How much weight gain is good and bad?

[NDevon]

There may not be a definitive answer, but what sort of weight gain are you looking for when you weigh a baby Redfoot? I thought I read that it should be slow and steady, but what is 'slow'? How much is too fast?

How much of an impact can diet - quantity and quality - have on pyramiding? Or is pyramiding more about the temperature and humidity?

I think I have the temperature and humidity spot on, just want to get the diet bit worked out.

 

[Yvonne G]

Slow and steady wins the race. As long as the growth is symmetrical and the tortoise is active and looks healthy, I wouldn't worry about how fast or slow he grows.

 

[NDevon]

Slow and steady wins the race. As long as the growth is symmetrical and the tortoise is active and looks healthy, I wouldn't worry about how fast or slow he grows.

Thank you. Although my older one can't reallydo 'symmetrical' as she has wonky scutes bless her, I bought her because she was different and others didn't want her, having 2 children with disabilities I like things a bit special.

I know what you mean though, even growth across the shell.

 

[pfara]

I don't really worry about too much gain. But then again, my reds seem to be notorious for having a steroid factory hidden somewhere in the enclosure. My only concern is if they lose weight.

My torts have grown pretty smooth for how quickly they grew. I only have one glutton that ended up bumpy despite optimal conditions. Just offer a variety of healthy food and you should be fine.

 

[NDevon]

Thank you, it's good to hear this stuff, maybe I'm not doing so bad after all

 

[christinaland128]

I agree with @pfara. A diet with variety is ideal. My reds grew a centimeter a month until they hit about 1.5 years then they seemed to slow down a little. But they grew fast! We went form this...
To this... In 2 yrs!

 

[NDevon]

Wow, good job they slowed down! Gorgeous Redfoots

 

[Redstrike]

You should read up on this post from @Madkins007 (I miss your presence Mark!) discussing body mass index. It's really difficult to discuss weight:length ratios outside of some sort of index/quantifiable method. Each tortoise and their situation is different so there's no right/wrong weight but the link below will provide you with a quantifiable reference for appropriate weights based on straight carapace length (SCL) of the tortoise. It uses basic math and Mark does a great job explaining this. If you have questions, feel free to PM me.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/tortoise-weight-formula-tbmi.38420/

I see this question posed frequently to the forum and would petition that the thread linked above be posted as a sticky somewhere (@Yvonne G @wellington @Josh). If it is and I've missed it, please direct me to that location and excuse my ignorance.

 

[Madkins007]

I miss you, too, Redstrike!

The Tortoise BMI is meant to be a general tool, but it does not work well on small torts. We DO see a faster growth rate the first year or three, then it tapers off for a while, picks up again when they hit sexual maturity (in most species, bigger torts draw the babes).

However, slow and steady STILL is the best idea.

 

[NDevon]

Thanks guys, I will read that. So is too much food the biggest cause of fast growth would you say? Can the environment have an impact on the speed of growth? I know that fast growth can cause pyramiding, hence I'm trying to understand as much as I can.