i've been keeping rough data on the growth of my DT hatchlings but i'm wondering if anyone else has kept this kind of data as well.
also, what is a good time interval to measure over?
I take a picture of each animal and keep a log of its weight, scl length, plastron length, distance btwn anal scutes and width on an EXCEL spreadsheet. I try to do this once a year, every summer. I used to trace an outline of the babies on a sheet of paper, then re-trace another outline a few months later on the same sheet, and on and on. Its always fun to see how much and how fast they grow. In the case of baby sulcatas, they soon outgrew the 81/2 x 11 piece of paper, but baby desert tortoises could get 6 or 7 tracings per sheet!
Yvonne
tracing them is such a good idea! with my organizational skills though, i'd never find an old trace. i should transfer the data i've been keeping on my calendar to a spreadsheet too
tracing them is such a good idea! with my organizational skills though, i'd never find an old trace. i should transfer the data i've been keeping on my calendar to a spreadsheet too
Another cool thing to do (this is what old school turtle biologists did before the advent of digital cameras) is to make a rubbing of the tortoise's plastron. Place a piece of thin white paper over the plastron and fill in the area using a pencil. You'll see a clear outline of the tortoise's growth rings, which you can compare to later rubbings.
I keep a spread sheet as well with that info. I try to update mine every few months as I remember to do it. I also record where/who I got them from.
Here is an example:
Hollow, Hermanns (THB) F, (chris) LTC
3/25/2008 (arrived during hibernation) 7" 919g
5/3/08 (2 days post hibernation ) 978g
05/30/08- 1040grams
Because I have Greeks I use the Jackson Scale and chart the weight and length in mm each month. The hatchlings I weight each week. I have also taken pics of the eggs a pic of the hatchling hatching and then pics of them top and bottom (carapace and Plastron) at three month intervals. Sort of like a baby book with the wt of the egg, wt and length of hatchling at birth, then the wt weekly until they reach 3 months then monthly their after.
I measure and weigh my RT's monthly, measuring length, width and height and using the weight formula to determine whether they're staying relatively healthly/fit.
Target Weight Equation = height x length x width (in centimeters) x .57 = weight in grams
I weigh mine monthly and every 3 months I also measure them. I use to do it weekly but found that most of the time, especially hatchlings, that there might be a 1 or 2 gram difference.
I've been keepings records on mine since 2005 using MS Excel.
I have a health chart that I made after seeing one that someone had. I keep mine in a three ring binder so that they are right there when it is weigh in day. I weigh mine monthly. I keep any docs that relate to that tort or turt right with there health chart and acquisition sheet. If you want to see mine let me know and I will email it to you - it is in excel.