Horsefield Growth Rate

[gg888]

I have a roughly one year old horsefield called Bertie (the breeder old me he was a boy because he holds his tail to the side when he walks where's females don't?) I was just wondering at what rate horsefield grow. I know they don't grow very large, but I haven't seen a change in his size. He's completely healthy though, and very lovely

 

[Tom]

First of all, You cannot tell sex by tail carriage. It would sure be nice if we could though…
When you see a penis or an egg, then you know the sex for sure.

Growth rates varies tremendously depending on many factors, some of which we don't even low or have any understanding of. Two years ago I started 20 new hatchlings. Some tripled in size in a few months, while others only grew a very little bit. One has hardly grown at all despite a healthy appetite, good hydration and ideal conditions. All were/are housed identically and fed the same foods in the same amounts. I have no explanation for the wildly different growth rates.

Here is the russian care sheet and tips I follow:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

It may be because you see him all the time you have not noticed an increase in size or weight.
Weighing him monthly would give a more accurate picture of his development.

 

[AnimalLady]

First of all, You cannot tell sex by tail carriage. It would sure be nice if we could though…
When you see a penis or an egg, then you know the sex for sure.

Growth rates varies tremendously depending on many factors, some of which we don't even low or have any understanding of. Two years ago I started 20 new hatchlings. Some tripled in size in a few months, while others only grew a very little bit. One has hardly grown at all despite a healthy appetite, good hydration and ideal conditions. All were/are housed identically and fed the same foods in the same amounts. I have no explanation for the wildly different growth rates.

Here is the russian care sheet and tips I follow:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Tom, from these 20 hatchlings, were they from the same parents? Do parents size factor in on how small/big they might or might not get (like dogs)?

Would it be safe to just say, each tort is different and grows at his/her own pace, kinda like.... children?

 

[Tom]

Tom, from these 20 hatchlings, were they from the same parents? Do parents size factor in on how small/big they might or might not get (like dogs)?

Would it be safe to just say, each tort is different and grows at his/her own pace, kinda like.... children?

I got 6 from one breeder, 6 from another and the last group of 8 consists of five 8 month old ones plus three 3 week old ones. All of them from each group are supposed to be from different moms and in most cases different dads too, so as unrelated as possible. I raised each group in its own enclosure and fed them all the same foods. The first group of six (blue group) were started in a one hundred gallon tank, and they grew smoothly, uniformly and slowly. All six were and still are nearly the same size, and they are my smallest ones. The second group (the green group) were in an identical 100 gallon with identical heating and lighting, fed the same foods and soaked side by side with the other groups daily in their own tub. This group grew pretty fast and some of them showed mild signs of pyramiding. They are my largest group and they outgrew the slower growing 8 month olds from the orange group. The last group of 8 was started in a 135 gallon tank (5 orange dotted 8 month olds, and 3 silver 3 week olds). The orange ones grew very slowly, stayed smooth and to this day continue to grow slowly. The silvers were the fastest growing group of all of them and also the smoothest. They quickly outgrew their 8 month older directly related siblings. These silvers are my biggest and smoothest to this day and they grew faster than all the other groups on the same foods in the same conditions. They were the youngest when I got them too, reenforcing my idea that those first few days and weeks after hatching truly set the tone for the rest of a tortoises life.

All 20 of them were fed the same foods from the same food collection tub, housed identically, heated the same, in the same room in side by side identical enclosures with the same substrate and the same daily soaking routine. I can offer no explanation about the wildly varying growth rates and differing results. All are healthy and thriving and all hibernated every year except their first year with me at the breeders request. I would have hibernated them their first years, but I respected the breeder's requests to wait at least a year.