Weight Gain

This forum covers all aspects of tortoise diet and nutrition, including mineral and vitamin supplementation and foods appropriate for different species.
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EmmaM
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Joined: 21 Mar 2017, 13:11

Re: Weight Gain

Post by EmmaM » 21 Mar 2017, 14:26

Thanks for coming back to me Nina.

I know it will sound funny but I have two hand drawn templates on a piece of paper roughly the size of of their shells and I cover that with weeds. This gets used every day (trying so hard not to overfeed lol) so they are consistently getting the same amount every day. Also when dishing out the food I always say to myself, one cats ear for Alderman and one for Ptolemy, one plantain for Alderman etc etc so they always get the same. Then if I think Ptolemy has larger leaves, I swap them! Things we do :D

Emma

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Nina
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Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Weight Gain

Post by Nina » 21 Mar 2017, 14:52

LOL -- snap! I don't have the template of the shell, but I definitely do the 'one plantain leaf for Doris, one for Dolly, one sowthistle leave for Doris and one for Dolly,' etc. I think we are both a bit over the top in that way :shock: What is puzzling is the one tortoise is gaining almost ten times what the other is gaining onthe same diet. Not sure what to say, but hopefully someone else will have an idea.
Nina

EmmaM
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Joined: 21 Mar 2017, 13:11

Re: Weight Gain

Post by EmmaM » 22 Mar 2017, 08:18

Just a quick update - Ptolemy's worm count is clear (cheer).

I've also double checked my temps and they are both 30-31C air temp at shell height (I used two probes [paranoid]).

Thank you.

Emma

EmmaM
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Joined: 21 Mar 2017, 13:11

Re: Weight Gain

Post by EmmaM » 22 Mar 2017, 09:34

I will try and attach two photos. I think I have been overfeeding ( :o the shame). One photo shows what I was going to feed, the other shows a stricter me.
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EmmaM
Posts: 7
Joined: 21 Mar 2017, 13:11

Re: Weight Gain

Post by EmmaM » 22 Mar 2017, 09:35

The bottom picture is before - the first is the after.

Emma

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Nina
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Re: Weight Gain

Post by Nina » 22 Mar 2017, 11:00

Hi Emma,

LOL -- Before and after what? Eating? I didn't think the amount looked too bad, but actually if they only weigh just over 130g and 220g, maybe it is a bit much, I really don't know. Try reducing Ptolemy's amount for a week or so and see what happens. Hopefully one of the others will come on with some ideas.

Nina

EmmaM
Posts: 7
Joined: 21 Mar 2017, 13:11

Re: Weight Gain

Post by EmmaM » 22 Mar 2017, 11:15

Nina,

Thanks for coming back to me. I'll let you know how I get on with the diet.

(Re the photos "before" is what I had prepared to feed them this morning - "after" is when I reduced the amount thinking the "before" was too much. Sorry I should have explained properly the first time round, but I'd only at this stage had one cup of coffee lol.)

Thanks once again.

Emma

EmmaM
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Joined: 21 Mar 2017, 13:11

Re: Weight Gain

Post by EmmaM » 09 May 2017, 12:26

Sorry, what Is really effective?

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lin
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Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:27

Re: Weight Gain

Post by lin » 09 May 2017, 12:27

Hello Daisy.
Can you say what it is you think is really effective.

Lin

Teddy28
Posts: 156
Joined: 06 May 2017, 10:57

Re: Weight Gain

Post by Teddy28 » 20 May 2017, 10:15

Hi Emma
I read your posts from a couple of months back about Ptolemy's weight gain and just wondered how his weight is going, since cutting back his food quantities? My 8 year old has been maintaining a steady weight then put on a lot in last couple of weeks (10g) so i'm maybe overfeeding him. He loves plantain which is great as its in ready supply for us

EmmaM
Posts: 7
Joined: 21 Mar 2017, 13:11

Re: Weight Gain

Post by EmmaM » 20 May 2017, 12:16

Hello!

I have cut back a bit but she is still gaining weight. I think I will have to start giving her half, and then a leaf or two later on. Her food was gone in 10 minutes this morning! I have the opposite problem with my other one. She hasn't lost weight but she did not eat for weeks. Oral antibiotics failed in their administration - you try holding a small wriggling tortoise still and then hold its head, then open its mouth, and then depress the syringe lol! She's now starting to pick up and eats if handfed, but she is now on 72hr antibiotic injections. They like to test us lol!

Emma

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Nina
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Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Weight Gain

Post by Nina » 20 May 2017, 13:11

Ooh, sorry to hear that the first course of antibiotics were difficult, Emma, but I do hope these work.

Re the weight gains -- mine sometimes have terribly high weight gains -- especially when they first go out and there are lots of nice things in their enclosure -- but don't forget that it's just an average weight gain of between 1g and 3g or 4g per month, and that is averaged over the year. All we can do is our best, and we all struggle with keeping the portions down (lol, I struggle to keep my own portions down, let alone those for the tortoises)!

Nina

Teddy28
Posts: 156
Joined: 06 May 2017, 10:57

Re: Weight Gain

Post by Teddy28 » 21 May 2017, 20:10

Thanks Emma, thanks Nina. Good advice and I hope the antibiotic injections work, I don't envy you the task of oral administration - they certainly can wriggle can't they!!
I weighed my little chap again this morning and his weight is 2g down on yesterday so i guess it's just fluctuations. He's also pooing a lot, or at least a lot more than when he first arrived 8 weeks ago, even though his change in environment didn't seem to affect his appetite.
Photo attached (hopefully) of him polishing off a sprig of corn salad[attachment=0]20170514_172816-1_resized.jpg[/attachment]
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lin
Posts: 1034
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Re: Weight Gain

Post by lin » 21 May 2017, 21:15

Oh, thats an adorable Photo of him and he looks to be really enjoying the little snack.

Your probably right about the weight loss being him getting rid of the excess baggage he has been carrying around with him - :lol: He seems to be doing well as you have only had him for 8 weeks. Well done.
Lin

Teddy28
Posts: 156
Joined: 06 May 2017, 10:57

Re: Weight Gain

Post by Teddy28 » 27 May 2017, 13:51

Hi Emma
Just wondering how Alderman is getting on, is her appetite improved?

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Nina
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Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Weight Gain

Post by Nina » 25 Sep 2017, 17:10

Hi Wordsdoctorate (sorry, I don't know your real name), and welcome to The Tortoise Table!
We're here to answer any questions you might have or just chat about tortoises. Why not start a new thread and tell us about your tortoise (or tortoises) -- it's always nice to welcome new friends and learn about them.

Nina



wordsdoctorate wrote:
> Hi Friends,
> I am new to this forum, happy to join here.
> Thanks for your information. :)

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Nina
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Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Weight Gain

Post by Nina » 27 Jun 2018, 10:34

Hi William,

Can you fill us in a bit about your tortoises? What species, how old are they, and how much do they weigh.

There isn't anything wrong with putting on weight -- they should be putting on weight -- but you just don't want them to grow too quickly. At this time of year they will probably be putting on more than the average weight that we aim for, but as long as the average over the year isn't too great that should be fine, and if she is eating all her food within ten minutes then you probably aren't giving her too much.

I wonder why your other tortoise isn't eating, but there could be lots of reasons. If the two tortoises are kept together then you could try feeding them separately, as sometimes one tortoise is dominant and will bully the other tortoise and scoff all the food. Do they both have access to the outdoors at this time of year?

If you can give us an idea of how they are kept -- enclosures, temperatures, etc. and what you are offering them as food, then it might just need a bit of tweaking to get your other tortoise to start eating.

Cheers,
Nina

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