Normal growth? Help me :(

[Cowboy_Ken]

That would help, but really, if proper temps are kept in the enclosure any self respecting green would wilt. What I do that maybe you could try, is I take a shovelful of weeds and grass with about 2" of soil attached. I put this shovelful of food right in the habitat and Little Ricky eats on it when he wants. This works for me because I have five acres of mixed pasture grasses and weeds and you don't notice the void unless you are out in the pasture looking for it.
That is one of my pancake tortoises enjoying just what I described.

 

[thegame2388]

That would help, but really, if proper temps are kept in the enclosure any self respecting green would wilt. What I do that maybe you could try, is I take a shovelful of weeds and grass with about 2" of soil attached. I put this shovelful of food right in the habitat and Little Ricky eats on it when he wants. This works for me because I have five acres of mixed pasture grasses and weeds and you don't notice the void unless you are out in the pasture looking for it.
That is one of my pancake tortoises enjoying just what I described.

Ah well mine is still tiny and lives in his indoor enclosure.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Ah well mine is still tiny and lives in his indoor enclosure.

Little Ricky, also lives for the most part inside. This summer he will start spending, what pass for, “nice" days outside.
I am, like you I'm sure, probably a bit over protective of Little Ricky. Once he turned about 12 months I started feeding him more grass. He wouldn't eat it while inside, but when I would take him out for supervised grazing in the yard he would go at the grass with gusto. Only when I started feeding the shovelfuls of soil/grass in his indoor enclosure did he start to eat the grass in his indoor enclosure. I encourage you, if at all possible, to give this feeding style a try. Yes you will get some bugs in your enclosure, maybe even...eeek! A spider! But I'm just saying your little one will thank you. Just make sure the area is not treated with anything. Weed killer,fertilizer, soil improvement stuff. Keep in touch and keep posting pictures of your little one.

 

[Livingstone]

I have to comment only because it makes me laugh when people are concerned their sulcata isn't keeping up with the Jones's and Thomas's. Be happy you don't have a 1 year old that ways 8lbs because you are already in for a giant shock 13 years from now, and believe me whatever you may think about the coolness of huge sulcata's (they are cool) nothing will prepare you for whats coming your way. They may only be the third largest land tortoise but neither aldabs or galaps are diggers, and neither of them have the disposition of a sulcata. So be happy your on the small end and concentrate on doing it right, not doing it fast.

 

[thegame2388]

I have to comment only because it makes me laugh when people are concerned their sulcata isn't keeping up with the Jones's and Thomas's. Be happy you don't have a 1 year old that ways 8lbs because you are already in for a giant shock 13 years from now, and believe me whatever you may think about the coolness of huge sulcata's (they are cool) nothing will prepare you for whats coming your way. They may only be the third largest land tortoise but neither aldabs or galaps are diggers, and neither of them have the disposition of a sulcata. So be happy your on the small end and concentrate on doing it right, not doing it fast.

They are full grown at 13 years? I've seen some pretty big ones at 3-4-5 years old.


I'd love for my year-old to be 8lbs!

 

[thegame2388]

June 19th UPDATE: Last measurement I posted on this forum was in late March. Let me know if these new stats are up to par for its age (~10 months old). These are his measurements since then:

April 3: 115.6g
April 10: 119.4g
April 17: 119.9g
April 24: 122.0g
May 1: 137.6g
May 8: 143.3g
May 15: 156.6g
May 22: 169.2g
May 29: 181.1g
June 5: 192.3g
June 12: 201.7g
June 19: 227.7g

Pictures from June 19th:

 

[Tom]

The new growth is coming in better. Weights are fine for his age, given the circumstances.

 

[thegame2388]

Thanks. It's a cutie pie right now.

 

[thegame2388]

UPDATE:

He's officially a year old now! Happy Birthday!

And as of his last weigh-in, it weighs 421g.

Is that normal and nice growth?

Thanks.

 

[Tom]

421 is just fine. He's catching up after a slow start. Nicely done.

 

[thegame2388]

421 is just fine. He's catching up after a slow start. Nicely done.

Thank you!!!

 

[thegame2388]

NEW UPDATE AS OF SEPTEMBER 20th 2014!

He/She is now 13 months only (1 year and 1 month!) and here are the latest stats alongside new pictures. Any comment is appreciate!

June 26: 234.0g
July 3: 248.3g
July 10: 276.0g
July 21: 300.5g
July 24: 313.1g
July 28: 326.2g
August 2: 340.8g
August 6: 363.8g
August 13: 383.0g
August 18: 391.7g
August 21:402.3g
August 28: 421.0g
September 6: 460.9g
September 15: 499.8g
September 20: 527.6g

 

[lismar79]

Awww, he's looking good! Our babies are the same age

 

[thegame2388]

Haha thanks! I wonder what Tom thinks!

 

[thegame2388]

Bump?

 

[thegame2388]

UPDATE: (17 months old)

September 27: 589.0g
October 6: 625.4g
October 14: 657.9g
October 26: 766g
November 3: 844g
November 8: 864g
November 17: 872g
November 23: 917g
November 29: 972g

 

[Tom]

New growth looks great.

 

[thegame2388]

Thank you!

 

[thegame2388]

UPDATE 3/13/2015:

December 5: 1024g
December 15: 1130g
December 31: 1134g
January 13: 1270g
February 2: 1277g
February 28: 1548g
March 10: 1600g


























Comments:
1. He/she is full-time outside 24/7 with the proper night box set up with heater, UVB, you name it.
2. It has the entire backyard to itself which is pretty ginormous
3. It has learned (thank God!) on its own to come back to its night box at the appropriate times for sleep.
4. Only concern is 20% low humidity...but since the nightbox is closed shut at night time, I have now decided to make the humidifer turn on ONLY during night when he's actually in the damn box sleeping as opposed to having it on during the day time (on a humidistat) when he's roaming the backyard or whatever.
5. Not sure but seems like his weight has slowed down...next weigh in could come at around 1650-1700g.
6. The sulcata turns 2 years old in August so he's about 1.5 years now.
image hosting site over 5mb

 

[lismar79]

He's looking really good. Great job! So much smoother then when you first got him.