Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've had my sulcata tortoise for almost 6 months and he has not gained nor lost a single gram. He eats regularly on a diet of calcium dusted hibiscus leaves/flowers, dandelions, and rose petals. He also has a constant supply of orchard hay which he occasionally munches on (it is his substrate). Why isn't he growing, from everything I've read Sulcata's are known to be fast growers.. is his diet insufficient or does it just pertain to each individual tortoise? He is quite spoiled.. with daily baths and fresh food. He also has atleast 12 hours a day of UVB light.

Thanks!

Most people say that slow growth in captivity is a good thing, it'll help prevent pyramiding.
As long as he doesn't lose weight I don't think I'd worry about it.
BUT just to be safe....
Has he ever been parasite tested? We do that with our turtles at least once a year just to be certain they aren't infected. That's because they eat live prey.
Our sulcata lives outside, we test her monthly during the summer, just to be safe. That's because we have no idea what she might pick up off the ground where wild birds, reptiles, rabbits, & other animals get inside the fence.
She was positive for parasites a couple of years ago before she even had any symptoms.
Our tortoise has grown very quickly but she was already 12 inches long & 9 pounds when we adopted her, she was already too large to live indoors so in 4 years she's had the lawn with weeds in it to graze, that has caused her to put on 10 lbs each year.
She's been a wonderful pet.
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PHRatz