Growing Like a Weed

[Kerryann]

Betty has grown like a weed since I have gotten her. She has pretty large growth lines on her shell. I know when we first got her she was under sized compared to the other 4 year old Russian females we have seen, but I didn't expect her to begin to grow quickly. I have been watching her tbmi and trying to make sure she isn't a chunky monkey. She seems like her tbmi will go a little high and then her shell will measure larger a few weeks later.
Is this normal? She was obviously having nutrition problems when we got her, but would having proper nutrition cause a growth spurt? is there any reason to worry with the spurt?

 

[ascott]

Growth spurt as a result of good food being bad??? Nope, all good and desirable
A pic would have been the cherry on the top you know....lol...

 

[Kerryann]

You want me to put a cherry on top of her and take a picture?

 

[Utah Lynn]

She looks good.

 

[Merlin M]

She is beautiful!!

 

[Kerryann]

When I pulled her out for the pic, after I rinsed her off under the water and then put her down, she just laid there. She normally takes off quick but she laid there and almost posed. This little food monkey is really social and is constantly begging for food. Last night I had another couple over for dinner and the whole time we were eating I was hearing her rap on the cage which means "FEED ME"...

 

[Merlin M]

When I pulled her out for the pic, after I rinsed her off under the water and then put her down, she just laid there. She normally takes off quick but she laid there and almost posed. This little food monkey is really social and is constantly begging for food. Last night I had another couple over for dinner and the whole time we were eating I was hearing her rap on the cage which means "FEED ME"...

yes mine do exactly the same thing!!! Cheeky little piggys!!

 

[CactusVinnie]

It seems to me that she start that kind of not-too-healthy growth... maybe wrong due to the picture. Has she limestone powder available? Other calcium supplement? Its very important that such fast growth to be completed by a serious calcium source, otherwise her skeleton (widened, fused ribs) under keratin scutes will be weak, soft, prone to difformities and it will colapse=> unnatural flattened body. Fast growth can be achieved with proper bone formation as well, but limestone powder/eggshell should be offered at discretion.
What kind of food she receives?

 

[Jacob]

Those are some serious new growth lines

 

[Kerryann]

Above the growth lines is where she already had a deformation of her shell from a lack of UVB and nutrition in her last home. She has a varied diet of greens and gets calcium twice a week.

 

[lynnedit]

One of my females has a shell like that: exactly as you describe. Probably too much of the wrong foods, inadequate UV and calcium sources, in the past.
But her new growth looks good.
She sounds like she has a lot of personality.

 

[CactusVinnie]

Got it, Kerry! I have too such tortoises, not my fault for their looks... just luck for them to came in my hands- and from here, sun and good weeds will do the rest .