Weight gain and hibernation

[Ozric Jonathan]

I'm starting this thread because its come up in a couple of the hibernation threads about hermanns growing too quickly or putting on too much weight if they are not hibernated.

I've not found this to be the case except possibly in the case of one female.

What I've found is that a tortoise that is not hibernated often gains little weight over the winter and sometimes none at all. I suspect the higher temperatures indoors speed up the metabolism and this might explain it.

What seems to typically happen with mine is that the tortoise reaches a peak weight in late summer and after that it loses some weight regardless of being hibernated or kept up. I found this alarming at first because a tortoise would seem to be thriving indoors and eating well but still lose a few grammes.

Have others found that hermanns which are kept up grow too quickly?

[CherryBrandy]

I don't keep hermanns but I had ten little hermanns the other year as a rescue, weights from 60 grammes - 80 grammes, all of them put on up to 8 grammes a month which is apparently high but they were outside most of the summer so food wasn't restricted and they all had beautiful shells. Winter came and I overwintered and they lost lots during that period then up again. They gained the most in my years of TK, but still had good growth and shells.
I would agree re the weight loss. I don't think they grow too quickly but they did mow the lawn.