Bad mommy...

[Macheteslaststep]

Ok, I feel so bad! I thought my two were way older than they actually are O.O I thought Tank was 6-7 years old, but he's only about 4 years old and Dozer is only going to be 3. I was looking through old pictures and thinking back on when I would have gotten them, and Tank was in middle of 2006 (had to wait for his clutch to hatch) and Dozer was from the first reptile expo me and Ian ever went to and that was only in late 2007.

Both of them were hatchling when I got them - complete with egg tooth and yolk sac scar. I feel horrible! Huh, but I guess their sizes make sense now. So - is almost 3 pounds and 8" ok for a 4 year old and almost 2 1/2 pounds and 6" ok for a 3 year old?

Saranna

 

[Tom]

Yes. That's well within the huge range that makes up "normal". My three year old is just over 6" too and around 690 grams. I think your weight estimate might be a little high on your little one.

 

[Macheteslaststep]

I'll double check on his weight. I know Tank's is right, I just weighed him. I didn't want to wake Dozer up for his check though. I'll get new weights and measurements this weekend probably. I know "normal" is a loose term for these guys lol. I just wanted to make sure they weren't too much smaller or bigger than what others have expirienced for their ages. I tend to worry a bit with them Now all I need to do is figure out how to get them to eat more weeds and grasses. They seem to hate grass, but love honeysuckle, clover, and a couple other weeds.

Saranna

 

[Laura]

Im sure they will forgive you.. Torts are that way..

 

[Macheteslaststep]

Ok, I got measurements. Tank is just under 8" and 1133 Grams, Dozer is just a hair under 6" and 831 Grams. Tank also urinated again today and had mucus in it again. Not as much as last time, but still noticable. The only diet change has been adding Mazuri in the past couple weeks.

Saranna

 

[tortoisenerd]

Urates up to a few times a week can be completely normal. Having them look more like mucus than chunks and gritty is good. Unless of course you are talking about male stuff (not sure if he's old enough for that?).

I'd go easy on the Mazuri as it addicting, higher in calories than the weeds, and has ingredients such as molasses and vitamins that personally I'm not a fan of. I do however like feeding a little for some variety and to have the tort used to it in case of emergencies.

 

[Macheteslaststep]

Oh, I just meant I started it in the past couple weeks They only get about 6-7 pellets of mazuri once per week/week and a half, and it is added as a topper to their "salad" that day.

 

[Tom]

Mazuri is good stuff. I never used to like it, but after talking to enough people that I trust, I've changed my mind about it in the last few months. My adults and Daisy have been eating it for a few months now and so far so good. Daisy is growing more than she ever has. She's actually catching up to "normal".

That's great weight on Tank and especially on Dozer. My Daisy feels heavy and has great weight and Dozer is even heavier in comparison, so, good job! Can you post a link to your pics of them? I can't remember the thread title and I want to see them again. Or maybe post some updated pics?

 

[Macheteslaststep]

Ok, I'll go get some updated pics - but please no mention of the pyramiding :blushes: I'm spraying them down like 5 times a day now and keeping them more humid to produce new smoother growth, but unfortunately what's done is done I think. Darn listening to people back in the day

---

Ok, so here is Tank. He's my 4 year old He used to be so shy and now Dozer's the shy one and Tank runs right up to me! I also used a standard size pen for comparison, that's for the people like me who like to SEE how big they actually are

And Dozer, he's the 3 year old. I know they look small compared to my hands, but I really am beginning to struggle with holding them by one hand only My babies are getting too big!

Saranna

 

[Tom]

They are both gorgeous. I especially love Dozer's blonde color.

Don't you worry about the pyramiding. We are ALL in that same boat. Yours look no worse than all the ones I raised in the past. We were all misinformed and ignorant. The good news is that we are now well on our way to having that problem solved for ever. We just need to work out exactly how much moisture/humidity/hydration is needed to prevent it. AND, most importantly, we need to get this info to all the breeders out there who have them for those first few critical weeks.

 

[Macheteslaststep]

Yea, hopefully if I ever have the room/time/extra funds to get a female, she'll be nice and smooth. Like the one I saw at the PA Expo...she was as blonde as Dozer and had a perfect shell, about 10" SCL. They wanted $400 for her. Oh well...we'll all get our smooth leopards one day