- Joined
- Sep 18, 2013
- Messages
- 87
Can turtles be dwarfs or have stunted growth like people can?
diamondbp said:I believe they can to a certain extent. It's probably easier for a male to be dwarfed than a female because males never deal with egg size issues or passing eggs.
I can only speak on my expertise (gulf coast box turtles). I have seen many TINY old mature males reaching no more than 4 inches in length when the average male size is between 6 - 8.5 inches. But as far as the females there seems to be a less extreme range in adult sizes, usually 5-7.5 inches on average with the vast majority being 6-6.5 inches.
I've never come across an incredibly small female but so called "dwarf" males are not so uncommon.
I so wish camera phones existed 15-20 years ago when I was in the woods all the time . I could have taken so many pictures of the box turtles in this area and it would be much easier to SHOW a dwarf male next to a monster male.
Saleama said:Good question. Wouldn't that be cool to have a Sully the size of a large Russian! I am curious about this as well. I know they can be stunted by lack of proper food and living space but I think they spring out of it if those issues are corrected. Hope Tom or Will wades into this with an answer.
ashbelys said:The reason I ask is bc I have two painteds, both the same size and age when I got them and one is getting really big, while the other hasn't grown at all. I'm doing everything I should be as far as care goes and I'm not really sure what else to do.