Lola is probably around 4-5 years old and she is still about the same size as when I got her 2 years ago. Is that normal?
How quickly do they grow??
- Thread starter russianhenry
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She should still be growing if she is 4 or 5. Pics and an scl would be helpful as well. Perhaps it has grown and you haven't noticed.
Tortoises should grow all their life - how much does she weigh, and what is her shell length? How often do you feed her? Does she have good UVB?
There is a good calculator for the Jackson's ratio here. This will give you a good idea whether your tort is a good weight for her length. Tortoises do grow slowly, often slow enough that the growth isn't visible... but if you weigh your tort every few months, you should see a slight gain.
There is a good calculator for the Jackson's ratio here. This will give you a good idea whether your tort is a good weight for her length. Tortoises do grow slowly, often slow enough that the growth isn't visible... but if you weigh your tort every few months, you should see a slight gain.
russianhenry said:
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Young Testudo species grow at a more rapid rate the first 2-4 years of their life up to about 4.5-5.5" (depending upon species). This is probably a biological survival mechanism that allows more to survive to adulthood rather than becoming food for a predator. After that point of more rapid growth they will continue to grow to full adult size over several more years. That growth is much less noticable than the initial young growth. In captivity, many baby tortoises can actually grow too rapidly due to lack of adversity in their environment that they would experience in the wild. Elements such as too much heat, too much food, "ideal" environmental conditions 24/7 and other factors can cause accelerated growth in tortoise, like pyramiding, it's effects are irreversible.
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