male or female?

[tyguy35]

Hey, we did this once before a year ago and everyone guessed male. everyone told me to come back in a year so im back what does everyone think now? is 60g at a year old normal? i just seen another post that showed a 6 month old leo at 151g

the last pic is of his tail if your wondering

 

[jesst]

I posted on the other thread but I would get a fecal checked for him, if he is eating normally then it is not normal that he only weighs 60g. He should weigh at least double that I would think. Wait for the more experienced keepers to respond as well.

 

[tyguy35]

ya only gained 15g since dec 12. someone told me slow growth is the best growth. what could be wrong

 

[Tom]

Your tortoise is definitely less than "normal" weight for his age. Still way to small to sex.

 

[tyguy35]

what could be the cause of why hes so small? should i feed him twice a day? im feeding bok choy, dandelion, romaine rarely, mazuri, zoomed, endive and kale.

 

[Tom]

This just happens sometimes. I think in most cases it is due to them being kept too dry in the first few weeks of life. The damage is usually done before people even get them. Do you know how he was housed and cared for before you got him? Rabbit pellets? No water bowl? Soaked "twice a week, usually"?

 

[tyguy35]

This just happens sometimes. I think in most cases it is due to them being kept too dry in the first few weeks of life. The damage is usually done before people even get them. Do you know how he was housed and cared for before you got him? Rabbit pellets? No water bowl? Soaked "twice a week, usually"?

The breeder i purchased my leo from kept them on just paper towel. i dont know any other fact passed that he would get annoyed when i asked questions. He had my tortoise 2 months before I took him in. but of course i also made the mistake of keeping him too dry because of the knowledge the breeder gave me. I found this forum and have been trying to make it right soak every day humid hide fogger and 70 to 75% humidity on the one side. I know I made the mistake in trusting the breeder on care tips I had used for a while just a spray bottle for humidity but now i have all the works. i have pictures in an earlier post new setup I think its called. do you think my leo will get back on track or is it serious?

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Heres-the-new-setup#axzz1rbK5Toyr
thats the link to my setup

 

[Tom]

There is no way to know what the long term effects will be. Just do yo ur best, which it sounds like you are, and watch and see. Either way you can just enjoy your tort for what he is. Usually if they have made it this far, then they will survive.

I would definitely let Mr. Annoyed breeder know that you are highly annoyed about this problem that he created for you. The only way these people will ever learn is if we all tell them and let them know that we will not buy anymore until the problem is solved and they start them right.

 

[tyguy35]

oh trust me a message has already been sent. Im fine with the way he is I just dont want him to die or anything bad like that happen. will he still grow? He is up and moving most of the day. eats when he sees the food and is now started sleeping in his humid hide. is there a chance he can just be a slow grower?

 

[Tom]

Yes, yes and yes. The soaking and wet routine is the best way I know of to pull them through this thing. He will likely still grow. You will probably reach a point when the tortoise is "over the hump" and will start a big growth spurt. It might take another year or more to reach that point though. Just soak daily and offer the best food, UV and care that you can.

 

[tyguy35]

I forsure have no problem with my tortoise the way he is. i just wanna make sure he is healthy and will stay healthy. do you think he will start growing? gaining weight? oh dont worry i have already sent a few messages. my leo is up all day walking around climbing and eats when food is given. he now sleeps in his humid hide since i discovered its best to have one. should i feeed him twice a day anything to help him get to a normal weight. so there will be long term effects? i got him june 6 2011 the breeder said he was 2 months old but that could be a lie.

 

[Chicobeaks]

I forsure have no problem with my tortoise the way he is. i just wanna make sure he is healthy and will stay healthy. do you think he will start growing? gaining weight? oh dont worry i have already sent a few messages. my leo is up all day walking around climbing and eats when food is given. he now sleeps in his humid hide since i discovered its best to have one. should i feeed him twice a day anything to help him get to a normal weight. so there will be long term effects? i got him june 6 2011 the breeder said he was 2 months old but that could be a lie.

I'm kinda in the same boat. I've had my pardalis pardalis since January and it's put on about 9 grams. It eats like a horse and just doesn't seem to keep the weight on. Way slower growth rate than my babcocki and radiated. The weight that is has been able to keep on was added right after being outside for a couple of days in a row. When inside it is kept in the same conditions as my other torts. Keep it hydrated and get it outside whenever the weather allows. Nothing beats natural sunlight.

 

[tyguy35]

hmm mine has been outside maybe a couple times but i live in canada its cold right now. ill have him out when its warm for sure. but what i really hope is that the weight will start to gain i dont want him to die or be sick

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oh and sorry tom i posted twice. my first post didnt show up so i wrote a new one. But thanks alot for your help i greatly appreciate it. unlike the man who gets annoyed when i try to do whats best ask questions. but thank you.

 

[Arizona Sulcata]

Agreed, WAY too small to tell!

 

[Neal]

Hey, we did this once before a year ago and everyone guessed male. everyone told me to come back in a year so im back what does everyone think now? is 60g at a year old normal? i just seen another post that showed a 6 month old leo at 151g

the last pic is of his tail if your wondering

Do you know how big the adults that produced him are? Mine produce pretty small hatchlings, but our year old hatchling is about 150 grams, so yours seems to be growing quite slow. There is the frequent runt, and there are just too many other factors that need to be considered to determine if this is really a bad thing. From the picture, it looks like there has been some new shell growth. 15 grams isn't a lot of weight in that space of time, but at least it's some growth.

It seems like you have things set up right for him, so just keep up with your soaking and feeding and hopefully he'll pull through.

 

[tyguy35]

well the adults were larger from what I seen not massive but bigger. I took the smallest out of the group because he was the lightest. I cant remember how much smaller but smaller. he was also the least scared and only one walking around. I just seen on a post some other poster terrypin i think he says his leo weighed 65 at a year now weighs 2000 and something at 7 years