Weight Gain and Worming

[LeopardTortLover]

I know I've posted in here a lot lately, I'm just trying to get an idea of good care and husbandry.

I was just wondering how often should a tortoise should be putting on weight? Ive had mine now since 4/08/2012 so about two months and she's only put on 6 grams... is that normal or....?
I will mention that the first few weeks when i started weighing her it wasn't consistant - sometimes it would be before food, sometimes after. But for the last two weeks she's stayed at 530 grams and she eats like a pig!

Also... should I worm her? I havent seen much about worming on here... do you worm yours? and how often?

 

[wellington]

It's almost impossible to say how much they should gain. Each one is different. As long as they are eating, pooping, drinking and acting normal, all should be fine. I don't believe in worming, unless you actually have a fecal done and there is something to worm for. A natural dewormer is pumpkin seeds, skin and the meat of the pumpkin. That you could do. Just blend it all into a mush and feed. If you haven't already, check out the threads in the bottom of my post. Toms great threads on raising smooth leopards and sulcatas.

 

[Neal]

Did you mean to write 9/08/2012? If you've had him since April and he's only gained six grams, that might be a little concerning. Over the course of almost 7 months, I would expect a bit more than 6 grams of growth in any tortoise.

What is his diet like?

 

[LeopardTortLover]

Ive had her since 4th August 2012, sorry i think we may write our dates differently over here. She has kale, a variety of lettuce (about 6 different types but not iceberg), and dandelion leaves. Im growing some weeds at the moment, this is only a temporary diet. She wont eat any tortoise pellets.

She's a bit constipated these last few days, even with daily warm water soaks, and nothing has changed other than she's eaten a red type of lettuce which she's never had before.

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Might try pumpkin too!

 

[DesertGrandma]

If I were you I think I would take a stool sample in to the vet to be checked. I would be a little concerned about the lack of weight gain in over two months with a tort that size. If you haven't had it done before it would be a good check anyway.

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another thing you might check is the accuracy of your scales. My vet will let me bring mine in to use their scales.

 

[LeopardTortLover]

Well, a bit of good news, she isn't constipated today. Im going to give it another month and see if theres any change because when I started weighing her it wasnt consistant and on different scales. Obviously if she loses any weight i'll take her to the vet.

What do people think about worming? any opinions?

 

[Neal]

When you weigh her, is it at the same time of day and consistently before or after a meal or soaking?

If not, over this next month I would recommend weighing her daily at the same time first thing in the morning before eating and before drinking. This should give you a better idea if she is gaining weight or remaining about the same. Their weight can fluctuate quite a bit after eating and drinking and they may not always eat or drink the same amount each time, so I think it's better to weigh them before all that rather than after.

 

[LeopardTortLover]

For the past two weigh ins (so only since the 10th Oct) ive been using digital scales and weighing before meals, drinking, and soaking. Before then i was weighing with different variables. So maybe im worrying too soon, she's only put on about 8 grams at the most though, and thats since 4th august