3 Hatchlings of all sizes...good or bad..?

[HappyHermanns]

Hello fellow Hermanns' humans

We have 3 hatchlings, some of you know us and our endless questions. lol
We estimate them to be about 5 months old now.
So they are small, medium and large sized.
Our largest, Oggi, is 33g's before his bath. He was 23g's 2 months ago..
Medium is Roaman at 22.5g's. 20g's 2 months ago
smallest is Vern at 19g's. 19.5g's 2 months ago

There is such a big difference in Oggi's growth to the others; is he growing too fast/ eating too much?
We feel like Roaman is probably about right where he should be, with a reasonable growth rate..
But Vern lost .5g's and has not been gaining
any weight at all..
He isn't as active as the other guys. But he does get out and around. Going to the food dish a couple of times as compared to Oggi & Roaman's 5-6 times..

Any thoughts or ideas are appreciated!

 

[JoesMum]

Are they kept together? Failure to thrive could be because one of them is being bossy and not letting the others get enough food or rest. I'd try separating them.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

I, too, would guess that competition for food, but also the best places to rest and sleep have effected these tortoises.
Time to separate them, in my opinion.
They all look beautiful, though.
And have a happy birthday!

 

[HappyHermanns]

We were considering that but we watch them pretty closely and don't see any aggression..
They all go to their favorite log to sleep, who ever gets there first digs in and the others dig on top or around him..

Just find it so crazy that (even the biggest guy) doesn't snip or snap at the other guys or try to beat them to the food.
Oh, they run to it, haha, but they don't try to keep the other from doing anything.

We are going to put food in a few areas of their enclosure and try a couple of other things.

Thanks a lot for the input, we are monitoring it very closely!

 

[JoesMum]

We were considering that but we watch them pretty closely and don't see any aggression..
They all go to their favorite log to sleep, who ever gets there first digs in and the others dig on top or around him..

And that "cuddling up" or whatever you want to call it is the competition for the best place. There is jostling going on. They should be separated.

Just find it so crazy that (even the biggest guy) doesn't snip or snap at the other guys or try to beat them to the food.
Oh, they run to it, haha, but they don't try to keep the other from doing anything.

We are going to put food in a few areas of their enclosure and try a couple of other things.

Thanks a lot for the input, we are monitoring it very closely!

Bullying doesn't have to be physical. Torts making clear to other torts that they want their own space can be very subtle.

There is always a dominant animal. The subordinates lose out on rest and food.

Groups of 3 or more torts can succeed in a very large outdoor enclosure with lots of planting to break up sight-lines where they can get out of each other's way.

Indoors in a small enclosure, you're bound to get trouble sooner or later and the failure to thrive is a massive warning signal.

 

[Pearly]

I'd say, feed, feed, feed!!!! Give them plenty of dark cozy warm humid places to hide, and feed! Soak every day, take outside for real sun and exercise... And... You guessed! Feed!!!! Chop up his food, soak Mazuri mash it all up, add his favorite treat on top of his food pile something like this and feed 2-3 times a day. Right after he wakes up, after outdoor time snd after soaking he's most likely to eat. Stick around snd watch him eat. Make sure he is warm enough. Don't let his temps drop below 80F this is what I do with the cactus, and everything else. I too have a picky eater. For a while was worried he wouldn't make it through his hatchling stages. He's 14 months old now and weighs over 1lb. There is hope! Just keep him warm, humid, safe, soak in warm water, and FEED

 

[HappyHermanns]

Thank you so much joesmum & Pearly!

I appreciate it very much!

 

[Pearly]

Thank you so much joesmum & Pearly!

I appreciate it very much!

You're welcome

 

[HappyHermanns]

One last question..
Is there any reason to be concerned over the seemingly fast growth of our largest tort?

Above I mention more specific info but he gained about 10g's in about 1 month.. Should we be limiting his intake more...somehow?

 

[Tom]

One last question..
Is there any reason to be concerned over the seemingly fast growth of our largest tort?

Above I mention more specific info but he gained about 10g's in about 1 month.. Should we be limiting his intake more...somehow?

That seems like "normal" growth to me, and the others are slower starters. Many tortoises take a little while to get "up and running" so to speak.

I like to have multiple feeding stations and multiple water bowls in enclosures with more than one baby.

They can lose 2 or 3 grams from pooping or peeing at that size. Your weight 2 months ago might have been right before a large bowel movement. Your most recent weighing session might have occurred just after a large BM.

Also, it looks like you are offering good food there, but are you offering any sort of protein source? Like Mazuri, clover, alfalfa, peas or beans, etc…? Contrary to what most of us believed in the past, growing babies DO need some sort of protein in their diets. Not a lot, and not meat or anything, but some sort of plant protein does them good. Be sure to soak at least several times a week with added protein in the growing babies diet.

 

[HappyHermanns]

That seems like "normal" growth to me, and the others are slower starters. Many tortoises take a little while to get "up and running" so to speak.

I like to have multiple feeding stations and multiple water bowls in enclosures with more than one baby.

They can lose 2 or 3 grams from pooping or peeing at that size. Your weight 2 months ago might have been right before a large bowel movement. Your most recent weighing session might have occurred just after a large BM.

Also, it looks like you are offering good food there, but are you offering any sort of protein source? Like Mazuri, clover, alfalfa, peas or beans, etc…? Contrary to what most of us believed in the past, growing babies DO need some sort of protein in their diets. Not a lot, and not meat or anything, but some sort of plant protein does them good. Be sure to soak at least several times a week with added protein in the growing babies diet.

Excellent! Thank you so much, Tom!
My husband and I have been concerned that his shell could reflect his rapid growth in a bad way. WHEW!

We do have a seperate "bowl" with Mazuri and some hay-ish mixed together.
We also have suppliments that hubby puts with their food every other time we cut it up. Each bag lasts for 4-5 days or so. (but I don't do those so I'm not really sure what they are..oops.. )
We also added a 2nd "feeding plate".. and are adding water dish into their enclosure shortly.
It is quite commical watching them eat at one and stare at the other across the way.. lol..

Thanks again for the info!
Really appreciate it!!

 

[Tom]

We also have suppliments that hubby puts with their food every other time we cut it up.

Just a cautionary note: I'm not sure what your supplements are, but supplementing every day is usually not recommended. Too much supplementation can be worse than not enough in some cases. The usual recommendation is calcium a couple times a week and vitamins once a week. There are certainly exceptions, but those are some good general guidelines. I'm talking about calcium and vitamin supplements. If hubby is using some sort of herbal hay supplement, then please disregard my cautionary note.

 

[HappyHermanns]

Just a cautionary note: I'm not sure what your supplements are, but supplementing every day is usually not recommended. Too much supplementation can be worse than not enough in some cases. The usual recommendation is calcium a couple times a week and vitamins once a week. There are certainly exceptions, but those are some good general guidelines. I'm talking about calcium and vitamin supplements. If hubby is using some sort of herbal hay supplement, then please disregard my cautionary note.

Thanks, Tom!

It is wonderful knowing that we have this great network of people that care about our babies!
I will check with hubby on that. Thanks again!