Do I look fat?

[Shelled Lady]

Hello, I did not want to post her pictures just yet, but maybe it is time to correct before it is too late.
She is kepot on the open table setup on topsoil substrate, she has timothy hay to hide under if she wishes so. 24/7 ceramic 100W heat bulb, 100W Arcadia UVB light for daytime. She has ample temperature gradient on her table and can retreat to the cold areas if she want to. She drinks a lot when she need.
Fed daily on Mazuri tortoise pellet diet, and some fresh salad leaves/ grasses in summer.

We shall leave her on weed diet for most days now and give her Mazuri 3 days a week.

342g weight, 11cm SCL.

I think you are very wise to limit her intake of pellets,she is a lovely tortoise. You do not really want rapid growth, it can lead to a poor skeliton and later arthritis. This can and does happen with other types of animal that grow too quickly. Have you tried the Pre Alpin food that is advertised on here? The contents are somewhat different to Mazuri.

[EJ]

It would be really insightful if you could offer some references for this opinion... and the TT does not count.

The tortoise pictured is evidence that good nutrition and good environmental conditions lead to good development. What if the OP said the tortoise was 5 years old?

Mixing the two diets would be some good advice.

Originally Posted by Shelled Lady

I think you are very wise to limit her intake of pellets,she is a lovely tortoise. You do not really want rapid growth, it can lead to a poor skeliton and later arthritis. This can and does happen with other types of animal that grow too quickly. Have you tried the Pre Alpin food that is advertised on here? The contents are somewhat different to Mazuri.

[alicia]

she looks like a beautifully healthy tortoise.
their like humans, all grow at different rates

[Beverley]

Very nice Star its pretty difficult to grow them smooth. I have tried mine with pellets but they are not that keen in them so it's mainly weeds they eat. My indy is around two and a half and weighs just over 200g. I would like to see him a bit heavier. I am not against pellets it's just she won't eat them

[Catwoman63]

She may be a big girl, but she looks healthy and stunning

[Torterra]

Originally Posted by Beverley

Very nice Star its pretty difficult to grow them smooth. I have tried mine with pellets but they are not that keen in them so it's mainly weeds they eat. My indy is around two and a half and weighs just over 200g. I would like to see him a bit heavier. I am not against pellets it's just she won't eat them

Thank you all for kind comments.

If you try Mazuri(USA) or Nutrazu she will not be able to resist.
We are now trying to restrict her to eating less and I even think of getting some pre- Alpin or Zoomed which she used to love, it has more hay than grains.

[Easter Bunny]

Originally Posted by Torterra

Thank you all for kind comments.

If you try Mazuri(USA) or Nutrazu she will not be able to resist.
We are now trying to restrict her to eating less and I even think of getting some pre- Alpin or Zoomed which she used to love, it has more hay than grains.

I recently bought some Mazuri (USA) and all my torts cannot resist. I mix in a little Pre- Alpin baby. I'm going to only give it once a week in the winter while weeds are scarce. I just hope they're not going to turn their noses up to the weeds in the spring/summer

I love the shell pattern on the stars, very pretty x

[Shelled Lady]

Originally Posted by EJ

It would be really insightful if you could offer some references for this opinion... and the TT does not count.

The tortoise pictured is evidence that good nutrition and good environmental conditions lead to good development. What if the OP said the tortoise was 5 years old?

Mixing the two diets would be some good advice.

I don't need to offer references., or quote TT. Rapid growth in young mammals due to overfeeding, providing too much rich food, changes in diet, little exercise, compared with natural, scarce forage can lead to bone growth problems. Any good vet will tell you this, as will horse breeders, dog breeders, anyone who has spent their life breeding animals. As I have already mentioned, it can happen with other reptiles, so why do Chelonia have to be any different? They can't tell us if their shells are getting too tight.

[EJ]

That's your opinion. You are correct... if the tortoise is not provided with the proper diet or environmental conditions... it probably will develop problems. That seems to be another common sense kind of thing. The rate, given that everythin else is in balance... most likely does not cause problems.

To the OP (or anyone else interested)... it is not the rate of growth but the proper balance of nutrition. I don't see how anyone can prove that rapid growth alone with the proper nutrition can be detrimental to a tortoises health.

Throw in a little common sense... with those tortoises that have a range that span many lattitudes... those in the lower lattitudes are obviously going to grow quicker than those in the higher lattitudes.

Again... again... and again... you can compare reptiles to mammals on a very limited basis... growth rate with proper conditions is not one of them.

Originally Posted by Shelled Lady

I don't need to offer references., or quote TT. Rapid growth in young mammals due to overfeeding, providing too much rich food, changes in diet, little exercise, compared with natural, scarce forage can lead to bone growth problems. Any good vet will tell you this, as will horse breeders, dog breeders, anyone who has spent their life breeding animals. As I have already mentioned, it can happen with other reptiles, so why do Chelonia have to be any different? They can't tell us if their shells are getting too tight.