Radiated Tortoise Age & Size

Radmaster

Member
Joined
May 17, 2016
Messages
58
Hi guys I just want your opinion on Radiated Tortoise growth rate. I want to Discuss how large the animal is at 1,2,3,4 years old because I purchase my animals from different sellers and their knowledge on the tort's age seems inconsistent to it's size. In the picture it shows 2 Torts a little over 3 inches and around 110 grams. now believe it or not i heard the one on the left is 1 year old and the one on the right is a little over 2 years old, in comparison I have a 2 year old which is approaching 5 inches !

The undersized 2 year old on the right was not well looked after by the previous owner because of slight pyramiding which is rare in this species however it has a good apatite and the owner ensured me it was well fed everyday. So can we shed some light into this topic, what is the average Radiates growth rate at the age of 1 to 5 yrs old, I keep mine in an enclosure with food available such as grass and plants but I also feed them once or twice a day leafy greens and pumpkins~ is that too much?

20160607_220735.jpg
 

Kapidolo Farms

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Nov 7, 2012
Messages
5,172
Location (City and/or State)
South of Southern California, but not Mexico
Some folks who put much effort into the animals can get them up to 8 inches in about a year. I've grown Leopard tortoises to 6 inches in ten months. I depends a great deal on diet and habitat that you make for them.

More important is what could be called even or balanced growth. Where the legs maintain strength to carry the tortoises, the shell is more or less even and smooth in shape. I think hydration is as important as the solid food.
 

Radmaster

Member
Joined
May 17, 2016
Messages
58
Some folks who put much effort into the animals can get them up to 8 inches in about a year. I've grown Leopard tortoises to 6 inches in ten months. I depends a great deal on diet and habitat that you make for them.

More important is what could be called even or balanced growth. Where the legs maintain strength to carry the tortoises, the shell is more or less even and smooth in shape. I think hydration is as important as the solid food.

WOW 6 inches in 10 months is unheard of, but thank you for your insight, so perhaps it's poor growth is due to it's poor diet and living condition with his previous owners.
 

Kapidolo Farms

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Nov 7, 2012
Messages
5,172
Location (City and/or State)
South of Southern California, but not Mexico
WOW 6 inches in 10 months is unheard of, but thank you for your insight, so perhaps it's poor growth is due to it's poor diet and living condition with his previous owners.
I grew these leopard tortoises up and they grew well. The Radiated that I mentioned were talked about here on TFO and they looked great too.

My point is size brought on quickly can be problematic. It can also be down well too. The tortoises I am talking about have not been alive for more than 5 years total, so there is no current awareness of the impact on their whole life. Maybe they will live shorter lives or longer lives?
 

zovick

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Nov 17, 2013
Messages
3,386
Here are a couple of photos of three Radiateds which I raised. The largest is exactly three years old in these photos, the middle one is two years old, and the smallest is one year old. The three year old is 9" or so, the two year old is just about 6", and the one year old is just a bit under 4". These sizes are just about average for their ages for the Radiateds which I have raised personally using the methods described in my care info which I will be glad to send to anyone who requests it. Please send requests via email only to [email protected].

Bill Zovickian


Aged Group Side.jpg
Aged Group.jpg
 

Markw84

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 17, 2012
Messages
5,041
Location (City and/or State)
Sacramento, CA (Central Valley)
Thanks so much for that reply, Bill. It's so easy to say growth rates vary. So it's great to hear a reply on averages experienced with the care recommended as a general reference
 

Radmaster

Member
Joined
May 17, 2016
Messages
58
Here are a couple of photos of three Radiateds which I raised. The largest is exactly three years old in these photos, the middle one is two years old, and the smallest is one year old. The three year old is 9" or so, the two year old is just about 6", and the one year old is just a bit under 4". These sizes are just about average for their ages for the Radiateds which I have raised personally using the methods described in my care info which I will be glad to send to anyone who requests it. Please send requests via email only to [email protected].

Bill Zovickian


View attachment 177336
View attachment 177337
Very nice pictures Bill, your Rads are growing very fast compared to the ones in my country however I do not see any signs of pyramiding which means it is good growth. But at this growth rate it means your Radiates will attempt to mate and reproduce in 2-3 years time because your 3 year old is 9 inches and Rads reproduce around 11-12 inches if I can remember correctly, but surely it cannot reproduce at the age of 5?!!?!
 

zovick

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Nov 17, 2013
Messages
3,386
Very nice pictures Bill, your Rads are growing very fast compared to the ones in my country however I do not see any signs of pyramiding which means it is good growth. But at this growth rate it means your Radiates will attempt to mate and reproduce in 2-3 years time because your 3 year old is 9 inches and Rads reproduce around 11-12 inches if I can remember correctly, but surely it cannot reproduce at the age of 5?!!?!

Hello Warren,

It is more like 12" to 13" before the tortoises seriously try to breed; however, being that size alone is not sufficient for successful reproduction. I have found that they must also be about 10-12 years of age to be sexually mature . The youngest Radiateds which have reproduced for me were a 9 year old male and a 9 year old female (but by the time her eggs hatched, the female had turned 10 years old).

For comparison, I have produced baby Sri Lankan Stars from breeding a 3 year old male with a 5 year old female. This illustrates either how slowly the Radiated Tortoises mature or how quickly Sri Lankan Stars mature. A couple of those babies are in the right hand tub in this photo of my best second generation CB holdbacks.


Adult Sri Lankans.jpg
 

Radmaster

Member
Joined
May 17, 2016
Messages
58
That is a long wait for me until I see them breed X_X, wonderful job with these stars, best ones i have ever seen tbh. Thank you for the information on the radiates maturity rate.
 

New Posts

Top