Is my sulcata growing too fast or is this a normal growth rate?

[Janet_1117]

In November, I bought Janet at 3 months old, hatched 8-11-18. When I measured her (assuming it’s a her, can’t tell just yet but think it she may be a he lol) she was around 2 1/2 in long and 2 in wide. I don’t have a scale to weigh her so not sure how much she weighs yet. I measured her the other day and she’s measured nearly 4 in long and 3 in wide. I went to the breeder I bought her from yesterday to kinda compare sizes if by chance he still had any left. He now has a whole new clutch that are much smaller than Janet was when I got her but one that was about the size Janet was at the time of purchase. After talking to the breeder, I found out the larger one ended up being the only one left from the original set. My Janet is about twice (or more) the size of the one left. The breeder said that at the rate my Janet is growth no she may be a he?

 

[Janet_1117]

In November, I bought Janet at 3 months old, hatched 8-11-18. When I measured her (assuming it’s a her, can’t tell just yet but think it she may be a he lol) she was around 2 1/2 in long and 2 in wide. I don’t have a scale to weigh her so not sure how much she weighs yet. I measured her the other day and she’s measured nearly 4 in long and 3 in wide. I went to the breeder I bought her from yesterday to kinda compare sizes if by chance he still had any left. He now has a whole new clutch that are much smaller than Janet was when I got her but one that was about the size Janet was at the time of purchase. After talking to the breeder, I found out the larger one ended up being the only one left from the original set. My Janet is about twice (or more) the size of the one left. The breeder said that at the rate my Janet is growth no she may be a he? View attachment 263289

Correction on the last sentence: The breeder said at the rate my Janet is growing, she may be a he.

 

[Ray--Opo]

What a beautiful little tort. From what I have gathered here is they grow at different rates. It is hard to compare when they are so young.

 

[Big Charlie]

What a cutie! You're going to have wait years to find out if she is a he.
You must be doing something right if she is growing so nicely.

 

[Tim Carlisle]

Gorgeous tort. Kudos!

 

[Janet_1117]

What a cutie! You're going to have wait years to find out if she is a he.
You must be doing something right if she is growing so nicely.

I finally got a scale to weigh her... 283 grams [emoji16]

 

[Avuwyy]

I finally got a scale to weigh her... 283 grams [emoji16]

It depends on a number of factors the tortoise’s growing weight, if they grow slowly it may be a possibility that they are not eating or drinking enough, they’re not in a warm enough or humid enough enclosure, or they aren’t receiving enough calcium and uv light. Fast growth could mean over feeding, but it’s importsnt to remember that Sulcatas are massive tortoises, and are fast growers in comparison to say a leopard tortoise who are also big, but grow at a slower rate.

For this species in particular the amount of growing they’re doing is decent, if you’re unsure if you are feeding too much, put all the food together in a bowl you are going to feed your tort for the day, and see if it measures to the size of the top of your tortoises shell, if so, then thats a perfect amount, over feeding can cause complications, but if it’s only a small amount over then that is fine too.

Just make sure to regularly check her weight, I check my tortoises weight daily after every soak. You may not want to do it daily, but it can give you an idea of her growth rate.

Also wow that is one chunk tort, my leopard is only 32 grams

So yeah, fast growth especially in Sulcatas is very normal, just check her weight regularly, make sure enough calcium and uv is supplemented, and make sure you measure the amount your tortoise will eat during the day (won’t mean so much when she’s older as it would take a lot of food to satisfy a Sulcata).

Hope this helped!

 

[Big Charlie]

It depends on a number of factors the tortoise’s growing weight, if they grow slowly it may be a possibility that they are not eating or drinking enough, they’re not in a warm enough or humid enough enclosure, or they aren’t receiving enough calcium and uv light. Fast growth could mean over feeding, but it’s importsnt to remember that Sulcatas are massive tortoises, and are fast growers in comparison to say a leopard tortoise who are also big, but grow at a slower rate.

For this species in particular the amount of growing they’re doing is decent, if you’re unsure if you are feeding too much, put all the food together in a bowl you are going to feed your tort for the day, and see if it measures to the size of the top of your tortoises shell, if so, then thats a perfect amount, over feeding can cause complications, but if it’s only a small amount over then that is fine too.

Just make sure to regularly check her weight, I check my tortoises weight daily after every soak. You may not want to do it daily, but it can give you an idea of her growth rate.

