Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My yearling Redfoot, Rufus, weighed in yesterday at 144g. This is a little more than double his weight when he arrive early last year. Is this normal growth? Too fast? Too slow? He is a cutie don't you think?

While it is hard for me to tell just how 'big' he is from his weight, the growth on the carapace looks perfect for a captive raised redfoot (better than on the two I kept from last spring!).
How long is his carapace?
At any rate, I am sure his growth is faster than it would be in nature so don't worry. The danger is in raising them too fast.
Is this a Suriname redfoot?

Mine is 1 1/2 years and weighed in at 300 grams today. He is
a eating machine! I believe he was about 150 grams at that
age.

Very cute picture

Linda and Peabody

I still don't agree that there is a 'danger' in raising them 'too fast'. I guess only time will tell if this is fact or not. This is not to say I'm recommending that they be pumped up as fast as they can. I'm saying that there should be no concern as to the rate of growth. An animal raised in Florida is definately going to grow at a different rate than an animal in New York.
If you have an ideal environment and an ideal diet (open for another debate) you will get ideal growth, which some people believe is detrimental to the health of the animal. There does not seem to be any evidence to support this. There is a good deal of speculation that these critters have a 'programed' lifespan and I really don't think that is the case.
Ed

Rusus is not a Surinam to my knowledge. Just a plain Redfoot. I purchased two of them and lost one suddenly. No obvious symptoms of disease except death. That was a few months ago. He is not a hugh eater, at least not while I am watching. But I do offer him soaked Mazuri frequently and he loves it. Of course, the usual greens, collards and fruit. I purchase the mexican papaya and offer it frequently and it is also eaten with relish. My concern for him is that he grows appropriately and that his carapice doesn't show pyramiding. Almost everytime I look at him I pick him up and put him in his bowl for soaking. I am suspicious that his sibling didn't get soaked enough. At first I was afraid that they would get shell rot from soaking them too much. But now I don't hesitate to plop him down in his shallow bowl frequently. Sometimes he stays there a long while. Other times he just up and moves on. I personally think that soaking is the key to raising hatchlings of all species.

Don't change a thing but be careful with the onset of winter and the dipping of temperatures. That can sneek up on you.
Ed

If you have one, it would be awesome to see a picture of his whole body. Mine are about four months old now and I'd love to see the size difference. Thanks. Brooks

Here's another pic of Rufus. Taken the same day as the first one. He is on top of the fence surrounding the tortoise garden. The little board on top is about 4" wide. Other than that it is hard to compare just how large he is. Wish I had something in the pic to compare him with.