Is my tortoise growing properly?

fangurley

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Hello!

I got my first reptile/tortoise last November at a reptile expo. I bought a leopard tortoise and when I got them the seller said they were 7 weeks old. I think they were about 46g when I got them. Right now they are 65g (about 7 months old) and I've seen posts online before saying gaining 2-4g a month is fine and good but I also see posts saying they should be 300g at a year and I have no idea if they are okay at this weight or not.

Everything seems fine, they have a routine and get up at 7am wonder a little, eat by 8am. By 10am they're back in their log sleeping and they come back out between 1-3pm. I started them out soaking 2 times a week for 20 minutes but recently switched to every other day for 10 minutes so they eat more often in the afternoon around 5pm.

They eat a rotation of greens from the store, cat grasses, weeds/flowers when I can get them, and zoo med pellets. Mostly the greens though and I just recently added the pellets. I put repti calcium on the greens every 3 days so roughly twice a week. They have their UVA,UVB, heating and humidity.

Let me know if something seems wrong!

:tort:
 

KarenSoCal

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I don't know much about leopards, but welcome to the forum!

How about some pictures? Enclosure, lights, your whole set up.

Am I understanding right? You have 2 leopards? If so, they need to be separated into their own enclosure. Pairs of tortoises just don't get along. One will bully the other, until the bullied one gets injured, sick, and possibly even dies.
 

Tom

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Hello!

I got my first reptile/tortoise last November at a reptile expo. I bought a leopard tortoise and when I got them the seller said they were 7 weeks old. I think they were about 46g when I got them. Right now they are 65g (about 7 months old) and I've seen posts online before saying gaining 2-4g a month is fine and good but I also see posts saying they should be 300g at a year and I have no idea if they are okay at this weight or not.

Everything seems fine, they have a routine and get up at 7am wonder a little, eat by 8am. By 10am they're back in their log sleeping and they come back out between 1-3pm. I started them out soaking 2 times a week for 20 minutes but recently switched to every other day for 10 minutes so they eat more often in the afternoon around 5pm.

They eat a rotation of greens from the store, cat grasses, weeds/flowers when I can get them, and zoo med pellets. Mostly the greens though and I just recently added the pellets. I put repti calcium on the greens every 3 days so roughly twice a week. They have their UVA,UVB, heating and humidity.

Let me know if something seems wrong!

:tort:
Most breeders/sellers don't start leopard hatchlings correctly. Too dry. And then they tell the buyers to keep them dry. This makes them pyramid and usually stunts their growth. The tortoise should be much larger than 67 grams at 7 months old. More like 300-400 would be normal.

Here is the correct care info:
 

fangurley

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Houston,TX
I don't know much about leopards, but welcome to the forum!

How about some pictures? Enclosure, lights, your whole set up.

Am I understanding right? You have 2 leopards? If so, they need to be separated into their own enclosure. Pairs of tortoises just don't get along. One will bully the other, until the bullied one gets injured, sick, and possibly even dies.

No, just one. I use They/Them since I dont know the gender.

IMG-5937.JPGIMG-5987.jpg
 

KarenSoCal

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Well, that's a relief!

What kind of UVB bulb is in that? If it's a curly or compact type, they don't give out good UV. They also often burn baby's eyes. What you want is a fluorescent tube type UVB.

Is there a solid top on there? If not, you are losing all humidity into the room. S(he) needs humidity to prevent pyramiding or kidney damage. It should be at 80%.

I'm not sure, but is that moss in the hide on the left? If so, it should be removed. Most torts try to eat it and it's an impaction risk.
 
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fangurley

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Most breeders/sellers don't start leopard hatchlings correctly. Too dry. And then they tell the buyers to keep them dry. This makes them pyramid and usually stunts their growth. The tortoise should be much larger than 67 grams at 7 months old. More like 300-400 would be normal.

Here is the correct care info:

They being so underweight for their age, will they be able to recover and live a regular life or are they doomed to pass young because of their bad start? ?
 

fangurley

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Well, that's a relief!

What kind of UVB bulb is in that? If it's a curly or compact type, they don't give out good UV. They also often burn baby's eyes. What you want is a fluorescent tube type UVB.

Is there a solid top on there? If not, you are losing all humidity into the room. S(he) needs humidity to prevent pyramiding or kidney damage. It should be at 80%.

I'm not sure, but is that moss in the hide on the left? If so, it should be removed. Most torts try to eat it and it's an impaction risk.

The UVB isnt compact or curly, its a tube type. The top is a tight mesh. I have damp moss on the right and inside the log for humidity. How else do people usually keep the humidity?
 

KarenSoCal

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They being so underweight for their age, will they be able to recover and live a regular life or are they doomed to pass young because of their bad start? ?
The failure of some hatchlings to thrive is usually caused by the breeder, who kept them too dry for however long he had them. That dryness causes kidney damage that takes a couple months to show symptoms. By that time, the baby is in its new home with its new mama or papa. The baby shows symptoms, the keeper has no idea what's wrong. Most of the time, there is nothing anyone can do to save the baby. Vets can't help, and the poor keeper has to watch the baby die, blaming himself/herself for the death.

Now for the good news!! Almost all the time, if a baby gets past 50 gms, they do not have "breeder failure syndrome"!!

So to answer your question, I believe your baby will be fine. I don't know if his growth will catch up or not, but with proper care from here on out, I don't see why he shouldn't have a long healthy life.

I know I answered Tom's post...I hope he agrees with my thoughts.

The UVB isnt compact or curly, its a tube type. The top is a tight mesh. I have damp moss on the right and inside the log for humidity. How else do people usually keep the humidity?

They use what's called a "closed chamber". It's enclosed on all sides so heat and humidity doesn't just escape into the room. It makes it much easier to maintain the correct levels. In your case...do you access the enclosure from the top? Or from a door in front? If from a door, you could just fit a piece of plywood for the top and mount the lights to hang from the plywood. If you access from the top, you'd need to make a tent of plastic over the whole enclosure, using a shower curtain.

The lights go inside the chamber. I can't make out your UVB tube in the picture very well, but is it sitting on top of the mesh? Or mounted underneath? If on top, at least 50% or more of the UVB is not able to penetrate the mesh. It doesn't go through glass or plexiglass either.

Instead of moss, the substrate itself should be damp. You take a pitcher of water and pour it in, then use your hands to mix it all up. Keep doing it until all the substrate is damp, not wet. You can put a layer of dry on top.

Read the care sheet Tom linked for you. It will tell you all the correct values for leopards.
 

Tom

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They being so underweight for their age, will they be able to recover and live a regular life or are they doomed to pass young because of their bad start? ?
Karen answered your questions in her usual excellent fashion. If your baby is steadily growing, I see no reason why it would stop. It may have had a rough start, but with the right care and housing, it shall over come. :)
 

Yvonne G

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They being so underweight for their age, will they be able to recover and live a regular life or are they doomed to pass young because of their bad start? ?
It's quite ok (and much less confusing) if you use "he" for an unknown gender.
 

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