Fred and Ethel size difference

[Cfr200]

I have two hatchlings Fred and Ethel. I got them at the beginning of July, both weighed in at about 40 grams. Currently Fred weighs 112g, Ethel only weighs 69g. Fred is by far more outgoing and eats constantly. Ethel sleeps more, I see him/her eat but just not as often. My question is should I separate them for a while to give Ethel a chance to catch up.
Both currently live in a tort table I made which at this point is only being half used. It is 6'x4' so they are in a 4x3. I was going to give them access to the rest of it next spring. I can easily move Fred to the half not being used.
They also get outside for up to 3 hours a day depending on the weather. Besides the difference in weight they both seem fine. I had them fecal tested and everything was fine.

 

[jensgotfaith]

I would separate them if it was me. It could be that Fred is bullying Ethel a bit so that she doesn't get as much food. It would be easy enough since you've got the other side that is not being used right now. What are you feeding them? Do you notice a difference between what Fred eats and what Ethel eats?

 

[Cfr200]

They get spring mix with the spinach taken out plus red and white clover, dandelions, Rose of Sharon, flowers and leaves, mulberry leaves, various dark greens like Collard or Mustard varied through the week and some grass. They also get some Mazuri and Zoomed grassland mixed into their food once a week on different days. I put their food into my little food processor and chop it all up so they get a little bit of everything.
Fred eats like he is starving and does laps of the enclosure everyday climbing everything in sight. Ethel on the other hand sleeps most of the time sometimes in the humid hide but sleeps a lot outside of the hides. Head and legs out like she just passed out most of the time. I think Ethel is just really laid back. They both seem to eat everything I put out. Fred just eats a lot more. Every time Fred sees me he comes over and eats. Ethel does not seem to care about me.
I guess this weekend I will move Fred there is no harm in giving Ethel some alone time.

 

[shmily1605]

That was my case just recently. The younger one started to do nothing but sleep all day and he would sleep outside the hide more often. This went on for about 3-4 weeks. He ate just a little compared to the bigger one. Well long story short he passed away a few days ago. I just wanna tell you so that you can take Ethel to the vet if she does not get better after you move her. Is her shell soft?

 

[Cfr200]

I am sorry to hear about your tortoise, that just makes me want to move Ethel even more.
No,Ethel's shell is hard and she does sleep inside the hides around the table but seems to like sleeping out in the open quite a bit. Every night she sleeps in the humid hide with Fred. In the morning Fred is at the entrance of the hide waiting for me while Ethel is still sleeping. They both get their soaking and then get set in front of the food. Ethel normally just walks off back to the hide and sleeps as Fred eats. I have tried putting just Ethel in front of the food but she still just heads off to sleep. Hopefully she will thrive on her own.

 

[shmily1605]

Well I hope she gets better. My little one had sort of a soft shell. I asked everyone on here and found that it was normal for his age. When I first got him he was very active for the first week and then went down hill from there. I thought he was not as active because he was feeling comfortable in his environment. Let us know if she gets better after you move her.

 

[Tom]

Move Fred and leave Ethel in the place that she is used to. What you are describing is very typical. Reading your post was like a time machine for me with Scooter and Bert. Scooter is a big headed, super active pig to this day. I used to feed them separately and give Bert more to help him catch up. I in hind sight, I wish I had separated them back then.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I think Ethel is being bullied be it physically or mentally. You need to move Fred and leave Ethel and then spend some one on one time with her just touching her and playing with her. I would also add more red food to her food, radicchio is good for getting tortoises to eat. Add more red food then every time she leaves the food put her back in front of it. It takes a concentrated effort to get one to eat more and in your case it should start by moving Fred...HTH

 

[Cfr200]

I separated them today. I moved Fred and left Ethel in the same side with everything the same. Fred did not seem to care that everything was different on the new side he just went over and started eating. Hopefully Ethel will gain more weight and be happier that Fred is only a neighbor now and not a house-mate. I will start handling Ethel more from now on.

Thanks for all the advice, it is good to hear from people who have experienced the same problem before.