Hi, my 3 year old Horsfield, Brian, seems to fluctuate alot in weight. I got him in mid September last year when he was 8cm long and weighed 89g. He is still the same length and now weights 101g which I think is fine but within that time he has been up to 99g then back down to 91g then up and then down! I weigh him every 2 or 3 weeks first thing in the morning before I feed him. He eats quite well but is not a pig as it seems that most Horsfields are!  Also can I ask when people normally put their torts outdoors in the spring?

Thanks, Helen

Hi Helen,

Theres an saying that a wee and a poo can amount to 10% of a tortoises body weight (I haven't ever actually put this to the test and weighed any :) ) so its good to get in a routine for weighing where you weigh them at around the same time each week and if you weigh them after a bath, always weight them after a bath.

Also remember that with a very young tortoise a lot of energy is expended growing, the weight gain should be steady but there are times where all the reserves have been used by the tortoise deveoping its shell, muscles and organs.

As for when to let them outside in the spring, it really should be based on the temperature outdoors. By the end of March my larger tortoises can go out for a few hours after a warm up under a lamp but I'm in the South. There isn't a set temperature as such, a sunny day where you are comfortable outside in just a t shirt is a very rough guide. Your tortoise will soon let you know if its not enjoying itself, it'll hide away and try and dig in if the weathers not to its liking.

Thanks very much, am really looking forward to building his outdoor enclosure and seeing him in it