Also wow that is one chunk tort, my leopard is only 32 grams

So yeah, fast growth especially in Sulcatas is very normal, just check her weight regularly, make sure enough calcium and uv is supplemented, and make sure you measure the amount your tortoise will eat during the day (won’t mean so much when she’s older as it would take a lot of food to satisfy a Sulcata).

Hope this helped!

Do you have proof that overfeeding causes complications? It was my understanding that you couldn't overfeed a tortoise as long as they also got enough exercise.

 

[Avuwyy]

Do you have proof that overfeeding causes complications? It was my understanding that you couldn't overfeed a tortoise as long as they also got enough exercise.

You can overfeed anything. It may not show that they are overweight but tortoises often will not gauge how full they are feeling and will continue to eat. Reptiles have a much slower metabolism than birds and mammals and so the amount of food in the stomach and energy not being used can result in sickness.

A lot of a reptiles energy comes from its heat source, imagine them as a plant, they don’t need to be watered constantly, they need a light source for most of their growing needs. If you over water a plant you will kill it.

Above is a little dramatic, but you can infact over feed anything. Numerous opinions on this subject, but the term over feeding is feeding past what the metabolism will use, and in term causes the storage of fat (which you can imagine would not be fun for a tortoise).

 

[queen koopa]

Thinking it’s considered overfeeding if you know your tortoise isn’t very active and still feed excessive amounts of nutrient rich foods?

 

[queen koopa]

You can overfeed anything. It may not show that they are overweight but tortoises often will not gauge how full they are feeling and will continue to eat. Reptiles have a much slower metabolism than birds and mammals and so the amount of food in the stomach and energy not being used can result in sickness.

A lot of a reptiles energy comes from its heat source, imagine them as a plant, they don’t need to be watered constantly, they need a light source for most of their growing needs. If you over water a plant you will kill it.

Above is a little dramatic, but you can infact over feed anything. Numerous opinions on this subject, but the term over feeding is feeding past what the metabolism will use, and in term causes the storage of fat (which you can imagine would not be fun for a tortoise).

Yes! I replied too soon

 

[Big Charlie]

In the wild, no one tells a tortoise to stop eating. They only have access to the right foods and they get plenty of exercise. Overfeeding only becomes a problem if you are giving your tortoise the wrong foods or not providing enough exercise. My tortoise has access to everything growing in my backyard and he eats all day long except for when he is sleeping, basking or walking.

 

[Tom]

In November, I bought Janet at 3 months old, hatched 8-11-18. When I measured her (assuming it’s a her, can’t tell just yet but think it she may be a he lol) she was around 2 1/2 in long and 2 in wide. I don’t have a scale to weigh her so not sure how much she weighs yet. I measured her the other day and she’s measured nearly 4 in long and 3 in wide. I went to the breeder I bought her from yesterday to kinda compare sizes if by chance he still had any left. He now has a whole new clutch that are much smaller than Janet was when I got her but one that was about the size Janet was at the time of purchase. After talking to the breeder, I found out the larger one ended up being the only one left from the original set. My Janet is about twice (or more) the size of the one left. The breeder said that at the rate my Janet is growth no she may be a he? View attachment 263289

Your tortoise is well within the "normal" range and appears healthy in your picture.

They grow at wildly different rates and for a wide variety of reasons. In the past, most people started them dry and left them outside all day. This slows their growth tremendously. Those conditions are sometimes survivable, but not optimal. When house correctly, kept hydrated and fed well, they grow much faster than their siblings that are receiving less than optimal care. I've done side by side experiments with clutch mates multiple time. When kept indoors in a closed chamber they will grow at two to three times the rate of their siblings that are fed the same amount of the same foods. In fact the ones that were outside all day actually had more food since they ate all the food I gave them, plus the food they could graze in their outdoor enclosure.

Fast growth has a reputation of being a bad thing. In some circumstances it is bad. But under optimal conditions with the right food (grasses, leaves, succulents and weeds), and plenty of room for exercise, growth that is faster than what we got in the "old days" is not a bad thing.

