Is my Greek tortoise growing too quickly?

Aerdna1202

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Joined
Aug 22, 2020
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18
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California
Hi everyone,
I’m worried that my tortoise may be growing too fast and I want to ask what I may be doing wrong. I log his weight every week or so. When I got him back in August he was 0.9 ounces. I give him a variety of greens (dandelion greens, radicchio, endive, escarole, & occasionally butter lettuce, etc.) I also sprinkle calcium into his food a couple times a week and give him his daily soaks. Now in December he is 2.8 ounces. I monitor his temperatures and I make sure his enclosure is humid. His enclosure is nice and big (It is all wooden except one side that is glass, I want to make him a tortoise table soon but at the moment that is all I have to work with) and he has access to water and two hides, one on the warmer side of the enclosure and one on the cooler side of the enclosure. So what could it be? I’ve been super anxious about this because I worry that I’m not a good enough care taker and I just want him to have the best care possible and for him to grow healthily. Any tips or help would be greatly appreciated. Here is a picture of when I initially got him and here is a recent picture if it helps.
 

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Yossarian

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It looks like a healthy little tort to me. Healthy looking shell. Growth rates vary between torts, and they do grow fast at first. I dont see a problem here.
 

Aerdna1202

New Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2020
Messages
18
Location (City and/or State)
California
It looks like a healthy little tort to me. Healthy looking shell. Growth rates vary between torts, and they do grow fast at first. I dont see a problem here.
I read somewhere that they grow slowly so I got a bit worried that maybe he had put on weight a bit too fast. I didn’t know that they tend to grow fast at first. Thank you so much for your reply.?
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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I read somewhere that they grow slowly so I got a bit worried that maybe he had put on weight a bit too fast. I didn’t know that they tend to grow fast at first. Thank you so much for your reply.?
In the old days, we were erroneously taught that "fast" growth would mean pyramiding. We now know this is/was wrong. They all grow at different rates and for a wide variety of reasons. You have a healthy well started baby, and you are taking it care of it. It is SUPPOSED to grow!

Here are some key elements for you to look at to make sure you are getting HEALTHY growth, regarldess of the speed of growth:
  • Hydration is key. You should be doing daily soaks for 30-40 minutes. Keep the water warm the whole time one way or another. Moderate to high humidity for babies, a thick layer of damp substrate, a humid hide, and an at least partially covered top.
  • Temperature differential. This temperate species NEEDS a drop in night temps. Unlike a tropical sulcata or star tortoise, temps should cool significantly at night for a greek. Down to 70-ish for a baby greek is fine, but down to the low 60s is fine too, as long as they can warm up each day.
  • Your diet needs to improve. Grocery store greens don't meet your tortoises nutritional needs by themselves. Best if you could offer a wide variety of broadleaf weeds, leaves, and flowers. If you can't find that for part of the year, and you can't grow stuff because its winter, then you need to amend the grocery store greens with stuff to make it better. I love the herbal hay from Tortoisesupply.com. Will @Kapidolo Farms offers all sorts of excellent dried leaves and other items that you can easily mix in to grocery store greens. Add in some occasional original Mazuri or the LS type, Zoomed Forest or Grassland pellets, and you'll have a much better diet for your tortoise.
One request: Can you switch your scale to grams? Most people weigh in grams. I have to click over and do a conversion for ounces because I never weigh that way.

Here is the current and correct care info so you can review the rest of your routine and see if other things should be considered: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-best-way-to-raise-any-temperate-species-of-tortoise.183131/

We live in a perfect climate for these guys! My guide shows you how to make full time outdoor housing for when your little one get a little older and bigger.
 

Aerdna1202

New Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2020
Messages
18
Location (City and/or State)
California
In the old days, we were erroneously taught that "fast" growth would mean pyramiding. We now know this is/was wrong. They all grow at different rates and for a wide variety of reasons. You have a healthy well started baby, and you are taking it care of it. It is SUPPOSED to grow!

Here are some key elements for you to look at to make sure you are getting HEALTHY growth, regarldess of the speed of growth:
  • Hydration is key. You should be doing daily soaks for 30-40 minutes. Keep the water warm the whole time one way or another. Moderate to high humidity for babies, a thick layer of damp substrate, a humid hide, and an at least partially covered top.
  • Temperature differential. This temperate species NEEDS a drop in night temps. Unlike a tropical sulcata or star tortoise, temps should cool significantly at night for a greek. Down to 70-ish for a baby greek is fine, but down to the low 60s is fine too, as long as they can warm up each day.
  • Your diet needs to improve. Grocery store greens don't meet your tortoises nutritional needs by themselves. Best if you could offer a wide variety of broadleaf weeds, leaves, and flowers. If you can't find that for part of the year, and you can't grow stuff because its winter, then you need to amend the grocery store greens with stuff to make it better. I love the herbal hay from Tortoisesupply.com. Will @Kapidolo Farms offers all sorts of excellent dried leaves and other items that you can easily mix in to grocery store greens. Add in some occasional original Mazuri or the LS type, Zoomed Forest or Grassland pellets, and you'll have a much better diet for your tortoise.
One request: Can you switch your scale to grams? Most people weigh in grams. I have to click over and do a conversion for ounces because I never weigh that way.

Here is the current and correct care info so you can review the rest of your routine and see if other things should be considered: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-best-way-to-raise-any-temperate-species-of-tortoise.183131/

We live in a perfect climate for these guys! My guide shows you how to make full time outdoor housing for when your little one get a little older and bigger.
Thank you so so much for the information! I will work on improving his diet and I’ll be switching that scale to grams. Thank you again!
 
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