leo

[David Harmon]

Just bathed my leos as i normally do every day and weigh them once a week just to keep a log of there weight as there both 7months old, after a few small concerns there both eating well and when the weather is nice they graze happily in the garden. Also they are 4.7inches respectively, So heres a pic of them on the scales. plus whats the best way to tell if the tortoises are growing?

 

[wellington]

When tortoises grow, they not only will usually gain weight but they will get white/whitish growth lines between their scutes.

 

[David Harmon]

I thought they would as i can see this on my hermanns but on the leopards i can't see much, even though they have gained weight from when i first got them they were 270grams and now are 330, 315.

 

[wellington]

It sometimes shows, as I have noticed, less like lines, but more white, actually more yellow in leopards I think then white, spreading then lines, making the leopard look parttern. I can see lines more in other species then I think they appear in leopard.

 

[David Harmon]

thanks wellington, hows your tortoises doing then? have you ever used zoo med grassland tortoise food?

 

[wellington]

Mine are all well, thank you. I tried using it once, he didn't go for it. However, a used it a few years ago, when I only had the one and he wasn't eating the Mazrui either. Now, he and the others too will eat most anything, I have three leopards now. They are still not eating the hibicus flowers but do like the Rose of Sharon and all are grazing on weeds and grass. That's another thing that can take a while. Just make sure they have a varied diet, well hydrated and high humidity and lots of room inside and out and they should do fine. They look good and gaining weight so that's always a good thing.

 

[David Harmon]

i was thinking of getting another one but i want to make sure of the sex first as these are showing signs of maybe male/female so ill wait till am 100% sure, do your breed then? i try weeds, kale, spring greens, romaine, cos, and am currently trying to grow my own weeds, i also use mazuri, komodo and tortoise grassland, so is that varied enough? i've also just ordered some opuntia cactus.

 

[Greg T]

They are doing fine at that age and size. It is difficult to notice the growth unless you have something else to compare to, so they are growing but you just don't see the changes. Watch the weight and size to confirm growth. If the growth is slow and consistent, you may not see pink growth lines on these since they are pretty dark, my guess is they will be dark lines.

They are looking real good, smooth and high domed. Very nice.

 

[David Harmon]

Cheers Greg, just was wondering as there eating good but wasn't sure of the signs of growth, one is a lot smoother than the other but are both eating the same diet.

 

[sherminator]

I never notice the growth except by weight gain until I look at photos I have taken in the past. Then I can see the big differences in shell pattern that show growth and change. I love to look at those pics. I even take photos next to the same object and it really shows size difference

 

[David Harmon]

I never notice the growth except by weight gain until I look at photos I have taken in the past. Then I can see the big differences in shell pattern that show growth and change. I love to look at those pics. I even take photos next to the same object and it really shows size difference

Hi thanks for the info, I'll try that and one thing I have noticed they fill the water dish with there size now, what tortoise do you have?