Other Turtle Discussion :: How long does a small turtle start to grow.

[allanyong]

hi everyone i got a turtle of 2 inch 4 months ago i have been feeding it once in a day,it is still 2 inch until now, may know how long does a turtle need to grow?

[jenaero]

Slow growth is best. There is really no set rate of growth. Turtles in captivity are generally overfed which leads to rapid growth, which in turn leads to health problems. How much/what are you feeding each day? The recommended amount for pellets is the amount that would fit inside it's head (not including the neck) once daily up to a year old. Then feeding is every other day or sometimes less.

The ideal rate is for them to reach 3-4 inches in the first year, then an inch per year after.

[DavidY]

Turtles also require calcium for proper skeletal and shell growth. Make sure you have some type of calcium in your turtle's feeding regimen. You can use cuttlebone, calcium dusted crickets, high calcium leafy green vegetables, etc. Make sure you also provide a proper UVB light over their basking area since this is also essential for the turtle to metabolise the calcium. Failure to do both of these will cause stunted growth initially but will also lead to metabolic bone disease (MBD) which can be fatal.

[SpotsMama]

If, after three or four more months, you're still not seeing any growth, you should take him/her to a vet and have him/her checked for internal parasites.

[marisa]

Are you measuring the SCL (length of the carapace/top shell from behind the neck to above the tail and not including the curve of the shell)? The preferred size for a year-old RES can be anywhere in the range from 2 - 3.5 inches, so there is some latitude in size for a healthy turtle.

If your turtle is healthy--- is active, basks, and eats well, then it doesn't sound like you should be overly concerned. What are you feeding your turtle, how much at a feeding?

You could concretely see if your turtle is growing (or not) by weighing and measuring him monthly (at the same time each month, a small kitchen scale can be used to determine his weight) and keeping a record. You want to see slow, steady growth.

[kornygerm]

so, is it a big deal to have like big turtles?cause i take good care of my girls, but i dont think they will grow as big as some of the ones i have seen in the gallery, well at least for now.

[DavidY]

The guides on this website mention that overfeeding and too high temperatures can cause rapid growth which can be unhealthy in the long run for the turtles. It's best to stick to the general guideline of enough pellets to fit in the space of the turtle's head every other day and leafy green veggies daily.

[Tenodera]

Not meaning to steal your thread, but I was also wondering about a question about shell growth

How long does it take for the scutes to come off? Serra still has her baby scutes from when I got her... I can see bigger ones underneath the smaller scutes. There's also a layer of some kind of scute-like membrane between the baby scutes so I can't even see how colourful the new scutes underneath look!

[allanyong]

i have been feeding fresh prawns for my turtle. i normally feed a little bit only once a day.

[octpusgirl8]

Are you able to get turtle food in Singapore? Feeding only prawns will not give him all the things he needs in his diet. If you can, get him a good quality pellet like Reptomin. Also, try to start introducing him to some nice leafy greens. Have you checked out the nutrition page yet? It has lots of good info, here's the link: http://www.redearslider.com/index_nutrition.html