Stopped Growing, Concern?

[janiedough]

Percy is about 10" 7lbs. He lives outside in Southern Louisiana. He has the top of a doghouse set on cement as his burrow which he stays in and loves. He eats grass mostly, but I treat him to strawberry tops and hibiscus leaves and flowers.

I trust him not to eat anything poisonous in the yard, and he has been living outside by himself for almost two years. I only bring him in when it gets too cold for him.

He has a small dish of water that is always full, and it rains like every other day. He also has cuttlebone (which he hasn't touched in the past week or two that I have noticed).

The first month or so this summer he grew almost two inches and gained a pound or so. Then all of a sudden he just stopped growing - NO new growth! Not even a little bit.

Should I be concerned? I know he has been pooping because it is all over his house and the cement outside of it.

I think maybe he isn't getting out his house that much because it is too hot?? But he is getting out and eating - we seem him every now and then. (We aren't home during the day.)

What do you guys think? Is he just done with this spurt?

 

[tortoisenerd]

Can you observe him more on a weekend to see if and what he's eating? Getting a web cam for my tort is one of my favorite gifts ever! I can spy on his habits while at work and check up on him. Just a thought. They can come rather cheap.

How often do you weigh and measure him? They do have changes in eating and growth habits in different times of year, but I'd think summer would be the high season for that. Interested to see the other comments as I don't have experience in this area.

 

[janiedough]

Can you observe him more on a weekend to see if and what he's eating? Getting a web cam for my tort is one of my favorite gifts ever! I can spy on his habits while at work and check up on him. Just a thought. They can come rather cheap.

How often do you weigh and measure him? They do have changes in eating and growth habits in different times of year, but I'd think summer would be the high season for that. Interested to see the other comments as I don't have experience in this area.

I weigh him at the beginning and the end of summer. I haven't really weighed him since the beginning of summer when he weighed only five pounds and was 9", but I KNOW he is heavier than that -and I did measure him at 10" a month ago.

I am going out of town this weekend, but I am going to try to find some time to observe him. When my grass was tall it was easy to tell how much he was eating...

 

[miss_kristyn]

You should try cutting some grass and putting it in a dish in the shade and check on it and see if he is eating. I live in Austin, TX and it is really hot here! May want to buy one of those easy up tents one of the small ones and make him a nice shaded area with one of those kiddy pools for infants.... But yeah I say just cut some food up and see if it is empty.

Also I don't know how old he is but if you look online you can see sulcata growth charts and see if maybe he is done with a spurt, though every tort is different but it could give you a better look at him.

 

[aktech23]

do they grow in spurts or is it the winter that slows them down?

tortimer went from 9 1/2" inches for what seemed like months (march was the last time) to 12" in the start of July I measure every three months should I be measuring more?

I still haven't weighed him.

 

[janiedough]

he has shade - his house is in shade and so is most of my backyard. he eats whatever i put infront of him

so yeah do they really grow in spurts? even in the middle of the summer?

 

[missjojosmith]

I was curious just now about this! I did some reading and talked to a friend and I found out from a couple other forums and researchers that say Sulcata's don't have like monthly growth spurts, but grow rapidly during certain ages and then will slow down at some ages. They are like humans! Though if you deprive food you stunt growth or over feed they grow to fast causing damage. My friend has a few Sulcatas ranging in age and she says that she has noticed that at certain ages she notices they grow about the same minus the different sexes, which grow differently in height and weight. She said though they always weigh more a little each month, so if you are concerned get a scale and make sure they are packing weight. It won't be pounds but ounces if any weight is added! But, just keep a watch if he is eating he is fine!! Also she said watch his poop, though you stated you are, so I think he is just fine! But, she is going to set up an account in the next week and I am pretty sure she can explain better!

 

[Millerlite]

I wouldnt worry to much about it as long as he still easting pooping etc...

 

[Crazy1]

janiedough, you might want to gather a sample of Percy's poo and take it in for a check. Sometimes parasites will cause a tort, yep one thats eating a lot, not to gain or grow.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I agree with Robyn, he may have parasites. Bob is 10 years old and was 7 when we moved here to the PNW. He weighed 30 pounds and he has steady gained in the last 3 years. He eats all day and is just a poopin machine. He's 65 pounds now. He has graze and I supplement with grocery store greens and grape leafs. If Percy is just grazing and you don't supplement then he wouldn't grow as fast as Bob.
So my advice would be to do a fecal and if that is negative then just figure Percy is growing at his own rate.