 

[Janet_1117]

Thanks for all the responses! I love this forum and all the useful info I get from it! Janet eats pretty much all day unless she’s sleeping. She goes outside regularly. She pretty social with me so I like to take her outta the house as much as possible. As soon as the sunshine hits her she’s outta her shell! I’m outside most of the day so as long as the weather permits she’s out side too! Her diet mainly consists of what comes from my yard with the exception of a pellet or two. When we first brought her home, the breeder sent us with these pellets and I have not had to purchase any since then but since being introduced to the yard she rarely eats the them if there are other options. I don’t think I will be buying any other foods for her unless it’s for treat purposes since she seems to be growing nicely on grasses and weeds alone.

 

[Avuwyy]

Thanks for all the responses! I love this forum and all the useful info I get from it! Janet eats pretty much all day unless she’s sleeping. She goes outside regularly. She pretty social with me so I like to take her outta the house as much as possible. As soon as the sunshine hits her she’s outta her shell! I’m outside most of the day so as long as the weather permits she’s out side too! Her diet mainly consists of what comes from my yard with the exception of a pellet or two. When we first brought her home, the breeder sent us with these pellets and I have not had to purchase any since then but since being introduced to the yard she rarely eats the them if there are other options. I don’t think I will be buying any other foods for her unless it’s for treat purposes since she seems to be growing nicely on grasses and weeds alone.

it’s a good thing you weaned her off of eating so many pellets, a lot of tortoise breeders rely heavily on pellets and due to them having high levels of protein they can cause growth problems

Make sure to keep us updated with growth! It is lovely seeing the development of tortoises as they age, especially for such a large species as a Sulcata, growth can be exciting!

 

[Janet_1117]

Thanks! I’m super excited! I upgraded her living quarters today from the open front glass terrarium to an old re-purposed dresser! Nothing fancy as I see these enclosures as temporary. She was in the house but this is too big so it’s in the garage, which stays pretty warm and humid most of the time but also have a heater in there (outside of the enclosure) for when the temps drop. I didn’t think to do before and/or after pics until I was done. I’ll try to get pics of it tomorrow and post them. And her current weight is 311 grams. Going to try to not weigh her until her 6 month mark, on the 11th. [emoji173]️[emoji217]

 

[EllieMay]

Thanks! I’m super excited! I upgraded her living quarters today from the open front glass terrarium to an old re-purposed dresser! Nothing fancy as I see these enclosures as temporary. She was in the house but this is too big so it’s in the garage, which stays pretty warm and humid most of the time but also have a heater in there (outside of the enclosure) for when the temps drop. I didn’t think to do before and/or after pics until I was done. I’ll try to get pics of it tomorrow and post them. And her current weight is 311 grams. Going to try to not weigh her until her 6 month mark, on the 11th. [emoji173]️[emoji217]

I love your thread and your tort is beautiful... I weigh and record mine weekly.. it’s very exciting right now because I’m seeing crazy growth.... but, that’s not why I do it. I’ve read how resilient these torts are and I’m scared I might miss an early sign of something possibly going on with them. By recording their growth and weight gain, I can see if something seems off where I otherwise might not.. I know this isn’t feasible for everyone but just another thought to consider for you

 

[Janet_1117]

I love your thread and your tort is beautiful... I weigh and record mine weekly.. it’s very exciting right now because I’m seeing crazy growth.... but, that’s not why I do it. I’ve read how resilient these torts are and I’m scared I might miss an early sign of something possibly going on with them. By recording their growth and weight gain, I can see if something seems off where I otherwise might not.. I know this isn’t feasible for everyone but just another thought to consider for you

Thank you! I have been weighing and recording her growth. I put her on the scale after her soaks everyday. Just thinking about waiting a few days to see the difference vs doing it everyday. I too do not want to miss anything! [emoji4]I must admit...When I first got her, finding out that some Sulcatas don’t grow fast and stay little for years, I was a little bummed. But she seems to have a steady growth and she was one of the biggest of her siblings.

 

[Janet_1117]

6 months 8 days weighing in at 392 grams ...Little late on the update ‍♀️ but my little Janet is still growing at a steady pace. Pretty sure she will exceed 1lb. by her first birthday! And I should probably get out of the habit of calling her, her. I think she’s a boy lol! Anyway, she seems pretty content in her new enclosure. There’s plenty of room for her to roam for now. I’m sure it won’t be too long before this will be too small as well. But for now happy [emoji217], happy [emoji217] momma!!! She wasn’t in the mood for pictures today...this is the best I could get ... [emoji846]

 

[Janet_1117]

This is the day we brought her home. She was sooo small!