What is the average weight range of one year old leopard pardalis pardalis?

beasto35

New Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2018
Messages
2
Location (City and/or State)
Denver, CO
Hello,
I recently purchased a young leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis pardalis). It measures 2.25 inches long and 1.75 inches wide, and it weighs 43 grams. It appears healthy, but I am concerned because I paid a premium price for a one year old tortoise, and I believe I am getting more like a six month old hatchling (if its that old!). I am going to take him/her to the vet next week, but I was wondering if anybody has a weight chart for a leopard tort? I can find them for babcocki, but not pardalis.
Thanks in advance for your help,
Lesley
 

diamondbp

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Nov 17, 2012
Messages
3,331
Hello,
I recently purchased a young leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis pardalis). It measures 2.25 inches long and 1.75 inches wide, and it weighs 43 grams. It appears healthy, but I am concerned because I paid a premium price for a one year old tortoise, and I believe I am getting more like a six month old hatchling (if its that old!). I am going to take him/her to the vet next week, but I was wondering if anybody has a weight chart for a leopard tort? I can find them for babcocki, but not pardalis.
Thanks in advance for your help,
Lesley

Lesley, although I don’t have weights listed on my pp leos on my thread “my official p.pardalis thread” I have documented my leopards every few months to show their growth. A true well raised yearling should range between 3-5” IMO.

What source did you get it from? And do you have pictures to share?
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,269
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Hello,
I recently purchased a young leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis pardalis). It measures 2.25 inches long and 1.75 inches wide, and it weighs 43 grams. It appears healthy, but I am concerned because I paid a premium price for a one year old tortoise, and I believe I am getting more like a six month old hatchling (if its that old!). I am going to take him/her to the vet next week, but I was wondering if anybody has a weight chart for a leopard tort? I can find them for babcocki, but not pardalis.
Thanks in advance for your help,
Lesley
Given what you've shared here, it is likely that you bought from the wrong source. When they are started too dry and left outside all day, it kills their kidneys. They can survive for a long time, but they don't grow and most of them eventually die. They should reach 43 grams within a few of weeks of hatching. By one year, the slower growers should be over 300 grams. Faster growers can be 800-1000 grams, and these are usually the males.

If you want to explain your care routine we can see if you've been making any glaring errors, but most people do a fairly good job of caring for their babies. Most of the time this is the fault of the breeder who treats the hatchling like a desert species.

Do you soak daily?
Keep the baby mostly indoors on damp substrate in a warm humid environment?
Feed a wide variety of weeds, grass, leaves, flowers and succulents?

If not, you might have contributed to the problem...
 

diamondbp

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Nov 17, 2012
Messages
3,331
Hello,
I recently purchased a young leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis pardalis). It measures 2.25 inches long and 1.75 inches wide, and it weighs 43 grams. It appears healthy, but I am concerned because I paid a premium price for a one year old tortoise, and I believe I am getting more like a six month old hatchling (if its that old!). I am going to take him/her to the vet next week, but I was wondering if anybody has a weight chart for a leopard tort? I can find them for babcocki, but not pardalis.
Thanks in advance for your help,
Lesley
I just realized what weight you listed your tortoise was at. My 2-3 month olds weigh more than that. It sounds like you get screwed as many others have with online "yearling" purchases. I have a suspicion on what source you likely got it from. Feel free to pm with the source or post it here if you'd like. I would ask for some money back because you either got a very very young tortoise or a unhealthy tortoise for that age.
 

Cowboy_Ken

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Nov 18, 2011
Messages
17,560
Location (City and/or State)
Suburban-life in Salem, Oregon
I was wondering if anybody has a weight chart for a leopard tort? I can find them for babcocki, but not pardalis.
Thanks in advance for your help,
Lesley

Howdy Lesley,
I’ve got a babcocki not a pardalis but at 1 yr old mine was 350 grams. All she likes to do is eat and crap. IMG_3212.jpgIMG_3215.jpg
 

Cowboy_Ken

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Nov 18, 2011
Messages
17,560
Location (City and/or State)
Suburban-life in Salem, Oregon
I take random weight ins.

SHEBELLE WEIGHTS

Hatch 11/18/2016=019 gms
Got her 05/03/2017=142 gms
05/27/2017 =160 gms
06/26/2017 =175 gms.
06/29/2017 =180 gms.
07/01/2017 =170 gms.
07/10/2017 =180 gms.
07/26/2017 =190 gms.
07/29/2017 =185 gms.
08/07/2017 =215 gms.
08/18/2017 =225 gms.
08/31/2017= 230 gms.
09/19/2017= 265 gms
09/27/2017= 265 gms
10/06/2017= 280 gms
11/02/2017= 325 gms
11/19/2017= 350 gms
12/01/2017= 360 gms
02/01/2018= 410 gms
02/14/2018= 445 gms
05/02/2018=620 gms
 

tgirl23

Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2017
Messages
53
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Hi I have a pardalis that I got from Tom back in June. It was a hatchling when I got it and about two months old. It weighed in at 59 grams on June 20th of this year. I weighed it today and it’s about 6 months old and it weighs 112g. Sorry I don’t know how to put pictures up. I hope you can get some money back it doesn’t sound like they sold you a 1 year old. Best of luck Lesley.
 

Ghazan

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2016
Messages
136
mine were about 350-400 grams at a year which I think is low end of average
 

beasto35

New Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2018
Messages
2
Location (City and/or State)
Denver, CO
Thanks for all your replies! Your collective knowledge was very helpful.
I finally managed to contact the breeder. He was a little cagey at first, but he eventually conceded the tortoise was only 7 months old. We are working on an exchange. I don't want to identify him publicly as he is trying to right this wrong. I'll keep you posted!
P.S. In the meantime, I'm keeping this guy well-hydrated with daily soaks. He has a fog machine. He's being kept on a combination of reptile bark and sorghum moss. He has a UVB bulb, basking light, and heat lamp and a plastic hide. He's getting lots of different lettuces, dandelions, and mazuri mash. He's cute as heck--I just don't want a baby!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_7990-1.jpg
    IMG_7990-1.jpg
    2.1 MB · Views: 78
  • IMG_7991-1.jpg
    IMG_7991-1.jpg
    1.9 MB · Views: 70

William Lee Kohler

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2015
Messages
879
Location (City and/or State)
Eugene, OR
That is a practically new hatchling. The plus is that you do not have any pyramiding problems yet so can prevent from the beginning. They really grow pretty fast with good care.
 

New Posts

Top