Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, first time here at the ol' Turtle Forum-

Being the reptile person that I am- in the spring I recieved a small (half dollar sized) slider as a present- Nowadays he is doing great. My question is this- He has yet to seem to grow... is this normal?

Thanks in advance
-Scott

There could be many reasons. Do you have a proper tank setup providing the necessary UV light (both UVA and UVB) and warmth? The tank might be too small, the water too cold, and simply not enough nutritious food.

Well he is half/dollar sized in a 10 gallon tank currently. Water temp is 78 F and a basking lamp (40watt) with temps of 93 F which he spends most of his day. he has a 18" Desert UVB above the whole tank. Diet consist of: Pellets every other day and small crickets once or twice a week. I also have a few guppies swimming around in his water.

....only stupid people (JUST KIDDING!)
After many years and hundreds of turtles, I have found that even siblings, raised under identical conditions can show wide variation in growth. I used to think that the swimming/exercise area avialable influenced bony shell development in aquatic species, but now I am not so sure. I have turtles that advanced quickly from hatchling to adult and others who remained stunted in spite of an optimal diet, rich in calcium.

i have the same experiece. I think that though there are many factors that retard growth, in optimal conditions it is impossible to know what other (genetic) factors accelerate growth in certain individuals. I only worry now if a smaller one is stressed out, picked on, or not getting to the food.