Other Turtle Discussion :: growth spurts

[College_Turtle]

my turtle is over a year old and is like 5 inchs long maybe longer now. i don't see pyrimiding or anything bad like but how on earth can i slow her growth down?
i try to keep my parents from over feeding but they feed her every day.
Im getting ready to buy a 20 gal tank for heras i just got the money for it will that help her some?

[jenaero]

Mine are 1 year old and 5 inches too. I found out my husband was feeding them without telling me. I've cut the feedings down to twice a week with lots of veggies in between. In the last few months they don't seem to have grown much at all.

If you're already saving for an upgrade, think 60 gallons or more.

[marisa]

The 5 inch length is the shell length down the back only and doesn't include the curve of the shell? If so, this is really big for a turtle just over a year old(?) and not healthy. As a guide, think 10 gallons of tank per inch of shell length--if your turtle is as big as you say as measured above, s/he should be in at least a 50 gallon tank.

How much is your turtle being fed at one time? For pellets feed only an amount that would fit into the head about 3X a week. Discourage your parents from feeding more than this/more often. Tell them they are going to shorten your turtle's life--overfeeding, besides contributing to pyramiding, puts a strain on the internal organs, especially the kidneys. Try to get your turtle to eat more vegetation--you can offer some daily (read about what is good to give in the feeding forum). (As a last resort, and if it won't cause problems, is it possible to move your turtle to only where you can feed him or even use a screen with a lock on it?)

What is the water and basking area temp? If they're too warm (water can be 75-76F and basking area high 80's-90F), this will encourage growth as well. It does sound, though, that overfeeding is the problem and you'll have to try to convince your parents how bad it is for your turtle (just like overeating is bad for humans) and cut down on feeding portions and frequency. Your turtle will be healthier for it.

[steve]

If you have other people feeding your turt, or are having a hard time keeping track of it, sort out the pellets a head of time by using a pill box. Tell them only to feed the turt what's in the pill box for the appropriate day and if they want to give into the begging, let them offer veggies.

[College_Turtle]

its hard to tell them not to i've said it several times she moves around a lot she's not sluggish or anything 60 is a bit out of my reach right now unless i find one somewhere cheap.
i know she's not sick because inthe mornings she gets excited when we turn the light on and she splashes the water.
maybe if a vet says it to them they will listen

[marisa]

Try to find a used tank (classifieds, garage sales, www.freecycle.org or www.craigslist.org )--places like that. (The Salvation Army in the town next where I live has a wonderful 55 gallon tank that can be had for $49.99--and that includes a nice, sturdy screen. I don't know tank prices, but that sounds fairly reasonable.)

[VolleyG124]

I have a question about the size of my turtle. I got Frisky a month or two ago, I won him at a fair. He is a little over an inch long. I was just wondering how long it will take for him to grow. Thanks for the info.
Mel

[Brianthedog18]

It ranges GREATLY from turtle to turtle. They grow very fast but you can never tell how fast. Seeing how you won him at a fair, I am going to guess he's not in the best of health, so I strongly suggest you look through this site and get everything you need as soon as possible. I'm glad you found this site, it helps a lot, as it's taught me everything I need to know about taking care of my beautiful RES. Good luck with your res, and let us know how things go with him.

And by the way, Welcome to the forum!

[sonyj]

As Brian pointed out it does range greatly from turtle to turtle, but there are several factors to consider as well. Growth depends on their diet. If they don't have a well balanced diet, besides health problems you can expect this to influence his growth. Overfeeding or feeding foods high in protein can cause him to grow too fast. Also poor living conditions may effect how they grow. Water that is too warm can cause them to grow too fast as well. Between 2-3 inches in length(SCL) is a good length for a turtle at 1 year and an inch a year after that is a good growth rate. But as all people are different, so are turtles and you may come across one that just grows faster than normal or slower than normal depending on their gentic structure.

[JessicaTS]

It is a good idea to measure your turtle monthly, not only the lenght but weight as well. Keep records of how the turtle is gaining or losing. This could be the best way to determine and make sure that your turtle is growing at a healthy rate.

[VolleyG124]

I feed him baby turtle food, twice a day. He eats maybe 3-4 pellets both in the morning and at night. He is in a small cage right now, but I am working on getting him a bigger cage. Thanks for all of your responses.
Mel
and Frisky

[sonyj]

RES should be fed once a day the amount of pellets that will fit inside their head. And after a year old then feed them that amount every other day. Offer them veggies daily/everyother day as well.

By "cage" you mean tank filled with water, right? Just checking, many people at first do not realize just how much water RES need/like. They are aquatic turtles and love to swim.

[VolleyG124]

It's a very small tank with water, but I take him out every day for a few hours to swim in my sink. I also just bought him a kiddie pool to swim in, and am in the process of setting it up. What kind of veggies are good to feed him? I tried giving him watermelon but he did not seem interested in it.
Mel

[sonyj]

There's a list of what to feed your RES under the feeding and nutrition section at the top. Also there is a what not to feed your turtle. Many people feed romaine, green leaf, and red leaf lettuce, shredded carrots, escarole, radicchio, squash and many other yummy veggies. Fruit should only be given once a month. Foods high in protein should be given on a limited basis as well (feeders, crickets, worms, shrimp, krill etc) Feeding too much protein too often will cause fast growth and health problems. It's important for them to have a balanced diet so offer veggies daily even if he doesn't take to them right away.

Placing him in the sink may not be a great idea. If there is any soap residue at all, it can seriously harm him or kill him. Soap residue is extremely hard to rinse of so be very careful. And remember to always disinfect the sink after he's been in there for your safety as well. If you put him in another container such as the sink or kiddie pool, be sure that the temp is the same as the tank(78 degrees for hatchlings,75 for older turtles with the basking area around 90).

Remember to plan ahead when making purchases such as tank/filter/heater etc. Ten gallons of tank per inch of turtle should be the minimum size tank and as he grows his home should also. RES can grow to be 6-9 if an adult male or 10-12 inches if adult female. Buy as large of a tank as you can now to save money on the upgrading costs as he grows.

[steve]

Is the kiddie pool indoors? It's too cool to put them outdoors in NY...