Is my wee Russian gaining enough weight??

[tsemiller]

Got him in november 2013 and he weighed 59 grams - he now weighs 82 grams which means he's gaining about 3 grams a month. Is this enough? He eats dark green salad leaves, weeds and flowers. I grow mixed seeds He'll occasionally eat courgette too. He also has cuttlefish in his enclosure. He seems healthy and active and still has a soak ever day where he does a pee and a poo (helps keep his enclosure cleaner for longer). Was gonna take him for a wee check up at the vet but reluctant to spend the money if he seems healthy enough. What do you guys think??

 

[tsemiller]

Also noticed that some days he barely touches his food and other days he eats loads - is this normal?

 

[tsemiller]

Anyone????

 

[Blakem]

Here's a formula to see the MINIMAL weight that your Russian shouldn't get under.

Measure the caparace (bottom) of your Russians shell, convert that I centimeters. For example, my Russian is 4.25 inches long, that's 10.8 cm long. I would then use the measurement in cm an multiply it three times. 10.8X10.8x10.8= 1,259.71....you then take that number and multiply it by .191. That will give you the number in grams that your Russian should not get under, otherwise it's considered unhealthy. I hope this makes sense.


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(This is my signature)
Here's some great plant identification websites I use.

http://www.tlady.clara.net/TortGuide/diet.htm#plantlist

http://africantortoise.com/edible_landscaping.htm

http://m.thetortoisetable.org.uk/m/plants_19.asp

 

[WillTort2]

Post some pictures and give us his overall shell length.

 

[WillTort2]

Are you keeping him in a humid enclosure? Do you know how old he is?

 

[tsemiller]

When we got him Nov 2013, breeder said he was just under a year - he weighed 59 grams. We've had him 7 months and he now weighs 82 grams. He lives in a tortoise table 6ft by 4 ft. I use topsoil as a substrate and spray with warm water twice a day to keep from drying up too much. According to calculation above minimum weight should be 66 gram so feel a bit better . He's very active and eats well. I try to get him out as much as I can during summer cause winters here are way too cold! Here's some pics for you


First time owning a tortoise so just wanna be sure I'm doing things right

 

[WillTort2]

Nice enclosure, his growth lines appear to show substantial recent growth. His scutes seem a little raised; many of the more experienced tort keepers are advising using a humid closed enclosure for young Russians.

You may want to create a cover for your enclosure or make a small humid enclosure for him to sleep in. Also, try pouring water into the substrate and stirring to mix. I like to have one side wetter than the other to give my tort a choice.

I also use top soil, but I mix coco coir with the top soil because it holds moisture better.

Good luck.

 

[tsemiller]

I used to have him in a Vivarium but found humidity was way too high and he was very lethargic. Vet recommended the tortoise table and that I soak him for a half hour each night and spray the enclosure. Living in Scotland, humidity levels are naturally quite high. When I moved him from the Vivarium he grew quite quickly but slowed down again now. He is much more active and inquisitive since he's been in the table. I pour water and mix substrate once a week but might do this more often to keep moister. Don't know if I can get the other substrate here but will ask around. Wish I'd done all this research properly before I got him - amazed at how different peoples opinions are lol. Appreciate any advice I can get!!

 

[tsemiller]

I used to have him in a Vivarium but found humidity was way too high and he was very lethargic. Vet recommended the tortoise table and that I soak him for a half hour each night and spray the enclosure. Living in Scotland, humidity levels are naturally quite high. When I moved him from the Vivarium he grew quite quickly but slowed down again now. He is much more active and inquisitive since he's been in the table. I pour water and mix substrate once a week but might do this more often to keep moister. Don't know if I can get the other substrate here but will ask around. Wish I'd done all this research properly before I got him - amazed at how different peoples opinions are lol. Appreciate any advice I can get!!

 

[tsemiller]

Meant to say in last post that he has an enclosed sleeping area at one end of the table that he uses a lot so will make that more humid for him

 

[Donna(truditortose)]

aww love your pictures. you tortoise is beautiful. I have just had my baby horse field for over a month. She has days when she eats lots and then other days when she doesn't eat much. If you have any advice on whats gd food for them please share.

 

[tsemiller]

His favourite food is dandelions and I have loads growing in the garden. I wasn't sure what other weeds and plants were safe so I bought a few packets of seeds from Amazon and I grow them in 2 big pots. He also eats dark green and red salad leafs, parsley, some wee cactus plants that I grew and he loves a cutting from the rose bush - he'll eat the leaves and the flower. He also loves courgette and carrot but only gets them occasionally. I also leave a cuttlefish beside his food which he loves. Sometime doesn't touch it for days then eats loads at once.

 

[tsemiller]

He also loves the tray of living lettuce you buy from supermarket

 

[Donna(truditortose)]

this is my baby in her outdoor pen

 

[Shakudo]

Lol sprayed and relaxing very cute

 

[tsemiller]

Lovely wee tortoise - how old is she?

 

[Donna(truditortose)]

Thank you. We are not sure the pet shop we got her from said she was around 6 months. We have had her just over a month. Someone else said she was possibly a year old.

 

[Donna(truditortose)]

Sorry to Hi-Jack

I have just done the calculation as I am worried about my tort eating.

Length of Caparace = 6.4 cm
Current Weight = 108g

6.4 x 6.4 x 6.4 = 262.144
262.144 x 0.191 = 50.069504g

so her weight is currently 2.1 times the answer so this means she is healthy weight??

 

[tsemiller]

From how I read it, the figure that calculation gives is the lowest weight your tortoise should be so guessing anything over is ok. My tortoise is about 14-18 months approx and weighs 82g so guessing yours may be a bit older than you think. I'm no expert though and don't know how much their weight can vary so hopefully someone with a bit more experience might comment.