Hey folks,
I just bought this eensy teensy little guy off Craigslist.
The person I got him from has had him for more than 4 years. The petstore told her that this sully was two or three months old at the time of purchase. Now, more than 4 years later, he's approx 2.75" SCL and weighs 80 grams. As you can see, he has an unusual color. Some of that can be attributed to the red calcium sand he was kept on, which you can see in the pics, has stained his plastron.
The obvious question is, why in the world is he so small? Any ideas?
One thought is that he may not be a sully. I considered possibly a chaco, but I assume even a Chaco would be over 3 inches at 4 years old? Of course, I've never owned a Chaco, so please correct me if I'm wrong. Are there any other tortoise species that anyone can think of that has spurred thighs, heavy arm scales, and slow growth?
My next thought is a health issue. He was raised in a dry environment with UV lighting and access to water. He may be partially blind in one eye. His shell is not soft. He had a respiratory infection early on and fearing another one, his owner kept him in a dry indoor enclosure. He was taken out to the yard to graze. His diet, according to the owner, consisted primarily of clovers and dandelion which he grazed out of the yard.
He appears dehydrated. Could long-term dehydration cause a growth delay this extreme?
My last resort would be to say that its some sort of genetic issue, but I want to exhaust all ideas before I explain it away as genetic.
Thoughts? Ideas?
Also, he is un-named. Any ideas on a good name? I've just been calling him "tiny."
I just bought this eensy teensy little guy off Craigslist.
The person I got him from has had him for more than 4 years. The petstore told her that this sully was two or three months old at the time of purchase. Now, more than 4 years later, he's approx 2.75" SCL and weighs 80 grams. As you can see, he has an unusual color. Some of that can be attributed to the red calcium sand he was kept on, which you can see in the pics, has stained his plastron.
The obvious question is, why in the world is he so small? Any ideas?
One thought is that he may not be a sully. I considered possibly a chaco, but I assume even a Chaco would be over 3 inches at 4 years old? Of course, I've never owned a Chaco, so please correct me if I'm wrong. Are there any other tortoise species that anyone can think of that has spurred thighs, heavy arm scales, and slow growth?
My next thought is a health issue. He was raised in a dry environment with UV lighting and access to water. He may be partially blind in one eye. His shell is not soft. He had a respiratory infection early on and fearing another one, his owner kept him in a dry indoor enclosure. He was taken out to the yard to graze. His diet, according to the owner, consisted primarily of clovers and dandelion which he grazed out of the yard.
He appears dehydrated. Could long-term dehydration cause a growth delay this extreme?
My last resort would be to say that its some sort of genetic issue, but I want to exhaust all ideas before I explain it away as genetic.
Thoughts? Ideas?
Also, he is un-named. Any ideas on a good name? I've just been calling him "tiny."
What an odd find you have there. Pretty cool though. Does it eat good and show to be active? Make sure in weird scenarios(and all new animal additions) to keep quarantine period. Especially with those platynotas in your care 
