How fast can a radiated tortoise grow?

[jinmin17]

Hello, How fast can a radiated tortoise grow?

I have one which is 4inch now, how big will it be when it is 10 yrs old?

I m considering about their enclosure next time. What if it not very big about 60cm by 80cm?

Is the shell colour genetic or I can feed it something to make it look prettier?

 

[gummybearpoop]

Hello, How fast can a radiated tortoise grow?

I have one which is 4inch now, how big will it be when it is 10 yrs old?

I m considering about their enclosure next time. What if it not very big about 60cm by 80cm?

Is the shell colour genetic or I can feed it something to make it look prettier?

Jinmin17,
Radiated tortoises can grow up to 16 inches. It can take more/less than 10 years to reach that size depending on genetics, diet, and environment.

I am pretty sure that diet does not make a shell prettier. Healthier but not prettier. Healthy is more important than pretty....

 

[tortoisenerd]

I recommend to make the enclosure bigger, but plan to make another one in a few years because you need to increase the size as they grow. Or, build a very large one and block off part of it for now. You cannot do anything about shell color. The only thing I can think of that is a variable is light exposure, but I think that varies by species. For example, based on the distance and type of UVB exposure, part of the darkness/lightness of a torts shell color is determined (Sulcatas come to mind, part of one of the reasons you will see some lighter and some very dark). How fast the tort grows is based on food intake. Some people believe in letting the tort grow very fast, and others like to see steadier growth (without starving the tort though!). Torts thrive in large enclosures. For a four inch tort, I'd like to see about 4 or 6 sq ft. (0.372 to 0.557 sq meters), but you do need to increase this over time, so don't provide all the space you will be able to provide in the near future at one time. With too small of an enclosure, the tort may be less active and pace the walls. Best wishes.

 

[jinmin17]

hmmm.. I afraid it grow too big and hard to handle.

I will like it to be about 12inch as I live in a small place.

I wash my radiated with warm water and brush his shell. But he still smells. Is there any soap i can use?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Jinmin17:

Is it the tortoise that smells or his habitat? If your tortoise is smelly, then chances are that he has some poop stuck on him someplace. Give him a long soak in warm water, say, 20 to 30 minutes. Then take a toothbrush or other small brush and scrub any place on the shell that looks like it has something stuck on it. Look inside the leg holes to see if there's anything in there besides legs. Check the bottoms of his feet. And especially check the underside of his tail.

I don't think your radiated tortoise is going to get too big. I don't know much about them, but there are three at our zoo that are pretty old and they're just a little bit bigger than a foot ball.

 

[gummybearpoop]

A 16" radiated tortoise looks a lot bigger than a 16" redfoot tortoise since it has a higher dome and a wider shell. Redfoot shells are more elongated while a radiated tortoise is more "circular".

 

[Starry night]

I don't suggest using soap or your tortoise. It's not a dog and you don't want to try and rid a smell and instead kill him. One thing I have learned, and I still have SOOOOOOOOO much to learn, is that tortoises can be sensitive to things which are not natural to them like SOAP.

 

[dae]

Hi,

Incase it helps, My radiata have been grown slowly and they are the following sizes-

cb04 is 15cm
cb06 is 11cm
cb07 is 10cm

and my smaller ones are around 6cm and are 08/09.

So this gives a bit of an insight into the growth rate of these ones but obviously husbandry like diet etc will vary massivly and will have a big impact on growth rate.

Dae x

 

[TortieLuver]

Food consumption plays such a big role in their development.