My one year old sulcata is still half the size of the palm of my hand.

[Katiehu]

I do everything right I believe. Uvb light, basking light, ceramic heat lamp, pellets once a week with calcium, daily soak, unlimited grass. Has no sign of pyramiding so that’s good. I posted on Facebook and someone said he might be a failure to thrive. I don’t know what that means? He seems healthy. Just growing very slow. I hope I’m doing everything right.

 

[Jan A]

I do everything right I believe. Uvb light, basking light, ceramic heat lamp, pellets once a week with calcium, daily soak, unlimited grass. Has no sign of pyramiding so that’s good. I posted on Facebook and someone said he might be a failure to thrive. I don’t know what that means? He seems healthy. Just growing very slow. I hope I’m doing everything right.

There are a couple of threads here on the forum about it. Basically, it means not started correctly by the breeder--once hatched--not kept at higher humidity, warmer temps, closed enclosures, daily soaks--generally dehydrated & not started on a wide variety of grasses, weeds, & greenery. A poor start impacts their internal organs in their early, critical development which is reflected in symptoms like inability to gain weight, poor growth, kidney problems, etc.

Read the care sheets here. They're kept up-to-date & reflect the best concensus among experienced owners & breeders on how to get it right.

 

[Mrs.Jennifer]

I do everything right I believe. Uvb light, basking light, ceramic heat lamp, pellets once a week with calcium, daily soak, unlimited grass. Has no sign of pyramiding so that’s good. I posted on Facebook and someone said he might be a failure to thrive. I don’t know what that means? He seems healthy. Just growing very slow. I hope I’m doing everything right.

This is the best care sheet to follow. Read through it a few times (there’s A LOT of info in it) and ask questions. Hope This helps!

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[wellington]

Like stated, read thru the caresheet and make any changes.
Be sure you are feeding every day enough food that its available all day long. Chop it up small so he doesn't have to fight to pull pieces off.
Be sure you are soaking the pellets until soft.
Also make sure you have a proper sized enclosure. They need exercise and to be able to have room to wander. A small aquarium is not enough even though he is small.

 

[Tom]

I do everything right I believe. Uvb light, basking light, ceramic heat lamp, pellets once a week with calcium, daily soak, unlimited grass. Has no sign of pyramiding so that’s good. I posted on Facebook and someone said he might be a failure to thrive. I don’t know what that means? He seems healthy. Just growing very slow. I hope I’m doing everything right.

As others have already said, what you did once you got it was important, but the deciding factor here is probably what was done, and NOT done, before you ever got this tortoise. What the breeder does right after hatching has a profound effect later on that cannot be overcome no matter what the eventual buyer does or doesn't do.

Buy from the right source.