Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Been awhile since I posted. Hope everyone is doing well.

Peabody turned 4 in April and wanted to check to see how
you think his growth is going. (too much or too little).

He is about 7" shell length and weighs in about 3 lbs. The
weight may be a little off because he doesn't fit on the
scale anymore. Time for a new one.

Also, for some reason this past year he has developed
more pyramiding that in the first few years combined. I
wouldn't say it's horrible but it does bother me. Is this
common?

Thanks
Linda G

That sounds pretty good for a 4 year old.
Last weekend I went to visit a 5 year old redfoot that I kept for 2 years that had started pyramiding noticeably. I kept her indoors; now she lives outside & the new growth is much smoother than what she experienced in my care. She's about 9 or 10" long.

that would allow him to be out year round. I just wanted
to make sure he was growing at a good rate.

Linda

I would say if your species is other than dwarf brazilian or venezualan that 4 years old he should be bigger, and alot heavier, I have 1.1 guyana that I have had for a year and a half and have no pyramiding and are 8 inches weighing in at 8 pounds 2 ounces. I would stick with feeding them collard, mustard, and turnip greens daily if not twice if he will eat that many times, and give him fruits like strawberries (they love strawberries), apples No seeds(can kill them they have natural Cyanide in them), and well you can give them spinach heads too. Do not give them packaged lettuce, lettuce contains high internal plant water that can cause intestinal upset, which is why guinea pigs usually die when you give them lettuce. its not bad but I stick with dark greens. They like endive too its an herb. Let me know if you need any other help/ Pyramiding is badd though very bad.

Kelly
G.R.E.E.N
Link

I don't agree that he should be bigger -- bigger is not better when raising torts!!! The reason the tort has some pyramiding is b/c he's being fed too much and growing too fast.

My redfoot is super healthy and he is 6" long at 9 years! His shell is not 100% smooth, but it's pretty good and I'm proud of it (I've had him since he was a hatchling). It should take 20 years or more to get to a foot. Slower is better. It is hard not to want to feed them a ton every day, but it's really important!