Ideal weight of a 9cm (3.5 inches) leopard

yusufning

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Hi,

I have a 9cm (3.5 inches) leopard that weighs 150g (5.5 ounces). Is this normal?

Thanks
 

yusufning

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Yes. 150g is a good weight for 3.5 inches. My ideal for a leopard that size is 140g - 155g
Thanks for your reply. Thats good to hear.

I have another leopard which is 3.5inches aswell but weighs 180g. I thought the 150grams was underweight. Until i saw, that the 180g leopard its “body” legs is sort of looks like it doesnt fit with its body when i flip it (so this must be overweight) im assuming?
 

Markw84

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Thanks for your reply. Thats good to hear.

I have another leopard which is 3.5inches aswell but weighs 180g. I thought the 150grams was underweight. Until i saw, that the 180g leopard its “body” legs is sort of looks like it doesnt fit with its body when i flip it (so this must be overweight) im assuming?
Tortoises don't really get overweight in the sense of storing excess fat. They are metabolically not set up that way. Unless the tortoise has been unwell and is deformed, a swelled looking tortoise is retaining too much fluid.

Giving exact weights on tortoises is also dependent upon when you weight them - before or after they dump water (pee) or "poop". That can account for at least 5% of their weight. I tend to weigh after they soak and relieve themselves in the water. Gives a more stable growth curve as they are most always in the same condition poop or pee wise!!

Also depends upon how accurate your measurement is. A few tenths of an inch makes a big difference. I use some pretty exact calipers to get exact measurements - so my weight charts are based upon a pretty tight measurement scale.
 

jsheffield

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I've found some comfort in applying the Donoghue Ratio to my tortoise to find where he was/is along a continuum from underweight to overweight.

SCLcm3 x 0.191 = tWTgr (Straight-line Carapace Length, in centimeters, cubed, times 0.191 equals the target weight in grams.

Comparing that number to your tortoise's actual weight can give you a general idea of how they're doing.

https://sites.google.com/site/tortoiselibrary/health-and-medical/healthy-weight-and-size

Jamie
 

Markw84

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I've found some comfort in applying the Donoghue Ratio to my tortoise to find where he was/is along a continuum from underweight to overweight.

SCLcm3 x 0.191 = tWTgr (Straight-line Carapace Length, in centimeters, cubed, times 0.191 equals the target weight in grams.

Comparing that number to your tortoise's actual weight can give you a general idea of how they're doing.

https://sites.google.com/site/tortoiselibrary/health-and-medical/healthy-weight-and-size

Jamie

I've tried all kinds of formulas over the decades and wasn't happy with the long term results when looking at various species. Some are much more higher domed, some longer, etc. Many change with age.

What I've ended up with does well for me over all species. I simply treat them like a cube and take the cubed measurement in inches (LxWxH) and divide that into the weight in grams. A result of 7.5 is on the low end. Anything over that I am happy.

It does require a good measurement with a caliper, but I'm pretty anal when it comes to statistics and analysis. With a good caliper it only takes less than a minute to accurately measure length, width and height. Without a caliper - it really hard to get a good measurement on a roundish shape trying to judge the widest portion!!
 

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