Size and Age Question.

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MarissaRelf

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So I got my Russian from a lady on craigslist and she told me she was around 2 years old. Well I've been beginning to doubt that because I've read on here a few times that peoples Russians that are 30+ years old are 5 1/2 inches long, which is the same size as mine (bottom shell length). I measured her tonight just out of curiosity and she was that size. Is it feasible for her to be only 2 years old at that size? I really don't care, I'd just really like to know her age and maybe predict how big she will get. Thanks :)
 

pineapple

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My Russian is a year old and is only 2 inches at the most, I'll have to go measure tomorrow.
 

russian tortoise boy

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i bought my femlae russian to a friend for $30 and he said my russian tortoise is about 7 years old and she was 5 1/2 inches so im guessing yours is like 5-10 years old

PS: i think every year russian tortoise gain 1 inch until they reach maximum size:D
 

biochemnerd808

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I would agree that your tort is definitely older than 2. If the previous owner got their tort at the pet stores, they often say it is "just a year old", and then the owner starts counting age from when they got it.

One of my males (Roz) is about 5-6 and is 5.5 inches (still growing). Mo (the old man tort) is over 50 years old, and is 5.5 inches long, but much more dense/heavy than Roz. My female (Timmy) is about 30, and she is 7.5 inches. Torts grow faster when they are young, then slow down... age is hard to determine...
Yearlings and torts under 5 all have a characteristic baby face (kinda flat). It's hard to guess age... could you post a pic of your tort, including her face?

MarissaRelf said:
Anyone else?
 

MarissaRelf

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biochemnerd808 said:
I would agree that your tort is definitely older than 2. If the previous owner got their tort at the pet stores, they often say it is "just a year old", and then the owner starts counting age from when they got it.

One of my males (Roz) is about 5-6 and is 5.5 inches (still growing). Mo (the old man tort) is over 50 years old, and is 5.5 inches long, but much more dense/heavy than Roz. My female (Timmy) is about 30, and she is 7.5 inches. Torts grow faster when they are young, then slow down... age is hard to determine...
Yearlings and torts under 5 all have a characteristic baby face (kinda flat). It's hard to guess age... could you post a pic of your tort, including her face?

IMG_20121107_154726.jpg

IMG_20121107_154647.jpg
 

the_bookish_tortoise

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I've been quite surprised by how quickly my tortoise grew. I've had him* for about two years now and he's easily doubled in size. He looks about the same size as yours, by the pictures (though his shell seems taller/rounder than yours does). I've also been curious about how old he was when I got him. Does anyone know approximately how old a 2-3 inch Russian is?

*he is actually a she, but I started using male pronouns before I could sex her, and they just kind of stuck. I know the females can get quite larger than the males, so I thought I'd clarify for context.
 

biochemnerd808

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My best guess would be 5-10 years... your tort doesn't have much of a 'baby" face any more, though still a little. :) Handsome little tort!

Looks like a beak trim might be in her future... our local reptile rescue society does that for free, so maybe your area has one, too? Otherwise, it's not very complicated to do it yourself. Or, you can just wait for it to wear down on its own, by feeding on a flat rock (flagstone or slate).

Not knowing how old my torts really are used to bother me, but I've found peace with not knowing. :) In the end, all that matters are that they are mine now, and that I love them.
 

D-Lop

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I've been quite surprised by how quickly my tortoise grew. I've had him* for about two years now and he's easily doubled in size. He looks about the same size as yours, by the pictures (though his shell seems taller/rounder than yours does). I've also been curious about how old he was when I got him. Does anyone know approximately how old a 2-3 inch Russian is?

*he is actually a she, but I started using male pronouns before I could sex her, and they just kind of stuck. I know the females can get quite larger than the males, so I thought I'd clarify for context.

Read more: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/newreply.php?tid=58914#ixzz2CF2D1ULU
I'd say a 2-3 inch russsian would be from 3 months to 2 years.
 

Cowboy_Ken

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Most Russian tortoises on Craigslist, in my experience are w/c from local pet stores. These are hard to know age. As an earlier post pointed out, the pet shop may say one year or so, and then the new owner adds from there.
One would be hard pressed, I believe, to find a c/b Russian tortoise on Craigslist. The effort and expense of getting a c/b baby, I think, would tend to lend its self more towards a person that is a responsible keeper and would be less inclined to see the tortoise as a disposable pet that little Tommy has out grown.
 
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