I've been raising russian torts for about 8 years, and have hatched a few over the last 3 years.

My first hatchling reached 4 inches by his 2nd birthday and was showing signs of sexual maturity. He is almost 3 yrs old now and closing in on 5 inches. I think he grew so fast because I over fed him. But he is showing no signs of pyramiding and seems to be very healthy.

But there were times when he did not grow much at all. Sometimes during cooler weather, even when indoors, his appetite would drop off and he would gain no weight for weeks at a time.

I have another hatchling that is about 9 months old. I have fed it much less and it seems to grow at a slower rate. It also seems to have a smaller appetite than my first tort.

So in my experience I've seen russians grow very fast, but that can be modified by environmental parameters and diet.

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