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Growth ongoing?

Posted: 03 Jan 2019, 09:48
by Heather
Hi all - As Achillea approaches her teenage years, & is putting on weight very gently on her weed based diet, it occurred to me to ask whether tortoises ever stop growing? I guess they slow down when approaching 'terminal size'?
How big do I expect my lovely bijou Hermann's to grow regards weight & dimensions? She's over 1400g now, at approx 12-13 y/o this year - I guess there's a range for males vs females.
Just fascinated....love her! ;)

Heather

Re: Growth ongoing?

Posted: 03 Jan 2019, 14:56
by Nina
Hi Heather,
I'm on shaky ground here as I'm not absolutely sure, but as far as I know tortoises just keep growing until they reach their optimum size (and they do have an optimum size). A lot of factors determine when they stop growing (diet, climatic conditions, etc), so some will stop growing sooner than others. My Doris is about 15 years old and she is still growing slowly. 1400g seems a good weight to me for a Hermanns (am I right i remembering that Achillea is a Hermanns?). I've read that Hermanns in general grow to about 18 cm, but that H. boettgeri can grow to 28cm and 3kg - 4kg, so it would depend on what sub-species she is. The fact that she is growing slowly is what is important, and that will produce good healthy bone and shell and smooth growth. Maybe someone else can come in with more information.

Happy New Year to you both!

Nina