Other Turtle Discussion :: What is normal growth for a RES?

[TurtleKeeper48]

I'm new here, and new to keeping pet turtles. (actually, my son has one and my wife has two - I technically don't have my own pet turtle... but I'm really falling for these little guys.)

If anybody recognizes me from my other thread - the two "rescued" turtle are doing great after just one week. Surprisingly great! They are doing everything they should be doing, and they are SO sweet and well adjusted.

ANYWAY - I've been researching and learning a lot, and I've searched for this and didn't find much - but feel free to link any relevant threads.

Can anybody explain, roughly because I'm sure it varies, what is a normal "growth chart" for a female RES?

They reason I ask, is because ours vary quite a bit and I'm mostly just curious and wondering what we'll see as far as growth in the future and how soon we'll see it.

My son has a 4" RES, Rosa, that we got from a pet store about 3 or so months ago. We believe she is just over one year old based on what we were told and this seems in line with what I read here.

My wife's two, Laverne and Shirley (new names) are 4" and 5" and we adopted them from somebody who did not know how to properly keep RES turtles. We were told that she got them when they were little tiny and that she had them about 3.5 or 4 years.

Are Laverne and Shirley stunted? Will they take a big growth spurt now that they're healthy? Could they stay smaller than average for life?

I've read that feeding schedules and amounts vary, and so does growth and the ultimate full grown size, and I've read that "over-feeding" can lead to unusually large turtles.

I read about somebody else's turtle on this site - 3 years old, 7.5" long, and becoming gravid. Is that on the normal growth chart, or is that turt big for it's age?

At what age do they typically become full grown?

I'm just trying to get some idea if what is considered normal. Thanks!

[theartbook35]

Everyone expects their turtle to reach four inches by the end of their first year. After that, they are expected to grow one inch every year.

However, diet, living conditions, hibernation, are all things that can dramatically effect the growth of a turtle. Some breeders, who sell hatchlings, will put them in a freezer to stunt their growth. Sometimes, feeding too much protein, plus an unbalanced diet, can make a turtle grow too quickly, or not enough. Hibernation is sort of like a strange coma for them, or a suspended animation, so, they typically don't grow when they hibernate.

My turtles are both over a year old, and they are barely two inches big. I suspect the breeder who was selling them is the cause of this.

Since they are believed to grow 4 inches in their first year, and one year after that, a turtle with regular, stable conditions (as if those are ever possible, even in the wild), is believed to reach full size around 7 to 10 years of age.

Females also can get between 10 and 12 inches in shell length, and males also can get between 7 to 9 inches in shell length.

[Caphits]

...A freezer will kill a turtle. Just so you know.

[theartbook35]

...A freezer will kill a turtle. Just so you know.

No, really, ya think?

This is only what I've heard, dude, I've never seen it.

I'm sure they try this method, lose turtles, and don't care at all.

(insert offensive insult to these breeders)

[TheComputerGremlin]

Actually Caphits, I read a news article (might have come from a link on here) about a year/year and a half ago, about a lady who has a tortoise rescue. Apparently whatever tortoises she has really have to hibernate, or bad things happen. Anywho, she didn't know what to do with them all, so she waits until they naturally hibernate from the weather getting cold, then she picks them up, wraps them in towels, and puts them in a fridge to hibernate. She opens the fridge door about once per week to change out the old air, and since they are hibernating, they don't breath a lot anyways.

Then in the spring, she checks more frequently and when she sees someone moving, she takes them out, and they go back to their habitat. It said she has over 50 that she does this with, and they are all healthy.

What some breeders supposedly do is keep their turtle stock in a fridge or chilly condition between shows to keep their metabolism way down and slow growth. That way, they can have a turtle for 1-2 years that remains only an inch or two long. People want to buy the little ones, after all.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Here's some links:

Woman and her tortoises
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... idges.html

Fridge hibernation
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/Refrigerator.htm

[theartbook35]

Actually Caphits, I read a news article (might have come from a link on here) about a year/year and a half ago, about a lady who has a tortoise rescue. Apparently whatever tortoises she has really have to hibernate, or bad things happen. Anywho, she didn't know what to do with them all, so she waits until they naturally hibernate from the weather getting cold, then she picks them up, wraps them in towels, and puts them in a fridge to hibernate. She opens the fridge door about once per week to change out the old air, and since they are hibernating, they don't breath a lot anyways.

