# Tortoise not growing?



## Kelley (May 5, 2014)

Hello!

I'm new to this whole tortoise thing, so forgive me for sounding like an idiot. I have these two little guys (I _think _they're spur-thighed tortoises?) who belonged to my sister for the last two years. I took them about 3 weeks ago because her boys don't pay them enough attention and my step-daughter loves them. 

Anyway, here is a photo:






See that big guy on the right? He's actually the younger of the two. He's active and eats well, cruises around when you take him out, is pretty fearless about everything. The little one on the left (who isn't even half his size) is around 2 years old. The big one is a little over a year. He rapidly outgrew little-bit there, who hasn't really grown _at all _since my sister' got her.

She (I say she but I actually don't know) is lethargic, doesn't go into her shell much. She seems most active when soaking. Otherwise, she really doesn't do much like big-guy does. As you see her in the photo is generally how she lays around in her tank. She's always been like this, so it isn't a new development. When my sister took her to the vet when she was smaller (when she first noticed the lack of growth) the vet couldn't find anything wrong with her.

Any ideas? Are some tortoises like this or is there something I can be altering in her diet or some kind of medication to pep her up?


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## lismar79 (May 5, 2014)

How are they housed: lights,uv, humidity, diet? Almost always this is a result of bullying when two are kept together in the same enclosure. The dom one gets bigger & sub stays small & affraid....


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## mike taylor (May 5, 2014)

I agree with the above . They must have their own setups . They need to be kept at 80º and 80% humidity . With a basking spot of 95/100º. The bigger one is pushing the little one out of the best places to eat and sleep .


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## Kelley (May 5, 2014)

They're in an aquarium with a mercury bulb, fed a combination of things... Kale, grape leaves, random greens. We try to switch it up so they aren't always eating the same things. They get the timothy hay pellets, too. We soak them about 15 minutes a week, keep their tank around 80 degrees. They have a shallow dish of water kept in there, too, though I don't think they really go into it.

If bullying might be the problem, then I definitely want to get the little one her own tank. I feel so bad for her!


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## lismar79 (May 5, 2014)

Glad your changing it, it will improve her life soooooo much  please read the link below & the rest under the sulcata care. When there that young, especially the lil one, I would soak more often. When you say aqquarium, it makes me think small glass tank. These guys need a lot of room. At least 8x10 tort table. You can find good examples under the enclosure topic. The best place for them is out under the sun, weather permitting. I hope you were aware of how big these get 

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/


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## Kelley (May 5, 2014)

Definitely not a small aquarium, lol.  It's huge. I'll do some research on other enclosures like the tort table to hopefully get them each their own. And yes, I definitely know how big they're going to get! I'm looking forward to it.

Thank you so much for the help. I've got some reading to do!


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## lismar79 (May 5, 2014)

Awesome! Glad they have you.


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## mike taylor (May 5, 2014)

For now I would put up a divider in the tank so the big guy can't get to the little guy . Feed in two different bowls and what not . In a few weeks you'll see a difference.


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## Kelley (May 5, 2014)

That's a good idea, Mike. Thank you!


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## Yvonne G (May 5, 2014)

Hi Kelley, and welcome to the Forum! If you live in an area of the country where the weather is turning warm, then you need to get the bigger tortoise outside. That will fix the bullying problem

The little tortoise is very sick. He needs to be set up in a smaller hospital tank with an overall temperature of 80-85F degrees. Soak him every day in Gerber strained carrots mixed with warm water, and leave him in the water for at least 30 minutes. If you set his soaking bowl back into the habitat at the edge of where the light shines down, it will stay warm longer. check on him often to be sure he hasn't flipped upside down. There is something wrong with the smaller one. He might have a blockage, or something stuck in his throat. But something is wrong. The prolonged warm soaks will help if he's blocked. If you can get him to eat at all, you can put a couple drops of mineral oil on his food. This will help lubricate his insides and maybe help the blockage slip through.


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