 

[janiedough]

ok - i hadn't thought of that! thanks!

 

[Crazy1]

Janiedough, how is Sir Percival doing? Got an update for us???

 

[janiedough]

Percy resumed growing a bit - maybe it was too hot for him to go out too much.

BUT he is going to the vet tomorrow! His first vet visit!

If you guys have any helpful questions or things to discuss with the vet I would appreciate it.

I plan on asking her about his shell, his poop, and his age/sex -

---

Janiedough, how is Sir Percival doing? Got an update for us???

sorry i didn't update you guys. I was kind of waiting it out until the vet could see us. She is the best vet around here supposedly for exotics and the only one I had heard of that does Tortoises.

And in the meantime I just tried to make sure my percy lips beefcake was happy! and he did start to grow, but not nearly as much.

 

[tortoisenerd]

As long as you are going I would bring a fresh fecal sample of his for them to test for parasites. Peace of mind for about $20. You can stick it in the fridge and supposedly it needs to be within about 24 hours to be good for them to look at it under the microscope. It's great to have an established vet to go to in case of troubles.

 

[janiedough]

NO NEED to BRING the fecal matter to her.

He pooped the entire time we were there. I was so embarrassed! This place is like a five star vet!

No parasites, and the vet said her guess is that since he stopped growing during the hottest part of the summer that it was either 1 he wasn't going out of his burrow and eating as much 2 wasn't getting the nutrition and water he needed to grow because the grass he was eating was all dried out.

SO she told me to supplement his diet with romaine and spinach. I told her I heard that spinach isn't good bc it blocks calcium. She looked it up before I left and I was right! *Thanks to yall of course! AND I even told her about you guys so she can look yall up later.

I found out a lot more, but I will share it later. I am tired - going to bed - Wanted to let yall know he is parasite free. She did blood work but it won't come back until next week!

 

[tortoisenerd]

Yay! Trevor did the same thing at the vet. They should be used to it. Sir Percival just wanted to make sure they got a fresh one! If you do decide to supplement his diet, I think there are better options than just romaine. Sure you know that too. Can you scatter more seeds for a variety of weeds and greens? Or, there are some good lists of what to look for in the grocery store.

 

[janiedough]

Yay! Trevor did the same thing at the vet. They should be used to it. Sir Percival just wanted to make sure they got a fresh one! If you do decide to supplement his diet, I think there are better options than just romaine. Sure you know that too. Can you scatter more seeds for a variety of weeds and greens? Or, there are some good lists of what to look for in the grocery store.

yeah I was shocked when she said that because he gets grass, wisteria, banana tree parts (leaves, flowers, etc.), hibiscus, clover

and i treat him to strawberry tops every now and then. He also gets aloe and cactus. I mean he is one spoiled freakin tort. Every plant I own is on his food list.

I just don't think she realized how good I had been feeding him. But maybe I am just not doing it enough???

His blood work comes back in a few days. I felt so bad when she took his blood from his neck! But we will see then what his levels looks like.



Also - it was weird to see how she made him open his mouth. I have never seen his "Teeth" before!

When I got him to the vet, he was wheezing, and he had done it the other day. She said it is a sign of stress. His nasal passages are fine and his eyes are not puffy or watery, so I think it was stress too. I had never heard that blamed for wheezing before.


oh and percy is probably a girl, and I know on here we all know they have to be a certain age until you can tell, well she told me if they get around 15" you can pretty much definitively determine the sex - so maybe one more year and I will know for sure.

Not sure if I will change "his" name even if he turns out to be a she. I mean, he knows his name, but he doesn't have to know it is a dude's name.

 

[aktech23]

do they always grow consistently or do they grow in spurts?

holly cow. tortimer went from 9" to 12+" amazingly fast, during the heat of an Arizona summer. I hardly recognize him. he went from 7 to 9 1/2" in 8 months, and 9 1/2" to 12 in 5 months.

now in looking at those numbers there it looks about the same, but the all around size difference seems huge.

 

[janiedough]

do they always grow consistently or do they grow in spurts?

holly cow. tortimer went from 9" to 12+" amazingly fast, during the heat of an Arizona summer. I hardly recognize him. he went from 7 to 9 1/2" in 8 months, and 9 1/2" to 12 in 5 months.

now in looking at those numbers there it looks about the same, but the all around size difference seems huge.

i think it all depends on the temp, nutrition, and excercise

 

[janiedough]

blood work was all good.

Thank you tort forum, and all of you who answer questions.