TheTattooedTortoise
Active Member
Afternoon Tortoise people, bit of a 'newb' question but just want to make sure I'm on the ball with stuff...
I've now had Sheldon (eastern hermanns) 3 weeks and have been weighing him on a digital scale weekly since day 1.
He is nearly 11 months old, CB- Jun 2020.
When we first got him home he weighed 49g..
Second week - 51g
And today (week 3) - 55g @6.7cm SCL.
I do suspect that he wasn't getting the best nutrition based on what I saw on the food slab both times I'd popped in to see him and pay more off his deposit payment.
Obviously now he gets nothing but good natural wholesome weeds/flowers etc and gets a 35 min warm soak every morning (they were twice a week) so naturally I assumed he would put on weight soon enough... but I also read (somewhere online) that in captivity to aim for 2-3g gain per month.
As mentioned, Sheldon's whacked on 6g in 3 weeks the little piggy ? as happy as I am that he's obviously eating well, I don't want him to grow too fast or be unhealthy so I wanted to see what you experts say before I adjust my husbandry accordingly!
Can somebody recommend a solid reliable formula/scale/ratio that I should aim to stick too.
I know, like any creature.. they all grow at different rates, sizes etc but if like a safe ballpark guide to where I should be aiming.
I should also note, I'm currently feeding every day... I've seen people mention starve days but because he's so young and In a new ish environment, I wanted to make sure his plate was loaded every day so if nothing else, at least he could chow down..
Anyway, looking forward to seeing what you guys have to say!
Thanks In advance! ???
I've now had Sheldon (eastern hermanns) 3 weeks and have been weighing him on a digital scale weekly since day 1.
He is nearly 11 months old, CB- Jun 2020.
When we first got him home he weighed 49g..
Second week - 51g
And today (week 3) - 55g @6.7cm SCL.
I do suspect that he wasn't getting the best nutrition based on what I saw on the food slab both times I'd popped in to see him and pay more off his deposit payment.
Obviously now he gets nothing but good natural wholesome weeds/flowers etc and gets a 35 min warm soak every morning (they were twice a week) so naturally I assumed he would put on weight soon enough... but I also read (somewhere online) that in captivity to aim for 2-3g gain per month.
As mentioned, Sheldon's whacked on 6g in 3 weeks the little piggy ? as happy as I am that he's obviously eating well, I don't want him to grow too fast or be unhealthy so I wanted to see what you experts say before I adjust my husbandry accordingly!
Can somebody recommend a solid reliable formula/scale/ratio that I should aim to stick too.
I know, like any creature.. they all grow at different rates, sizes etc but if like a safe ballpark guide to where I should be aiming.
I should also note, I'm currently feeding every day... I've seen people mention starve days but because he's so young and In a new ish environment, I wanted to make sure his plate was loaded every day so if nothing else, at least he could chow down..
Anyway, looking forward to seeing what you guys have to say!
Thanks In advance! ???