Should I be worried ?

[Annie Robinson]

Hello all, haven't posted for a while so please accept my apologies.
I posted on here a while ago about our young Sulcata which was named Louie but have since changed her name to Daisy.
I know all animals grow differently and at different rates but am I doing something wrong?.
Daisy is 17 months old, free roams the garden and grazes on grass 80% of the time, has Nutrazu mixed with just grass once a week, soaked chopped just grass and some weeds, yet she is a huge weight compared to others her age.
She weighs 1169g or 2.5 lbs.
We were told by several keepers and knowledgeable cholonian keepers that she is a Sudanese sulcata, if this is correct, would that explain why she's so heavey and " round"?
She looks as though she swallowed an overgrown Base ball lol.
If the information is correct of her being Sudanese, how big is she expect to grow to and weight wise please?

 

[JoesMum]

Hi

What's Daisy's Straight Carapace Length (SCL) - that will help us judge her weight.

Here's how to measure it
http://www.tlady.clara.net/measure.htm

Can we see pictures of her?

 

[Annie Robinson]

Her carapace length is just under 7".
I'm trying to work out how to upload a picture but it's not playing nicely lol

 

[Tom]

That is a pretty normal weight for a 17 month old sulcata that is hydrated and fed correctly. Dean and I have both had them hit that size in 12 months.

Without knowing the country of origin of the parents, there is really no way to tell if your tortoise is of Sudanese origin. I've raised lots of non-sudandese sulcatas and had them look pretty round too. Tuck and Trey come to mind. I have three Sudanese sulcatas that are 4 years old and right now they don't look any different than "regular" sulcatas.

Sudan females get about the same size as any other sulcata in my experience. The males however can reach 250 pounds where most males get about 110-120. I saw one male that was very close to 400 pounds.

 

[Annie Robinson]

Can you tell how I upload a picture please

 

[cmacusa3]

I don't think that's huge compared to most 2 year olds, that sounds about average. Mine just turned 2 and is over 10" and 8 pounds

 

[Annie Robinson]

Phew thank you Tom, I was getting worried I had a monster lol.
She is cared for well.
We used to bathe her every single day until she reached a year old, from then on every 2nd day.
Some days I don't offer food, just let her graze in the garden freely which I think is ideal for her and myself, I also do the same with our 3 leopards too).
She goes to the toilet everyday and nearly always has excess u rates so I know she's getting enough calcium intake

 

[Annie Robinson]

Hi

What's Daisy's Straight Carapace Length (SCL) - that will help us judge her weight.

Here's how to measure it
http://www.tlady.clara.net/measure.htm

Can we see pictures of her?

I don't know how to upload a picture

 

[JoesMum]

Are you using the app or the website?

 

[Annie Robinson]

Website

 

[Yvonne G]

Posting pictures from a smart phone:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/posting-pictures-from-smart-phone.144047/

posting pictures from your computer:

At the bottom of your posting box click on "upload a file"
Choose your picture program then which picture you want to post and click 'open'
When your picture loads, click on "full image"

Then if you're finished with your post, click "post reply"

 

[Annie Robinson]

Daisy

 

[Annie Robinson]

Daisy

 

[Annie Robinson]

Done it woohoo lol

 

[cmacusa3]

Looks great!

 

[JoesMum]

Phew thank you Tom, I was getting worried I had a monster lol.
She is cared for well.
We used to bathe her every single day until she reached a year old, from then on every 2nd day.
Some days I don't offer food, just let her graze in the garden freely which I think is ideal for her and myself, I also do the same with our 3 leopards too).
She goes to the toilet everyday and nearly always has excess u rates so I know she's getting enough calcium intake

Urate is a how a tort rids itself of excess protein. It has nothing to do with calcium.

If urate is gritty then your tort is dehydrated. A properly hydrated tort will excrete runny mucus like urate.

 

[Annie Robinson]

Thank you

 

[JoesMum]

Daisy

Cute

 

[Annie Robinson]

Oh really? I was always told it was clearing excess calcium.
Thank you for that, it's really helpful

 

[Big Charlie]

She looks great and perfectly normal!