Paranoid about doing this right

[H20nyxx]

End of month two that we’ve had Taffy and we are set on doing right, still following Tom’s guide. Taffy’s appetite is still amazing, baths daily, they’re even shedding little head scales and growing new ones, the whole go; here are some updated photos.

 

[Tom]

End of month two that we’ve had Taffy and we are set on doing right, still following Tom’s guide. Taffy’s appetite is still amazing, baths daily, they’re even shedding little head scales and growing new ones, the whole go; here are some updated photos.

Looks good. Take a profile pic from the side so we can see the silhouette of the carapace. That will allow us to see if the angle of that pyramiding is reducing or not.

 

[H20nyxx]

Looks good. Take a profile pic from the side so we can see the silhouette of the carapace. That will allow us to see if the angle of that pyramiding is reducing or not

 

[H20nyxx]

Thanks Tom! I swear I’ll be able to quote your guide by the time Taffy hits 1 lol.

I’m not sure how I managed to not get that shot but will do tomorrow. I do think that the ridge FEELS less pronounced than before, but that could be in my head.

 

[Tom]

Thanks Tom! I swear I’ll be able to quote your guide by the time Taffy hits 1 lol.

I’m not sure how I managed to not get that shot but will do tomorrow. I do think that the ridge FEELS less pronounced than before, but that could be in my head.

From the side view, you can look at the angle of pyramiding and see if it is smoothing out. Its hard to tell from the top views, but I think it might be. If not, don't be discouraged. Sometimes it takes many months to change it. My first one took almost two years to show a distinct difference, but yours is nowhere near as far gone as that one was.

 

[H20nyxx]

Looks good. Take a profile pic from the side so we can see the silhouette of the carapace. That will allow us to see if the angle of that pyramiding is reducing or not.

Sorry for the delay! Life got a bit chaotic but here you go. Thanks for you and this forum Tom!

 

[Tom]

Sorry for the delay! Life got a bit chaotic but here you go. Thanks for you and this forum Tom!

Oh yeah. Looking good now. Looks like a dry start, but the more recent growth is coming in smooth.

 

[H20nyxx]

Oh yeah. Looking good now. Looks like a dry start, but the more recent growth is coming in smooth.

Hell yes! I’m so happy to hear I’m treating her right.
oh, curious question; when would one be concerned about stalled weight gain? Taffy hasn’t, but has slowed down as opposed to her rapid growth from 69g to 108g in fourtie days.

 

[Tom]

Hell yes! I’m so happy to hear I’m treating her right.
oh, curious question; when would one be concerned about stalled weight gain? Taffy hasn’t, but has slowed down as opposed to her rapid growth from 69g to 108g in fourtie days.

I wouldn't worry unless you see a full stoppage of growth or loss for two weigh ins in a row. Be sure you are weighing with the same routine with regards to time of day and soaks and meals. For example, after a big meal, but before a soak and a poop and pee, a 1000 gram tortoise might weigh 200-300 grams more than than after a long soak and before a meal. It can make a huge difference. I always weigh in the afternoon, after they've been eating all day, and after a long soak where they empty out. This is not perfect as a meal of cactus pads weighs much more than a meal of dry hay, but it is fairly consistent. If I feed and don't soak, they will weigh much more. If I don't feed and do soak, they will weigh much less.

Another factor to consider is that most baby tortoises are not started right and they are dehydrated upon arrival. If the new owner soaks daily, feeds well and houses the new baby correctly, they put on a lot of weight initially as they get re-hydrated and fill their gut with good food, but then weight gain seems to slow once they are hydrated and healthy, because you are now only weighing the new growth and not newly taken in food and water weight.