small sulcata

[Zigzag190]

ok I'm new here I was given a sulcata tortoise he acts healthy he eats well loves being soak I thought he was a baby but come to find out he is 3 years old and is only 4.5 inches in length and weighs just 65 grams and I'm worried about his size if I give him a good living environment will he thrive or could he be stunted for life please any info will be helpful

 

[TechnoCheese]

That tortoise definitely isn’t three years old. Looks more like three months.

Here are some care sheets
How To Raise A Healthy Sulcata Or Leopard, Version 2.0 https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php...ealthy-Sulcata-Or-Leopard,-Version-2.0.79895/

For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata... https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/For-Those-Who-Have-a-Young-Sulcata....76744/

Beginner Mistakes https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/

 

[Zigzag190]

Ok I was worried because his I seen his mom she told me how he got it three years ago so there is no possibility it is then?

 

[TechnoCheese]

Ok I was worried because his I seen his mom she told me how he got it three years ago so there is no possibility it is then?

I HIGHLY doubt it. Unless they never fed it once and it didn’t die, that’s about the size of a 3+ month old Sulcata, and even stunted ones usually get bigger.

 

[Zigzag190]

I HIGHLY doubt it. Unless they never fed it once and it didn’t die, that’s about the size of a 3+ month old Sulcata, and even stunted ones usually get bigger.

Ok thanks that gives me some peace of mind

 

[Toddrickfl1]

Definitely not 3yrs old

 

[Cooper horn]

I agree with @TechnoCheese my small yearling is still bigger than that

 

[Zigzag190]

Ok I'm glad to hear that, first sulcata so I started researching and everyone was showing pictures of there's being huge at that age so I was concerned something might be wrong health wise my setup right now is a 55 gal Rubbermaid horse trough with a hot side that stays at 100 and cool side stays between 80-83 but during the day I've been putting him outside in a 4ft x4ft pen I made a roof out of chicken wire and put half in sun half in shade he likes grass but mainly wants to eat leafs off of mulberry tree should I be soaking grass to make it softer and easier to eat also I can't get him to eat cactus even if I cut it up in tiny pieces is this normal for one to only want to eat leafs also I soak him 15mins a day in warm water am I on the right track

 

[Yvonne G]

Does it still have the egg tooth? (that's a little point at the tip of the top beak) If you show us the bottom shell (plastron) we can tell you if it's just a hatchling. A hatchling would still have the remnants of where the yolk was attached to the plastron.

 

[Zigzag190]

Does this photo help?

 

[Zigzag190]

Does it still have the egg tooth? (that's a little point at the tip of the top beak) If you show us the bottom shell (plastron) we can tell you if it's just a hatchling. A hatchling would still have the remnants of where the yolk was attached to the plastron.

does this photo help?

 

[Tom]

I've seen this before. It certainly could be three years old. Many of the dry started ones somehow survive but grow very little. There is no way for us to know if the little one is permanently stunted, or will grow and thrive if put into the right conditions. It is not likely to happen quickly whichever way it goes. Only time will tell.

 

[Zigzag190]

I've seen this before. It certainly could be three years old. Many of the dry started ones somehow survive but grow very little. There is no way for us to know if the little one is permanently stunted, or will grow and thrive if put into the right conditions. It is not likely to happen quickly whichever way it goes. Only time will tell.[/QUOTE ok thank you I'll just keep on doing what I'm doing and hope that he grows big and strong

 

[Zigzag190]

I've seen this before. It certainly could be three years old. Many of the dry started ones somehow survive but grow very little. There is no way for us to know if the little one is permanently stunted, or will grow and thrive if put into the right conditions. It is not likely to happen quickly whichever way it goes. Only time will tell.

Hey Tom I have question might be a dumb one but by dry started do you mean how he was hatched or raised or both I'm new to this and just wanting to get a good idea on what's going on

 

[Baldy Aeschylus]

Hey Tom I have question might be a dumb one but by dry started do you mean how he was hatched or raised or both I'm new to this and just wanting to get a good idea on what's going on

Tortoise keepers have come to the realization that babies should be raised in a closed chamber, humid, hot environment for at least the first few years, even if they are a desert species of tortoise.
Until this realization, keepers thought that the babies had to be raised in a dry environment, which is detrimental to the babies' internal organs, mainly their kidneys. The babies that are raised in this manner often have internal defects that are difficult to notice, they look normal on the outside.
Tom probably has a lot more to say about the experience he is describing, I'll just get this part of it out of the way.
Babies should be raised hot and humid in a closed chamber, if they are not, it is called starting them 'dry'.
Starting the babies dry comes with a host of potential problems, some pull through and some don't.
Babies should be in their humid (~80%) closed chamber and removed to be soaked daily to ensure they are hydrated properly.

 

[Zigzag190]

Tortoise keepers have come to the realization that babies should be raised in a closed chamber, humid, hot environment for at least the first few years, even if they are a desert species of tortoise.
Until this realization, keepers thought that the babies had to be raised in a dry environment, which is detrimental to the babies' internal organs, mainly their kidneys. The babies that are raised in this manner often have internal defects that are difficult to notice, they look normal on the outside.
Tom probably has a lot more to say about the experience he is describing, I'll just get this part of it out of the way.
Babies should be raised hot and humid in a closed chamber, if they are not, it is called starting them 'dry'.
Starting the babies dry comes with a host of potential problems, some pull through and some don't.
Babies should be in their humid (~80%) closed chamber and removed to be soaked daily to ensure they are hydrated properly.

. Ok thank you, I'll make sure to keep humidity at 80% other then size is there any other signs of one being "dry started"?

 

[jasongold]

I agree with @TechnoCheese my small yearling is still bigger than that

How old is your yearling? I'm curious about the smaller end of the species - for example, what's the smallest five-year-old Sulcata a member has raised?

Thanks,

Jason