Growth advice plz :)

[Tartaruga!]

Hiya, I'm new here. Bought my Herman 2wks ago. Was told he/she was a 2010 hatching. Got a certificate which says he/she was born 14th sept 2010, but since then my sister spotted others for sale elsewhere, again supposed 2010 hatchings, but they were much bigger.
I weighed mine the day i brought him/her home. He/she weighed 30g. Exactly 1 wk later, I weighed again, that time 39g! Now this wk, I've weighed again and this time 41g.
My first question is, does that sound a normal growth rate?
Secondly, as I've read on various tortoise forums, I've bathed mine every other day. The first couple of times he/she did poo, the colour was very grey/beige/pale and seemed very soft. Where as now the poo is very dark and more solid.
Is this a good thing?

I have always had tortoises since a child. But mine I grew up with were very oldies. & so were kept in the garden, a very big one, free to roam the whole place, fed on cucumber and lettuce but also able to pick themselves as many wild flowers & weeds as they want.
Sadly 1 of mine emerged from hibernation ill & the vet wasn't able to cure him. And then a yr later my other 1 was pinched out of the garden, I was gutted.
So now I have this new teeny tiny torty called Tartaruga and want to do the best for him/her to have a happy long life.

Advice much appreciated

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. Your growth rate, soaking routine and poop consistency all sound great.

 

[yagyujubei]

It seems tiny to me, for being 21 months old. It seems more hatchling size to me. However, if it keeps gaining like it has, it won't be small for long. Perhaps Sept 2011?

 

[Tartaruga!]

Hi, thanks for the replies

I'm really glad to hear the poo is gd lol & the weight gain too

It was bothering me a little. As for her real age, I'll perhaps never be 100% certain, but the important thing is she's healthy.

Next is sexing him/her lol



Any ideas?

Thanks

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Tartaruga!:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

What would you like us to call you?

..and may we know appx. where in the world you are?

 

[Tartaruga!]

Hiya, thanks gd to be here
I'm Rachel & my tortoise is called Tartaruga
Oh & we're in Wales, UK

 

[CactusVinnie]

A picture would be useful to evaluate his health... and tell us his Straight Carapace Length. It seems that he's a healthy, but mal/undernourished tortoise. More likely, it was very weak when arrived, and now it's just recovering.
A single thing could be wrong: a too rich diet, wich will fatten him up too much, and MBD could appear. So, what is the diet? And, BTW, indoor or outdoor housing?

 

[Tartaruga!]

Diet is a mix of various salad leaves, cut fresh daily, cucumber and I've ordered a tubbed food of dandelion flavour, pellet, not arrived yet. Calcium powder is sprinkled on food and ive placed cuttlefish in small chunks all around. Water is freshened a couple times a day. Kept inside, substrate is 50/50 playsand & top soil. Heat lamp, uv lamp, the warm end has a large basking stone, a smaller slate, the other cooler end has 2 'houses' 1 lrg 1 sml, a roofless hiding area/ wall. Bathed in Luke warm water every other day. Handled at least once a day for short periods.

 

[Tartaruga!]

Have tried to upload photo but doesn't seem to be wrking. I've just posted in "photo from iPhone" thread & if anyone can help, I'll upload again with their instructions

 

[CactusVinnie]

Not bad, but can you offer him an outdoor enclosure? It is crucial... Nothing could replace sunlight and temperature swings in strengthening a tortoise!

 

[Tartaruga!]

hiya, no i couldnt at the moment put him/her outside... it wouldnt be safe as where i am, there is a major seagull problem and have been advised by other tortoise keepers, that at the size my Tartaruga is, it wouldnt be safe. once he/she is larger, then yes, i will get an outdoors set up.

R

 

[CactusVinnie]

Oh God... seagulls... I know them.
You better think to a small enclosure protected by a well fit frame with metallic net; I think that chickenwire would do, but you may want to be even safer.
There is nothing like outdoor keeping for a tortoise... I saw ones having horrible diet for years, but their appearance was not the one I usually expected in such conditions- well, they were the ONLY ONES that lived outdoors. Outdoor keeping slows down a lot of negative effects of an aberrant diet. It is worthy for you to make the effort to build that enclosure.

 

[Tartaruga!]

As soon as I have a home with an outdoor area I will definitely be making an outdoor area for Tartaruga
R

 

[CourtneyAndCarl]

I don't have an outdoor enclosure for my Hermann's, but I need my sunlight, too, and I have time to kill, so I drag his tired little butt outside every morning bright and early before it gets as unbearably hot as it has been the past few days. I've read that 5 hours of sunlight every week for a tortoise will keep their UVB exposure at a nice healthy level, but Carl and I hang out together in the garden for anywhere from a half an hour to two hours every day. This is probably what I'll do instead of building an enclosure until I get too busy with other things to devote the time to it. We also have semi-wild cats in my area and even if I did have an enclosure, I would be terrified to leave Carl out in it without supervision anyways

 

[Tartaruga!]

That sounds cool

---

My cat, Panzee loves Tartaruga, when ever I have him/her out to bathe, weigh or just for our daily bonding sessions, my cat always comes for a nose. Tarty seems to like Panzee too, when she walked past & meowed, Tarty turned to look, then follow her... An unlikely romance is blossoming lol <3

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

hiya, no i couldnt at the moment put him/her outside... it wouldnt be safe as where i am, there is a major seagull problem and have been advised by other tortoise keepers, that at the size my Tartaruga is, it wouldnt be safe. once he/she is larger, then yes, i will get an outdoors set up.

R

Build Tartaruga an outside play area so he/she can get sun, but remain safe:

You'll need (4) 6' 2 X 4s, (4) 3' 2 X 4s, (2) 3' X 6' pieces of 1/2" screen (we call it "hardare cloth over here), and a couple hinges. Lock and hasp is optional, but not a bad idea.

Build the two 6' X 3' frames so that the 4" sides are up and put the screen onto them, then, with screen on the top and bottom, put the two halves together like a suitcase w/ the hinges.

Kinda like this, but not as tall, and not with chicken wire (since replaced w/ hardware cloth).

Place the enclosure someplace where part is always in the shade, or put a hide-box in it, and a water dish, and now Tartaruga can safely get sun for a few hours (or more) on nice days.

This will be a very healthy gift for your new buddy.

 

[Tartaruga!]

Hiya, thank you for the build instructions
Once I have a home with an outdoor area I will definitely be building a playground for Tarty. At the moment I just dont have an outdoor space/yard/garden

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

Hiya, thank you for the build instructions
Once I have a home with an outdoor area I will definitely be building a playground for Tarty. At the moment I just dont have an outdoor space/yard/garden

The beauty of this design is that, when not in use, you can just lean it somewhere out of the way, then put it down on the ground, or your porch, or anywhere sunny it'll fit, when you want to use it.