I decided I should measure JD today and bought some kitchen scales and ATTEMPTED to measure him in a way that was recommended but he was having none of it! I ended up roughly drawing a line either end of his shell so I have rough measurements at least! he weights 440g and is roughly 135mm, I've looked on a jacksons graph and I think it says that is average! I've been told that hes roughly 7 years of age but does anyone know if theres a way I could find out if this is correct?

No I'm afraid there is no way of telling exactly how old a tortoise is, only rough guestimates!!

Vivienne

oh ok! thanks anyway! also im a bit confused as ive looked on to different graphs and one says average and i think another says dangerously low! but i may just be reading the graph wrong, i never was good at science...

http://www.hermann-tortoise.co.uk/care%20sheets/jackson.htm

Ive looked again and i think he doesnt weigh enough for his size, when we first found him the garden centre said that it could be that he has been fed too much protein and it has made him grow before he was ready to? do you think that would make sense? or he could of just been wondering outside for a long time i guess! what should i feed him to fatten him up a bit?

Hiya,

I would be inclined to think JD's overall husbandry has not been good. The best thing to do is to grow him slowly from now on. Good quality low protein supplemented food is the best long-term solution. The Jackson ratio is a guide for hibernation only & personally I'd recommend you over-winter him this year as he does seem quite light for his scl. With a lot of tlc he'll gain weight slowly as they would in the wild and, although therewil be no repairing the plastron damage already done, the new growth with be far better and he'll benefit health-wise long-term

HTH
Darren

Hi,

I estimate 135mm to be around 5 inches but you did say this is a rough guess. The best way to measure them is to place them head first against a wall  making sure they are on a flat surface and measure from front to back straight (SCL).

If your tortoise has had a high protein diet then i wouldnt try to fatten him up too much, I have horsfields that are around 5 iches and weight 470-500g. I know these are a smaller species but if your tortoise is only 7 or around that age then its best not to over fed too much now.

Ali

Ok thankyou, I was going to over winter him anyway as we dont know where hes been or what hes been through so this has just confirmed it! I was told when we first found him that his plastron damage is irrepairable but can be prevented from getting worse. I will definately be weighing and measuring him frequently from now onwards and keep a close eye on his growth!

I tried to measure him that way like it says on the website but he was seriously having none of it! He was pushing himself back with his front legs I didn't realise how strong he could be! So I drew a rough line at the front and back of his shell and thats what I got the measurement from but he could be a few mm more as I had to do the line slightly to the right at the front to allow for his head as he was being so stubborn! He was great on the scales tho he just sat there! Infact I'd recommend the scales I bought as they are flat so I could just sit him straight on there! Half price in argos at the moment too!

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/8421526/c_1/1%7Ccat_10198386%7CKitchenware%7C10198499/Trail/searchtext%3ESCALES.htm

LOL - be firm but gentle

You've obviously got a fiesty one there

Darren

I weighed JD again today and he is now 540g!! I do hope hes not overweight now!!

Hi Unhindered,

Wow, that's 100g in six months, which is an awful lot. Did JD hibernate this year. When torts don't hibernate it is very easy for them to put on weight, even if you are trying to limit the amount you give them, because they aren't getting the exercise that they get outdoors. The classic rule is a weight gain of 1g - 3g per month, so really JD shouldn't have gained more than about 18g - 20g tops. I can't remember, was he underweight last September? You might have to do the tough love thing and feed him less (lots of people only feed six days a week). Enough leaves, etc. to cover his shell, once a day, is usually considered plenty. I know it's difficult -- I have a horsfield, and she will eat for England if I let her. And when they look at you with those lovely black eyes and give you that "all I ever did was love you, why are you starving me" look, it is very difficult to resist them .

Nina

He didn't hibernate no, we hadn't had him very long and didnt know his background and as he was underweight I thought it was best not to! He doesnt live with me at the moment as I am at uni he lives with my mum so I will pass this advice on to her! I will also weigh him more regularly to keep an eye on it! Thanks very much,

Charlotte

Hi Charlotte,

If you'd only had him a short time and didn't know his background, then you were right not to hibernate him. And if he was underweight, then his weight gain isn't as bad as it first looked. If he is OK on the Jackson Ratio now (and I think he is) then just aim for slow growth and he should be fine. Just to check -- I've forgotten what species JD is -- is he a species like and ibera or a hermanns that can be measured against the Jackson Ratio?

Nina