One month's growth

[snake_girl85]

I'm amazed at how much Oogway is growing, so I figured I would share some comparative photos

The February pictures are from the day I brought him home (the 14th), and the March pics are from yesterday.

I can't wait for his leopard/mottled pattern to start showing!!

 

[Weloveourtortoise]

such a cutie!!! and doubled in size -- wow!!!

 

[Candy]

Wow he is growing isn't he? I can tell by the black on his shell.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Oogway has such an attractive domed shell, and her coloring is lovely.

Is she still pretty shy? Does she like to run around her enclosure?

Thanks for the update!

 

[Meg90]

Yes, she is growing, but how is her humidity? With a tortoise that young, you should not see any sort of dip or crevice in between her shell plates (scutes) where the new growth is. She should be smooth as a stone all over. She is starting to pyramid already.

 

[snake_girl85]

He hasn't been shy since the first few days I brought him home! He sleeps a fair amount, but he trucks around all over his cage, and if I don't bring his breakfast on time I come downstairs to a very angry tortoise sitting in his empty food bowl! In fact the last time I tried taking a picture of him in my hand was right before I gave him his food, and he would have none of it and almost tried walking off my hand to his food! He never hides in his shell.

Meg - I'm very disappointed to hear that. I try to keep the humidity as high as I can. I hate Illinois weather. Overly dry in the winter and oppressively humid in the summer... Right now the humidity in the room is right around 50%. He has access to water at all times (which he does use as he poops in it), has a sphagnum moss-filled humid hide which he will use occasionally, and I try to mist the entire warm half every few days. Now that the weather is warming up here, the ambient humidity should skyrocket.

I have noticed that he seems to prefer the area right under the heat lamp. He will use the entire enclosure, but his favorite hiding/sleeping spot is under a piece of moss right next to the basking spot and is about 90-95 degrees, I'm afraid that may be drying him out, so I mist that piece of moss regularly. He has several places to hide that range from 75-95 degrees, but he always chooses the hottest area... Though when under the moss I have never measured his shell at over 85-ish degrees...

 

[Meg90]

You need a moist substrate, like damp eco earth or cyprus mulch. I would use eco because it is softer. A 70/30 mix of eco earth and play sand (the kind you get from a hardware store for a kid's sandbox) will help keep him more humid. For a young tortoise, ambient humidity is not enough esp not for leos, who for some reason, are so much more likely to pyramid. You basically want your substrate moist enough that it packs together, but dry enough that no water can be squeezed out. With that type of substrate, the lights will evaporate some of the water in the substrate daily, which will greatly increase his humidity. I would be pouring a glass of hot water over the substrate daily, or every second day. (I always use hot because it causes more humidity than cold, and the lights should keep it warm, so it won't drop your temps and chill the baby)

What are you using now?

 

[GBtortoises]

snake_girl-Humidity isn't the only factor to smooth growth. Diet, heat and other factors also play a role. A diet too rich in vitamins and excessive heat too often can contribute to accelerated growth. It doesn't sould like excessive heat is a factor with yours. There should be a definite temperature gradient during the daytime especially with the hot area being under and close to the basking spot and the cooler area being at the opposite end where a hide area is located. The cooler can be as low as 75 degrees and can be lower (70 degrees) at night. The median ambient temperature should be in the 78-88 degree range with the hottest area obviously being under the basking spot (95-105 degrees). But the tortoise should not be exposed to a constant temperature at the upper end of scale at all times. Constant excessive heat does not allow for a rest period and keeps their digestive process working at full speed, consuming calories fasters, causing them to eat much more than their systems are designed to process. In captivity tortoises are fed a diet far richer in vitamins and more moisture content than they would be accustomed to in the wild. The much higher nutrional value of the foods fed in captivity "go to their hips" so to speak, more appropriately, to their shells and other hard parts. In the wild tortoises grow slower and more steady, as should be the preference in captivity also to achieve smooth growth at a normal rate.

Along with an increased ambient air humidity the substrate should also be semi-moist, particularly in the area opposite the basking spot, where a hide box or similar resting area should be located. You say that the ambient humidity at night is 50%, but what is it during the daytime?
These factors, along with regular watering increase the chance of smooth growth greatly. If your tortoise is defecating in the water it is very likely also drinking from it beforehand. They don't typically wander into the water just to defecate. They will almost always expel wastes in the water after drinking from it first. Then they move on.

 

[stells]

Maybe Meg's next tortoise should be a Leopard... so we can see how its done

 

[snake_girl85]

I'm aware that there are likely many factors that affect pyramiding, I mainly just want to make sure he doesn't get dehydrated.

I am adding more spring mix to the diet, as I think that he may be growing a little too quickly with the greens I am feeding him...

How does he look compared to other similarly sized leopards? I know that it's virtually impossible to keep leopards completely unpyramided, but I would obviously like to cut down on it as much as I can.

 

[Meg90]

Maybe Meg's next tortoise should be a Leopard... so we can see how its done

Someday! I want to have an actual yard first. I just learned the humidity lesson the hard way, with my first baby. She has minor pyramiding, and its a constant reminder to me for my youngest, who is still smooth and pretty.

This tortoise is so young right now, that catching it early is possible.

 

[ChiKat]

What a gorgeous tortoise! Isn't it fun to see new growth?