Weight

[BenTagg]

Hi guys, my tortoise is just over 1 year old and weighs 57g. What is the average weight of a tortoise at this age and is my tortoise of a good weight or not? Thank you.

 

[Tom]

There really is no average. They all grow at different rates, and for different reasons.

57 grams at one year is a little small. This is typical of babies that are not soaked enough, kept too dry, or kept outside too much.

 

[BenTagg]

There really is no average. They all grow at different rates, and for different reasons.

57 grams at one year is a little small. This is typical of babies that are not soaked enough, kept too dry, or kept outside too much.

Would you say that this is a major concern at the minute? I’m bathing him 3 times a week, so I’ll bath him more from now on.

 

[TortNZ]

Hi
Sorry to interfere but I was just about to ask the same question. My tort is a year old and when I got her a month ago she was 58 g.
I have been soaking her daily (30min) and she weight 86g yesterday. That is 28g in a month. Her carapace has grown 1cm in length and 1cm in width. Her thinkness has stayed the same. I think she was very dehydrated. Is this all correct?
I have always been told tortoise eat a lot but she does not. Eats a few mesclun leaves here and there. As a treat I give her a little cooked corn. I have been taking her outside a bit at a time where she feeds a little clover. She drinks fine.

 

[Tom]

Would you say that this is a major concern at the minute? I’m bathing him 3 times a week, so I’ll bath him more from now on.

Not a major concern. If it were my animal, I would:

• Up the humidity a bit and keep it around 60-70%.
• Add a humid hide.
• Use 3-4 inches of orchid bark and keep the lower layers damp.
• Soak daily until the tortoise reaches and exceeds 100 grams.
• Add a little more plant protein to the diet like clover or fresh alfalfa.
• Supplement with original Mazuri to make sure there are no nutrient gaps.

 

[Tom]

Hi
Sorry to interfere but I was just about to ask the same question. My tort is a year old and when I got her a month ago she was 58 g.
I have been soaking her daily (30min) and she weight 86g yesterday. That is 28g in a month. Her carapace has grown 1cm in length and 1cm in width. Her thinkness has stayed the same. I think she was very dehydrated. Is this all correct?
I have always been told tortoise eat a lot but she does not. Eats a few mesclun leaves here and there. As a treat I give her a little cooked corn. I have been taking her outside a bit at a time where she feeds a little clover. She drinks fine.

Most captive baby tortoises are somewhat dehydrated due to the typical wrong advice given. Older larger animals can survive with lower levels of hydration for a long time if need be, but babies suffer when things are too dry. Many of them don't survive.

I compare it to puppies or chicks. Adult dogs and chickens can survive and acclimate just fine to below freezing temps, but their babies need extra warmth to survive. Putting an 8 week old puppy in a dog house in a snowy climate with no heat is equivalent to putting a baby tortoise in a dry enclosure and only soaking once a week. Some percentage of either is not going to survive, and all of them deserve better treatment.