Matteo is Off the Growth Charts. Help with Diet?

[yay14]

That info is for a wild tortoise that is barely surviving out in the elements. Your tortoise is well hydrated, well fed and housed correctly. Is SHOULD grow much faster than its wild counterpart. This indicates good health, not a problem.

62 grams is tiny. I have that book too. I found it interesting, but not very helpful as far as what works for a captive tortoise housed in North America. Simulating the wild and what we perceive is happening out there yields poor results. Between 300-1000 die for every one that survives to adulthood in the wild. That is not something I want to attempt to simulate. I prefer to attempt to simulate the optimal elements of wild living while eliminating the bad parts.

I am sorry but i am a bit confused of by everything said so i wanted to ask what would you say is ok weight for a year old hermann tortoise Eastern?

 

[Quixx66]

When was that printed? also how large was the sample they were using? I figure as long as your meeting all the criteria to keep your tort healthy the solid growth just backs up you are doing it right. Look at all the post wondering about is my tortoise growing and they hold a one year old leopard in the palm of there hand. My leopard is just two and I can barely pick him up with one hand he is so big!

I'm afraid I don’t know any of this regarding the book, just the title (just checked Amazon. Copyright 2009. I googled growth charts, and pic showed up as is.

 

[Quixx66]

Sorry for typos and extra pics in the original post. Things got weird! My autocorrect is un-correcting and posting what it wants. I typed shell-sized but it posted as she’ll die! ? It even wanted to post the word ‘Peru’ instead of ‘sorry’ in my first attempt at an apology.

 

[Tom]

I am sorry but i am a bit confused of by everything said so i wanted to ask what would you say is ok weight for a year old hermann tortoise Eastern?

They all grow at different rates and for a wide variety of reasons. 100-200 grams would be pretty normal at 12 months old.

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

Sorry for typos and extra pics in the original post. Things got weird! My autocorrect is un-correcting and posting what it wants. I typed shell-sized but it posted as she’ll die! ? It even wanted to post the word ‘Peru’ instead of ‘sorry’ in my first attempt at an apology.

Dont ever go to peru!

 

[SasquatchTortoise]

He does not look overweight, just a larger than normal tort. He seems healthy

 

[Quixx66]

He does not look overweight, just a larger than normal tort. He seems healthy

Thank you!

 

[yay14]

They all grow at different rates and for a wide variety of reasons. 100-200 grams would be pretty normal at 12 months old.

Wow thats is concerning mines tiny and only 41 grams but on the jackson ratio registers 0.19 so hes good for his size.

 

[Tom]

Wow thats is concerning mines tiny and only 41 grams but on the jackson ratio registers 0.19 so hes good for his size.

The more you keep reading stuff outside of this site, the more confused and frustrated you are going to become.

Throw out the Jackson ratio stuff. Its non-sense. All torts are different sizes and shapes. There is no mathematical formula for weight calculation that is going to suit all of them.

 

[jsheffield]

I think the right answer is always that if you're feeding the proper foods, you cannot overfeed the tortoise; also, tortoises seem to grow at radically different rates, so any static growth chart is pretty suspect.

I use the Donoghue Ratio to track my various tortoises' growth and weight:

Size & Weight

Healthy Tortoise Weight and Size Tortoises all seem to grow at highly variable rates, dependent on all sorts of environmental and genetic fa...

www.thecreepnextdoor.com

I don't think the Donoghue Ratio is a perfect measure, but it looks at their "density", and by comparing results month by month over time, you can get a pretty good idea of how your tort is doing, IMHO.

Jamie

 

[Sue Ann]

Hi y’all,
I’ve been thinking that Matteo is growing faster than I expected but I’m a newb so I wasn’t sure. I took someone’s advice to check Hermann’s growth charts. To my surprise, Matteo is the size of a five year old! He’s 62g not the 24 tops recomAnd he’s supposed to be one of the very smallest Hermann’s species.

I’m concerned about his health, not him being svelte, so please no snark about me fat shaming my tortoise (yes that happened a few weeks ago on the TF Facebook page. By more than one person.)

I provide 1) two Mazuri pellets a day, often soaked with herbs. He only eats one, and most often less. 2) Spring mix. I give him she’ll die but he really only eats one or two leaves. 3) a mixture of the above.

It seems to me he stops eating once he’s full. Do I need to cut down on what I offer him? Offer him less caloric food?

I have testified mix seeds from Tortoise Supply I can start to germinate now indoors, but I fear my hay fever won’t allow me to grow in his enclosure in the winter.

Note that I will get him some new hides (and plants soon). I recently ordered ones that are too big or wrong kind, so it a bit bare.

Anything I should be doing differently?

Thanks all!
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I’ve got a Sully so I don’t know Herman’s size but he sure is a pretty little guy

 

[Sue Ann]

Sorry. The pic was supposed to post in the original post but didn’t for some unknown reason. I tried to fix. There was no link, I found it in pic form online.
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I would only trust you read on this forum. It’s the best. Throw out all the other confusing stuff

 

[yay14]

The more you keep reading stuff outside of this site, the more confused and frustrated you are going to become.

Throw out the Jackson ratio stuff. Its non-sense. All torts are different sizes and shapes. There is no mathematical formula for weight calculation that is going to suit all of them.

Ok so his weight should be fine?

 

[Tom]

Ok so his weight should be fine?

Does he feel dense and "heavy" when you pick him up? Or does he feel light and hollow?

 

[yay14]

Does he feel dense and "heavy" when you pick him up? Or does he feel light and hollow?

Deffinatly not hollow he feels pretty dense and as heavy as can be for 41 grams.

 

[Quixx66]

I’ve got a Sully so I don’t know Herman’s size but he sure is a pretty little guy

Thank you!