# How big should my tortoise be?



## KingKevin_33 (Nov 8, 2014)

I have a female sulcata tortoise that will be 6 years old in the summer of 2015. Right now she is 8 and a half inches long and i got her when she was 7 inches long in the summer of 2011. The guy i bought her from said she was two years old when i bought her. So my questions are...?

1) In 3 years and 4 to 5 months of getting her, should she have grown more tha one and a half inches?

and

2) Do you think she was older than two years old when i got her at 7 inches long in 2011?


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## russian/sulcata/tortoise (Nov 8, 2014)

can you tell us about her care, example: diet, cage humidity, how often do you soak your tort? i have seen 4 year old ones that are 50 pounds! posting pics of your tort and its enclosure will help.


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## KingKevin_33 (Nov 8, 2014)

russian/sulcata/tortoise said:


> can you tell us about her care, example: diet, cage humidity, how often do you soak your tort? i have seen 4 year old ones that are 50 pounds! posting pics of your tort and its enclosure will help.



I live in Louisiana where about 7 months out of the year she is in a very large enclosure all by herself with as much grass as she wants to eat. During the other months however, she is in a forty gallon aquarium where i feed her the correct diet. In this aquarium i have a heat lamp an an artificial sun lamp. (i also give her different fruits and vegetables during the warmer months). She is well taken care of, although i dont soak her, not even sure what that is...


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## russian/sulcata/tortoise (Nov 8, 2014)

soaking is like bathing you tort in warm water for 30 minutes, young sulcatas should be daily soaked until they are about 8 inches long them they should be soaked around 4 times a week, also high humidity levels are very Important so there shells don't become deformed from being to dry. fruits should not really be fed to sulcatas, not part of there diet. posting pics of the tort and its enclosure will really help.


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## Tom (Nov 8, 2014)

KingKevin_33 said:


> I live in Louisiana where about 7 months out of the year she is in a very large enclosure all by herself with as much grass as she wants to eat. During the other months however, she is in a forty gallon aquarium where i feed her the correct diet. In this aquarium i have a heat lamp an an artificial sun lamp. (i also give her different fruits and vegetables during the warmer months). She is well taken care of, although i dont soak her, not even sure what that is...



Kevin, a 40 gallon is WAYYY tooo smal for a 7-8" tortoise. Fruits and vegetable are NOT the correct diet. Not soaking her, is not well taken care of.

I would love to help you, but first I have to help you understand that although you've had good intentions, you've gotten bad advice somewhere.

The following threads will help you give your tortoise a better life:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

To answer your original question, she is undersize for her age. This is usually the result of an overly dry start in life. Incorrect housing, hydration and diet, are also contributing factors.

I hope we can help you and your tortoise. Please let us help.

Welcome to the forum.


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## lismar79 (Nov 8, 2014)

When I got my rescue sully he was 8 pounds and ten years old. The people told me he did not need water or heat and to just feed him romaine.....we all get bad advice. Thank goodness for communities like this one so we can all learn from one another  welcome to the forum! You and your sulcata will be so happy you signed up.


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## Tom (Nov 8, 2014)

1. Yes, she should have grown much more.
2. No way for us to know the age. They can reach more than 12" by two years.


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## russian/sulcata/tortoise (Nov 8, 2014)

(sorry for interrupting the thread) Tom my sulcata is 9 inches long and almost and going to be 3 years old in 2 months, is this to small? i also get bad advice, her first year of life she was kept dry.


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## Tom (Nov 8, 2014)

russian/sulcata/tortoise said:


> (sorry for interrupting the thread) Tom my sulcata is 9 inches long and almost and going to be 3 years old in 2 months, is this to small? i also get bad advice, her first year of life she was kept dry.



Its not "too small". Its just smaller than one would be with a better start in life. Health and good care, matter much more than size or smoothness.


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## russian/sulcata/tortoise (Nov 8, 2014)

Tom said:


> Its not "too small". Its just smaller than one would be with a better start in life. Health and good care, matter much more than size or smoothness.


she's growing like crazy now! 80% grass diet and soaks 5 times a week!


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## stojanovski92113 (Nov 8, 2014)

lismar79 said:


> When I got my rescue sully he was 8 pounds and ten years old. The people told me he did not need water or heat and to just feed him romaine.....we all get bad advice. Thank goodness for communities like this one so we can all learn from one another  welcome to the forum! You and your sulcata will be so happy you signed up.


How much has your sully grown since having him?


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## lismar79 (Nov 9, 2014)

stojanovski92113 said:


> How much has your sully grown since having him?


That sully did not make it  too long in bad care. I only had him a few months and we were in and out of the vets the whole time. Mbd and a very bad infection. Broke my heart


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## stojanovski92113 (Nov 9, 2014)

lismar79 said:


> That sully did not make it  too long in bad care. I only had him a few months and we were in and out of the vets the whole time. Mbd and a very bad infection. Broke my heart


I'm sooo sorry to hear that  I asked because I might be taking a sully in bad shape that is 5 yrs old & is small.


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## lismar79 (Nov 9, 2014)

stojanovski92113 said:


> I'm sooo sorry to hear that  I asked because I might be taking a sully in bad shape that is 5 yrs old & is small.


Do not let this stop you! Harleys case was bad...two months before I got him they stopped feeding him and moved out and left him  he had a bad uri.


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## stojanovski92113 (Nov 9, 2014)

lismar79 said:


> Do not let this stop you! Harleys case was bad...two months before I got him they stopped feeding him and moved out and left him  he had a bad uri.


OMG....that's horrible!!! I don't understand peoples thought process!! Again I'm sorry for your loss


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## David Kinney (May 8, 2015)

I have a 22 months old male sully. He is 9 inches long and weighs 4 1/2 pounds.


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## Yvonne G (May 8, 2015)

*Let's all please remember that this thread is about KingKevin's tortoise.*

I think one of your big problems is the in-the-house-habitat. Forty gallons?????? That's hardly no floor space at all (as the gallons are measured up the sides, and not along the floor). Be thinking of building this tortoise a heated shed or dog house type enclosure for winter time. She can still have access to outside, then retreat to the shed when she gets cold. That's how most of us do it.


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