Slow Growth Rate?

[lillyhurt]

Hello! I just took my russian tortoise to the vet for an annual check up (almost been a year since I’ve gotten him/her!) and the vet was concerned over my torts weight. I feed him/her a big variety of leafy greens (mustard greens, dandelion greens, collard greens, and spring mix) and have tried to get him/her to eat grasses and hays but he/she refuses. I supplement the food once a week with calcium and flukers multivitamin as well. The vet said my 1 year old russian tortoise was way too small and that she was concerned over his/her health due to him/her being a year old and weighting 50 grams. Is this truly too low of a weight? I feed my tort well but he/she loves to explore the enclosure and he/she moves around constantly. This vet was the only one in my area that deals with reptiles but some of the things she was saying made me believe she wasn’t the most reliable. I just wanted to see if 50 grams for a 1 year old russian tortoise was way too small. Thank you! P.S. I included pictures of him/her that same day if that helps!

 

[zovick]

Hello! I just took my russian tortoise to the vet for an annual check up (almost been a year since I’ve gotten him/her!) and the vet was concerned over my torts weight. I feed him/her a big variety of leafy greens (mustard greens, dandelion greens, collard greens, and spring mix) and have tried to get him/her to eat grasses and hays but he/she refuses. I supplement the food once a week with calcium and flukers multivitamin as well. The vet said my 1 year old russian tortoise was way too small and that she was concerned over his/her health due to him/her being a year old and weighting 50 grams. Is this truly too low of a weight? I feed my tort well but he/she loves to explore the enclosure and he/she moves around constantly. This vet was the only one in my area that deals with reptiles but some of the things she was saying made me believe she wasn’t the most reliable. I just wanted to see if 50 grams for a 1 year old russian tortoise was way too small. Thank you! P.S. I included pictures of him/her that same day if that helps!

The tortoise doesn't appear to be starving or malnourished, but the weight of 50 g. does seem a bit low for a yearling tortoise.

How much are you feeding it? I always kept a pile of food in the enclosure with my young tortoises all day. The rationale for that is that wild tortoises can eat at will, so captive ones should have the same option. As the pile got eaten, more food was added so there was always fresh food available from the time the lights went on in the AM until they went off at night. This was done 24/7/365.

Another thing which might be helpful would be soaking your tortoise. You didn't mention doing that. I would recommend soaking it in lukewarm water for about 20-30 minutes each morning, then putting it in front of its pile of food and letting it do whatever it wants for the day. Usually, they will eat right after they have been soaked, but each tortoise is different.

Good luck!

 

[wellington]

I don't know how much they should weigh at a year, but as zovick said, food should be available all day long. In the wild they would graze off and on all day and we need to allow that too.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Don’t suppose we could have a rehash of babies housing/overall care? Might help members giving any tips/pointers where needed

What are your temperatures like all over? Ie basking temp(directly under the bulb), overall day temps(middle and cooler side), night temps?
What kind of basking bulb is being used specifically? Packaging photos are good if you have any
Do you use indoor uv? If so what kind?
How’s humidity?
What’s his substrate?
What kind of monitoring do you have?
What’s his diet been like with you?

A photo of the full set up would be great