Weight and length

[Meggers]

I have seen people who know the weight and length of their tortoises, so I wanted to know the same for Kolbee (a Russian tortoise). When measuring the length is it head to tail or just the shell? I don't have a scale at home, would there be anywhere to weigh him? Also what is the average weight and length of a Russian tortoise?

 

[Redstrike]

You use the carapace to get the length (referred to as straight carapace length or SCL) shown in the link below:
http://www.ahailey.f9.co.uk/scl.htm

You can buy relatively affordable scales on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...ywords=Digital+Scale&rh=i:aps,k:Digital+Scale

Knowing the length and weight of your tort can help you check over/under feeding using the Donoghue formula and the tortoises current weight:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Tortoise-Weight-Formula-tBMI#axzz20GOj6lRs

There is another method known as the Jackson Ratio, but I like the one above as it is informative and easy to use.

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I should mention, weights for hatchlings can be variable depending on hydration and bowel movements. I wouldn't bother calculating a body mass index until your tortoise is at least a few months old. I do recommend weighing them, just be sure you keep a routine (i.e. after soaking and eating or before soaking and eating) to achieve more consistent weights.