Size/Age of a russian tortoise?

MyTortoise

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Dec 27, 2013
Messages
98
When I got my tortoise, I was told by the shopkeeper that she was 1, but she was quite big for a 1year old. I went back quite recently (I leave her there over the holidays) and I saw some tiny tortoises and she told me they were 1. They were so much smaller than mine was!! Is it possible for tortoises of around the same age to have quite a big size difference? And how big are 3 year old russian tortoises normally?
 

johnsonnboswell

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5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2012
Messages
2,238
most russian torts are wild caught:( and for some reason pet stores lie about the ages of the torts they are selling.
It is possible for tortoises of the same age to have a significant size difference, especially between those head started indoors and fed all through the winter and those that hibernate. That said, pet stores routinely lie about the age of their tortoises because people want to buy babies. In this case, I'd assume the pet store lied.
 

WillTort2

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5 Year Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2011
Messages
1,250
The pet stores are often staffed by people that are only familiar with dogs and cats and even that information may not be any more accurate than that of the average pet owner. The amount of inaccurate information regarding tortoises is amazing; we all continue to learn and hopefully by pooling our knowledge we can do a better job of providing a safe and healthy environment for our torts. Just ask any tort, we are not owners we are merely keepers!
 

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