Young Sulcata gaining weight but not size?

[Freddyguy2018]

I purchased a baby Sulcata a couple months ago from a pet store. When we first bought him he was 2inches and only weighed around 40grams. We’ve been weighing him weekly and feeding him plenty, I guess I’m just concerned he’s not growing enough to fit his body in his shell cause he looks a little pudgy lol. As of now he’s at 90.5grams and has only grown about half an inch. His Humidity is always between 70-80, he has a tube UVB Light that covers almost all of his enclosure, his basking spot is always between 90-100degrees, we dust his food 2-3 times a week with a vitamin powder, and we just recently started feeding him a few moistened pellets of Mazuri LS twice a week. Maybe I’m just over worrying??

 

[zovick]

I purchased a baby Sulcata a couple months ago from a pet store. When we first bought him he was 2inches and only weighed around 40grams. We’ve been weighing him weekly and feeding him plenty, I guess I’m just concerned he’s not growing enough to fit his body in his shell cause he looks a little pudgy lol. As of now he’s at 90.5grams and has only grown about half an inch. His Humidity is always between 70-80, he has a tube UVB Light that covers almost all of his enclosure, his basking spot is always between 90-100degrees, we dust his food 2-3 times a week with a vitamin powder, and we just recently started feeding him a few moistened pellets of Mazuri LS twice a week. Maybe I’m just over worrying??

Growth of half an inch in two months sounds pretty normal to me. The tortoise may have been a bit dehydrated and light for its size when you first got it due to the conditions in which it was kept at the store. Now that it has settled in for a while in its new home and has been eating well, etc., its weight is closer to normal for its size.

IE, the increase in weight is most likely not a "true" 50 g increase if the tortoise was underweight to start. It has been a long time since I bred sulcatas, but I think it probably should have weighed more like 60 g to begin with and thus has gained 30 g. over that weight.

Anyway, its sounds as though your tortoise is healthy and happy to me. Keep up the good work!

 

[Tom]

I purchased a baby Sulcata a couple months ago from a pet store. When we first bought him he was 2inches and only weighed around 40grams. We’ve been weighing him weekly and feeding him plenty, I guess I’m just concerned he’s not growing enough to fit his body in his shell cause he looks a little pudgy lol. As of now he’s at 90.5grams and has only grown about half an inch. His Humidity is always between 70-80, he has a tube UVB Light that covers almost all of his enclosure, his basking spot is always between 90-100degrees, we dust his food 2-3 times a week with a vitamin powder, and we just recently started feeding him a few moistened pellets of Mazuri LS twice a week. Maybe I’m just over worrying??

I agree with Zovick. Almost all of them are dehydrated and underweight from a pet store, and a big jump in weight is pretty normal once they start getting the correct care.