Many years ago, one of my box turtles was ill and looked "fat." I took her to the vet, and it turned out she had a respiratory infection (due to chilling), and so her "chubby" appearance was in fact edema, which is basically retention of excess fluid, as opposed to actual adipose tissue. So, I have never had a fat turtle. However, I was told that a turtle is considered obese if it is too chubby to withdraw itself into its shell, which can be dangerous when faced with a predator or another aggressive turtle.
When we first got our Russians a couple months ago, after a short period of adjustment, they began to eat like champions, just like Russians are supposed to (they eat a lot during the growing season because they have a long dormancy period). Now, looking at Mork and Mindy, they seem rather fat. Not so chubby that they can't withdraw into their shells, but chubby enough that it looks like they may be carrying excess weight under their shell. So, I decided to use the Susan Donoghue equation for calculating the minimum healthy weight for a tortoise (Mike Pingleton, 2001):
CL^3 * 0.191 = Minimum weight (g)
Both of my tortoises measure a little over 4 inches long, and weigh a little more than 300 g. Based on the Donoghue equation, they both have a weight that is about 160% of the minimum weight for their carapace length. They look like they have become chubbier over the past month, but strangely, based on weighing them on a kitchen scale (which is admittedly not very accurate), they appear to have lost a little weight instead.
So, my question for the wise members of TFO is, Are my tortoises fat? If they are, should I feed them a bit less than I feed them now (which is "to satiation" every morning). If so, then how much should I feed them? Should I reduce their servings by a little or a lot? Should I feed them nothing for a day, or feed them only every other day to get them to lose weight? Or, if they are overweight now, will they simply return to a normal weight by brumating (hibernating) over the winter? Looking forward to reading your thoughts and advice.
When we first got our Russians a couple months ago, after a short period of adjustment, they began to eat like champions, just like Russians are supposed to (they eat a lot during the growing season because they have a long dormancy period). Now, looking at Mork and Mindy, they seem rather fat. Not so chubby that they can't withdraw into their shells, but chubby enough that it looks like they may be carrying excess weight under their shell. So, I decided to use the Susan Donoghue equation for calculating the minimum healthy weight for a tortoise (Mike Pingleton, 2001):
CL^3 * 0.191 = Minimum weight (g)
Both of my tortoises measure a little over 4 inches long, and weigh a little more than 300 g. Based on the Donoghue equation, they both have a weight that is about 160% of the minimum weight for their carapace length. They look like they have become chubbier over the past month, but strangely, based on weighing them on a kitchen scale (which is admittedly not very accurate), they appear to have lost a little weight instead.
So, my question for the wise members of TFO is, Are my tortoises fat? If they are, should I feed them a bit less than I feed them now (which is "to satiation" every morning). If so, then how much should I feed them? Should I reduce their servings by a little or a lot? Should I feed them nothing for a day, or feed them only every other day to get them to lose weight? Or, if they are overweight now, will they simply return to a normal weight by brumating (hibernating) over the winter? Looking forward to reading your thoughts and advice.