams to 77 grams. is this a normal growth rate?
Ok....a sharp shell for sure, but what a cute face with such big eyes so darn cute!almost 3 month since i got my little radiata.
heres little update.
he grown from 65 grams to 77 grams. is this a normal growth rate?
i use that bigger water bowl to hold my flower pot. i have another shallow bowl for him.I've not raised this species yet, but I'm told they all grow at different rates, like most species. 12 grams in three months seems on the low side to me too, but nothing to be alarmed about.
What does alarm me is that water bowl. You know those are flip/drowning hazards, right? I would switch that for something safer.
I love their black hats...
he stays couple hours to 10 hours outside, depends on how busy my work is.How long does he stay in that outdoor enclosure? I ask because in my experience they grow very slowly if kept outdoors more than an hour or two a day here. I've raised groups of 6 clutch mates with one group primarily indoors receiving daily one hour sunning sessions, and the other group living outside in a large well planted enclosure for 10-12 hours a day. All the babies were from the same clutch and hatched at the same time. They were randomly selected to be in one group or the other as soon as their umbilicals were absorbed and they were ready to be in a "regular" enclosure. Both groups were active. Both groups ate the same amounts of the same foods, but in fact the outdoor ones could have been eating more since they could and did graze all day in addition to what I "fed" them. Both groups got soaked daily. The indoor ones grew at a much faster rate and much smoother. The outdoor ones had slight pyramiding, as yours does too. By four months old the indoor group was 120-150 grams and the outdoor group was about 55-75 grams. By six months the indoor ones were 320-380 grams and the outdoor ones were around 95-155 grams.
Might this be what is going on? If yes, it does not seem to harm them in anyway. They just grow slower in the drier, less stable, outdoor conditions here. All of my outdoor group was very healthy. Just as healthy as the indoor group, only smaller with the same amount of the same food.
mine is open top. humidity around 50%~70%. he soaks himself in a shallow zoomed bowl whenever he wants.Well then that could explain the slower growth. Possibly in addition to one or more other "normal" factors that come into play.
If you are okay with it, then I would say to do nothing any different.
If you think you might want him to grow a little quicker then only leave him outside for an hour or so and start offering some Mazuri a few times a week. With winter coming soon, he will be spending more time indoors anyhow, so this theory might get tested one way or another in the next few months. If your indoor enclosure is fairly dry with an open top, all of this might not make much difference. If your indoor enclosure is a more stable closed chamber, then I think you will see a fairly big difference.
Also, are you soaking daily? I remember reading Bill Zovickians radiata care sheet and he says he soaks his babies every single day for the first four years.
mine is open top. humidity around 50%~70%. he soaks himself in a shallow zoomed bowl whenever he wants.
thank you so much!I can see what is going on there. Again, if you are happy with what you've got, don't change a thing. If you want tips on what I would do differently or more explanation about what is going on based on my observations of tortoises here in our climate, I'm happy to spend the time. Just ask.