Posted by:
StephF
at Thu Jan 18 19:59:20 2007 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by StephF ]
It isn't unusual for this sort of thing to happen: all it takes is for one hatchling to be a little more aggressive about eating, and another to be a little too intimidated by the others. It happens here frequently, and I have several examples of that here right now with my easterns.
What I do if this starts to happen is I will put the largest in a setup by itself, if I see that it is bullying the others (sometimes I separate them anyway because the small ones can be intimidated by a much larger setup-mate), and I will put the smallest in its own setup so that it no longer has competition. This typicaly results in the 'runts' getting more to eat, undisturbed, and they then will put on some size and weight at a faster rate than before.
Another consideration is this: I have found that the hatchlings that start eating earliest in life start growing earlier and faster and never really look back. The hatchlings that are reluctant eaters those first few days or weeks of life just don't catch up (in size) with their larger siblings until later in life. They eventually get there, though.
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RE: Baby box turtle growth question - StephF, Thu Jan 18 19:59:20 2007