How fast do Desert Tortoises grow?

[Felicia Broschart]

Just weighed my babies yesterday. They are around 40 grams. One poster told me I should soak them daily until they reached 100 grams. Just curious how long that takes. They are hearty little eaters. Seems like they want food non-stop!

 

[NataliaTG]

Hello! I have 2 texas torts and they grow pretty slow.

How old are your babies? I know that desert torts are bigger than texas tortoises, so they might reach the 100 grams mark at around 6 months?

 

[WIIV]

Similar question on size and growth. One of our SDT is almost 3x the size of the other. Same clutch. Hatched September Normal?

 

[Tom]

They all grow at different rates depending upon many variables.

If I hatch them myself and raise them up in ideal conditions they can reach 100 grams in 3 months. If they were started dry, kept outside too much, not soaked often enough, not fed right, etc… It could take over a year to reach 100 grams. Even if the current keeper is doing everything right, the things that happened with the previous keeper can severely hamper growth.

 

[Tom]

Similar question on size and growth. One of our SDT is almost 3x the size of the other. Same clutch. Hatched September Normal?

Are they living as a pair? If yes, that is likely to be your problem. They should never live as pairs. Separate them ASAP, and watch the growth rate on the smaller one pick up after a few weeks away from its tormentor.