|
17-05-2008, 03:10 PM
|
|||
|
|||
Growth Help
Hi all
 Looking for a bit of advice! When I got my Horsfield last August he was in a pretty bad way. He was seriously underweight and had worms. So I got him treated and take him for check ups and he is making fantastic progress! When I got him at first he really didnt eat too much, but that was probably because of the state he was in. When I got him he was 76g, which didnt even fall into the underweight category of the macintyre ratio. He now weighs 118g as of this morning, and has really started to find his appetite (didn't hibernate him this year as the vet advised against it so I think he started to wind down and didnt eat as much during winter months). So since I have had him he has put on about 42g over 9 months. However, the past couple of weeks he has been scoffing down his food (give him enough just to cover the top of his shell) but I've noticed quite wide growth lines appearing round the edge of his scutes and I'm starting to worry he is taking too much of a growth spurt and kinda making up for it when he wasn't really eating. I attach pictures and would be most grateful if someone could advise if it looks normal? Hope the pics work ok! http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/l...g/S1050882.jpg http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/l...g/S1050881.jpg Thanks for any advice given x  
|
|
17-05-2008, 03:21 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
he looks absolutely fine to me! when they are so small the grwoth rings can look really huge and bumpy compared to the centre of the scutes. he looks like a right cutie and given his bad start he looks great. If you intend to hibernate him this year then i dont see the harm letting him eat a little more than what would cover his shell. he will need to have a little bit of a reserve to see him through the winter. Well done on turning him around and getting weight back on him!
__________________
|
|
17-05-2008, 03:51 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Aw well done on getting him eating and looking so healthy. The avg weight gain to aim for should be between 2g and 4gs a month - you're averaging about 4.6g's so it isn't horrendously higher than the recommended average - some torts just grow quicker than others and he's probably making up for lost time.
He looks a real cutie in his pics  Do you know how old he is?
__________________
 
|
|
17-05-2008, 03:55 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
aww he is adorable ,my squirt had a bad start now he is thriveing
just started puting on weight and found his apitite  
|
|
17-05-2008, 05:20 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Thanks everyone for your kind replies! He is such a brill wee 'fella'! Really what shook me was the pics of tortoises who have grown too fast and I didn't want that happening to him! He is my first tortoise so I'm still just trying to give him a perfect life seen as he had such a rubbish start!
His age is a grey area, when I bought him (from a pet shop  ) the guy said he was about 2, but when i went to the vet he said he could be anywhere between 3 and 4. He is approx 8cm so I'm not entirely sure tbh! The vet said he looked as tho he had been imported, so it has made him all the more special to me, seeing he probably has been thru the mill. He is such a sweet little tortie, when u call his name and put ur hand down he stomps over and climbs onto ur hand! such a good nature!Squirt is absoutely adorable! How long have you had him? Love the name! Finding nemo fan?  love that film hahaha! I'm so mature lolThanks again everyone! What a load of my mind! xxxx
|
 |
| Thread Tools | |
| Display Modes | |
|
|
Linear Mode
