My tortoise gained 10g of weight in 1 month?

boba_child

New Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2019
Messages
16
Location (City and/or State)
Ashford
My tortoise, Hinami, is 7 months old and I’ve been feeding her lambs lettuce. I used to feed her small slices of tomatoes but not anymore as I was afraid as some people said it was toxic etc etc. But since the last time she was weighed, she was 30g
This is her progress:

21/08/2018 - 13g
16/09/2018 - 18g
23/12/2018 - 22g
26/01/2019 - 27g
07/02/2019 - 30g

- Adopted her -

07/03/2019 - 40g

Please comment below if this is normal!

Thank you x
 

Bee62

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2016
Messages
11,981
Location (City and/or State)
Germany
What specie of tortoise do you have ? Do you only feed lambs lettuce ?
 

boba_child

New Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2019
Messages
16
Location (City and/or State)
Ashford
What specie of tortoise do you have ? Do you only feed lambs lettuce ?

She’s a spur thighed sulcata tortoise, and I feed her lambs lettuce, watercress and sometimes the odd bit of strawberry x
 

Bee62

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2016
Messages
11,981
Location (City and/or State)
Germany
10gr in one month is okay for a sulcata baby when she is still so small but you should feed her a wider diet. Look here:
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sulcata-diet-sheet.64290/

Have you read the sulcata care sheets ?
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/african-spurred-tortoise-sulcata-care-sheet.52524/

Do you soak your baby daily and what about the temps and humidity in the enclosure ? Pictures of your tort and the enclosure would help so see if all things are right for your tort baby.
 

jaizei

Unknown Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Joined
Feb 5, 2011
Messages
9,056
Location (City and/or State)
Earth
She’s a spur thighed sulcata tortoise, and I feed her lambs lettuce, watercress and sometimes the odd bit of strawberry x

13g sounds low for a sulcata hatchling. Spur thighed sulcata tortoise is confusing. Can you post pictures?

Spur-thighed tortoise usually means greek tortoise.

African spurred, African spur thigh, or spurred tortoise typically refers to sulcata
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tom

boba_child

New Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2019
Messages
16
Location (City and/or State)
Ashford
10gr in one month is okay for a sulcata baby when she is still so small but you should feed her a wider diet. Look here:
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sulcata-diet-sheet.64290/

Have you read the sulcata care sheets ?
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/african-spurred-tortoise-sulcata-care-sheet.52524/

Do you soak your baby daily and what about the temps and humidity in the enclosure ? Pictures of your tort and the enclosure would help so see if all things are right for your tort baby.

So I recently moved house so I had to take her on the train and everything, I wasn’t able to bring the tortoise table due to the circumstances. IMG_1552050393.208532.jpg

I soak her everyday for 10 minutes
She’s very active and doesn’t seem sick
She poops every day or every other day
She seems okay to me, and the temperature is around 30-32°C X
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Sulcatas hatch at around 35 grams most of the time. I've had a few that were 40-44 grams the day they came out of their egg. I'm pretty sure you don't have a sulcata. A picture of your tortoise will help confirm.

That little tub, your substrate choice, and the food you are offering is not suitable for any species. Once we know what species you've got, we can offer specific care advice for you.
 

boba_child

New Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2019
Messages
16
Location (City and/or State)
Ashford
Sulcatas hatch at around 35 grams most of the time. I've had a few that were 40-44 grams the day they came out of their egg. I'm pretty sure you don't have a sulcata. A picture of your tortoise will help confirm.

That little tub, your substrate choice, and the food you are offering is not suitable for any species. Once we know what species you've got, we can offer specific care advice for you.

IMG_1206.jpgIMG_1205.jpg
 

chemprentice

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2017
Messages
253
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California (OC)
Your tortoise is definitely not a sulcata, it's probably a greek tortoise. If possible, you should vary the diet to include more broadleaf weeds (catsear, dandelion, sow thistle, prickly lettuce, hawkbit, pretty much those pesky weeds no one likes in their yard), and change the substrate to coco coir or something that holds moisture better.
 

chemprentice

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2017
Messages
253
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California (OC)
The weight gain seems normal also. My greek tortoise gained an average of 7-10 grams each month from when he was 6 months old. His weight gain changed drastically when he reached 12 months old, jumping from 14 gram gain to 31 gram gain. He's now 242 grams at 19 months old.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,405
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
You guys! My Sulcatas look like that! Are we sure it’s not a Sulcatas? I’m so confused
The original poster is in the UK. Sulcata tortoises are not very common in the UK, however, Greek and Hermanns are common there. So our first clue would be it's NOT a sulcata.

There really are quite a few differences if you know what to look for.
 

boba_child

New Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2019
Messages
16
Location (City and/or State)
Ashford
The weight gain seems normal also. My greek tortoise gained an average of 7-10 grams each month from when he was 6 months old. His weight gain changed drastically when he reached 12 months old, jumping from 14 gram gain to 31 gram gain. He's now 242 grams at 19 months old.

Oh right... thank you so much x
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,405
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
They were either ignorant or they lied. Do you have papers?
 
Top