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growth rates of different species

megalon Aug 16, 2008 04:54 PM

has anyone ever noticed the differences in growth rates in various species?what i mean is,when i got my red cheek and my salvinii,they were both roughly a month old,so were not much bigger than hatchlings.if you've seen hatchlings of both species,you can imagine the size difference.now,a couple months later,the red cheek is a little bigger than the salvinii,both turtles a hair over 2 1/2".they both get fed the same,at the same time,etc.kept in the exact same conditions,too-tanks are side by side.
my working theory is that because red-cheeks are so small at hatching,they are more vulnerable than hatchling salviniis,and thus have a faster metabolism so that they can grow faster.
anyone else wanna weigh in?
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1.1 cb spotted turtles (parker(f),stinky(m))
0.0.1 cb baby red cheek mud (pickles)
0.0.1 cb baby chiapas musk (chomper)
0.0.1 cb ally snapper (gamera)
1.0 cb homo sapien(kaelan,5)

"my name is inigo montoya...you killed my father.prepare to die."

Replies (3)

batrachos Aug 19, 2008 11:08 AM

I've never raised those two species, but a single turtle of each species is not much basis for a hypothesis. Different individuals from a single clutch often grow at rather different rates. I raised two hatchling sliders that were the same size when I got them; one soon was twice the size of its sibling.

mudmuskkev Aug 21, 2008 02:43 PM

interesting, what are you feeding them, i raised a razorback and a eastern mud togethor and the mud had the faster growth rate

megalon Aug 23, 2008 12:40 PM

i feed a mix of reptomin,wardley pellets,dried shrimp&krill,and occasional bits of raw chicken and pork(depends on what i make for dinner that night).i know some people freak out at the thought of feeding raw meats,but it's not like someone cooks for wild turtles,you know?i use the same mix for all my turtles,i love how the shrimp & krill bring out the colors in the red cheek and my spotteds.when the red cheek and the salvinii get bigger,i'm adding live crawdads and fiddler crabs to the mix,it never hurts to have free-swimming snacks around.
-----
1.1 cb spotted turtles (parker(f),stinky(m))
0.0.1 cb red cheek mud (pickles)
0.0.1 cb chiapas musk (chomper)
0.0.1 cb ally snapper (gamera)
1.0 cb homo sapien(kaelan,5)

"my name is inigo montoya...you killed my father.prepare to die."

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