Turtlepete
Well-Known Member
Unless you focus on a species that has an exceptionally quick reproduction rate (new generations within 2 years) it wouldn't just be a multi-generational commitment of the tortoise, it would be a multigenerational commitment for an entire family. If you were attempting to produce a mini of a popular tortoise such as a redfoot, the project would outlast the creator and require the commitment of their children, should they have any. Decades would go by before you would see any worthwhile results.
There are a lot of other reasons why this wouldn't work the way it does in snakes. Compare it to the popularly "morphed" ball python. Most of the characteristics that are desired within snake morphs focus around color and pattern, both of which can be more or less distinguished at birth. This makes it easy to pick a few focus specimens from a clutch and sell off the surplus. This wouldn't work when breeding for size, and you would find yourself stuck with quite literally hundreds of specimens before you were even able to distinguish which specimens would be appropriate to reproduce. Not to mention snakes often produce larger clutches, giving more possibility to find the correct fit for the desired characteristics.
There are a lot of other reasons why this wouldn't work the way it does in snakes. Compare it to the popularly "morphed" ball python. Most of the characteristics that are desired within snake morphs focus around color and pattern, both of which can be more or less distinguished at birth. This makes it easy to pick a few focus specimens from a clutch and sell off the surplus. This wouldn't work when breeding for size, and you would find yourself stuck with quite literally hundreds of specimens before you were even able to distinguish which specimens would be appropriate to reproduce. Not to mention snakes often produce larger clutches, giving more possibility to find the correct fit for the desired characteristics.