Then in the spring, she checks more frequently and when she sees someone moving, she takes them out, and they go back to their habitat. It said she has over 50 that she does this with, and they are all healthy.

What some breeders supposedly do is keep their turtle stock in a fridge or chilly condition between shows to keep their metabolism way down and slow growth. That way, they can have a turtle for 1-2 years that remains only an inch or two long. People want to buy the little ones, after all.

The little ones are much cuter, of course, and not as intimidating as a four inch turtle. A little one means less responsibility to some people, for some ridiculous, stupid reason. And nobody ever wants to be burdened with taking good care of their pet, because that is just too logical and intelligent for some pet owners.

Note my satire/sarcasm.

[Caphits]

Well what I was saying is that if you freeze any reptile, they die. It is how people who do taxidermy humanly kill reptiles, because they just fall asleep from the cold, and feel no pain.

Theartbook35 had it right on the first reply. Couldnt say it better myself.

[marisa]

A refrigerator is very different from a freezer, the latter of which would kill. And freezing is not a humane way to kill an animal---there is pain as the cells burst. Some people do hiberate turtles in the refrigerator without problems, as long as they're being monitored.

Captive turtles typically grow 4 inches (or more---not good) in the first year, mainly due to the nutrient rich (often high protein) diet they receive. Growth is typically the fastest in the first 3 years and then slows down after that (but I don't think it can be neatly stated that they will grow an exact inch every year after that). Females ultimately will be larger than males.

[theartbook35]

Well what I was saying is that if you freeze any reptile, they die. It is how people who do taxidermy humanly kill reptiles, because they just fall asleep from the cold, and feel no pain.

Theartbook35 had it right on the first reply. Couldnt say it better myself.

I know, dude, I was kidding around with you. I've got some Long Island in me, after all. lol XD

I bet being frozen or chilled to death does hurt, and it's a very slow process, which I kind of don't like. Slow torture almost.

[TurtleKeeper48]

Captive turtles typically grow 4 inches (or more---not good) in the first year, mainly due to the nutrient rich (often high protein) diet they receive. Growth is typically the fastest in the first 3 years and then slows down after that (but I don't think it can be neatly stated that they will grow an exact inch every year after that). Females ultimately will be larger than males.

Thanks Marisa.

That’s the kind of general information I was looking for. I do totally understand that every individual case will be different.

I think my turtles will be especially hard to predict anyway. They are believed to be 4 years old, and they are 4” and 5”. I completely understand why they are behind on growth. Now, I’m wondering if that means they’ll always be small, or if they will “catch up”. I’m sure I’ll have a much better idea a few years from now (sounds like only time will tell).

[theartbook35]

Captive turtles typically grow 4 inches (or more---not good) in the first year, mainly due to the nutrient rich (often high protein) diet they receive. Growth is typically the fastest in the first 3 years and then slows down after that (but I don't think it can be neatly stated that they will grow an exact inch every year after that). Females ultimately will be larger than males.

Thanks Marisa.

That’s the kind of general information I was looking for. I do totally understand that every individual case will be different.

I think my turtles will be especially hard to predict anyway. They are believed to be 4 years old, and they are 4” and 5”. I completely understand why they are behind on growth. Now, I’m wondering if that means they’ll always be small, or if they will “catch up”. I’m sure I’ll have a much better idea a few years from now (sounds like only time will tell).

Chances are, they may end up being small, or, they will just take longer to reach full size.

My turtles have had about four quick growth spurts in the last year. They don't grow a huge amount, just a tiny bit. They've jumped from 1 1/2 and slightly less than 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches. They seem to grow pretty normal, and whether or not I get big turtles or little turtles doesn't really worry me. They're still my girlies, after all.

[marisa]

You're welcome.