Shelli's First Vet Visit

[shelli2012]

Shelli had her first visit to the vet yesterday and now I'm pretty sure she won’t be speaking to us for a while. Since we got her from a pet store she def. was not in the best of conditions (her nails were way too long, her eyes were weepy, and she had a runny nose) so we decided to take her to the vet and get her checked out. Personally I feel the visit was more stressful for me, but I think she disagrees . The poor girl had to have her nails filed, and she even had to get a shot in the leg .

So, since the pet store was so unsure of her age (they thought she was anywhere from 3-8 months old) we asked the vet if she had any idea. Much to our shock, she told us she would have to guess that Shelli was anywhere between 2-5 YEARS old, based on the rings on her belly! That leads me to my main question... Shelli weighs less than a pound and though I have not officially measured her yet I would have to guess she’s about 3 inches in length. If she is 2-5 years old, is that too small?? We knew she most likely didn't get the best care before, but it def. worries me that she's that small especially if she's closer to five years old. From the research that I have done, I've read that they grow to be full size the first 5-10 years.

So as I'm sure you can tell I'm a worrier, especially since this is my first tortoise. Should I be concerned about her? Or is she fine and I'm just a spaz

Thanks!
Caryn and Shelli

 

[JoesMum]

Torts all grow at different rates depending on diet, care and whether they are wild caught or captive bred.

You've done the right thing taking yours to the vet to get things sorted out. With good diet, heat, light and humidity your tort will be absolutely fine. Don't worry that she's too small.