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Post Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 3:01 pm   New member and already have a problem!

Hi everyone! I am now an official member of the site even though I have been following it for a long time. If it weren't for you guys, then I wouldn't have a clue what to do with my little guys!

I got two turtles in October of last year. Their names are Minnie and Myrtle and their shells were about the size of a quarter. I set up their tank with some advice from a Petco worker, and things seemed fine. In December, I noticed that Minnie seemed to have trouble breathing, so I took her into the reptile vet. She had a nasty respiratory infection that required her to be kept over night, and then I had to administer shots to her for another week. During her follow-up appointment, though, things had cleared up and she was fine! At this point in time, both turtles had grown to the size of a half dollar.

With the help of the vet and this wonderful website! I was armed with the knowledge to set their tank up better to prevent any future health complications. Things have been great! They are happy, healthy and very active. And Minnie even seems to be a bit of a mama's girl after being handled so much and taken care of during her illness.

However, it's been several months, and Minnie has not seemed to have grown since this incident. Meanwhile, Myrtle has doubled in size! Minnie eats well and acts fine, but I wonder why she is still so tiny while the other one seems to be steadily growing.

I don't know if this is related to her illness, but it seemed like she was growing before she was sick and hasn't grown since. I worry about her. I don't know what is normal. Any input?
nfnsprite
 
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Post Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 5:00 pm   

One may be a male and one a female. Our two sliders (male and female) were bought at the same time and three years later they are 3 inches apart in size. Make sure the smaller one is not getting shortchanged during feeding time. You could always feed them separately to be sure. Maybe Minnie is a Mickey, therefore slower growth.
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RES Tampa
 
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Post Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 5:30 pm   

The turtle is eating, active and healthy? Does she get the same amount of food as the bigger one? (Does the bigger one take any of her food if they eat together?) What are you feeding them?

Just curious, but what were the shots that she was given? Baytril?

It would be good if you started keeping a record of their weights and sizes, measuring and weighing them monthly at the same time/day each month. You can get a kitchen food scale for this purpose if you don't have one. It's possible that the other one is growing so fast that the growth of the smaller one seems less than it really is.

I'd pay particular attention to your turtle's weight--you want to see a steady weight gain from month to month, not a huge increase from month to month, but a steady one.
"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." -Antoine de Saint Exupery-
marisa
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Post Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 5:43 pm   

Yes, I was actually concerned that my bigger turtle may be stealing all the food, so a while back, I started feeding them separately. They have a pretty good diet--I give them turtle sticks once a day in the morning, and make sure they have plenty of leafy greens throughout the day. I mix up the type of greens--sometimes baby romaine lettuce, sometimes mustard greens, sometimes collard greens, etc. And they get a pinch of fruit once a month, which they really enjoy.

Minnie appears to be doing fine. She swims a lot, basks often and swims over to the side of the tank to see me when I walk over to them. She seems to have a lot of energy. I'm not sure what kind of medicine the vet put her on while she was sick. I can't remember, but I've saved the records and will look them up when I get home from work.

It's a good idea to weigh them though. I've never had turtles before so I don't know what's normal. I don't know if my larger turtle is, in fact, growing too quickly. It's hard to tell.

Also, it is true that maybe they are different sexes? How can I tell?
nfnsprite
 
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Post Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 5:51 pm   

They're usually sexable when their shell lengths (from the scute behind the neck down to the one above the tail, not including the curve of the shell) are about 4 inches.
"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." -Antoine de Saint Exupery-
marisa
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Post Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 10:32 pm   

The males nails will grow much longer and the females shorter and conversely the females will grow physically larger than the males. Look thru the forum for other sex determination topics.
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RES Tampa
 
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Post Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 9:55 am   

Welcome to the board, I read about someone else having the same situation, one turtle grew faster than the other, I don't think they ever found a reason for it, if they did, they didn't post it.

I too think that sex is a factor too, since males are smaller than females. :D
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STRAYKINGFISHER
 
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Post Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 10:18 am   

With my 3 turtles, they all grew at different rates. There's about an 1" difference from the largest to the smallest at this point. Got them all the same time, were all the same size. I think the largest is a female and the other 2 are males. So ... I think that's why .. they've had the same living conditions.** Although I think the largest use to shove the smallest out of the way for food but I started feeding them separately now, so he gets his share.. :)

**Well up until Scooter went to live with flutterby that is :)
Carol
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cam722
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Post Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 1:08 pm   

Hey everyone!
Thank you SO much for all of your input and expertise. i feel much better now about my mis-matched turtles! i'm going to buy a scale over the weekend to be able to keep better track of their growth. and if Minnie still seems to not be growing at all, then i think a trip to the vet could be in order. I'll keep you all posted on their progress and whether or not I find out anything interesting.

Thanks guys!
nfnsprite
 
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Post Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 12:00 pm   

Just an update:

I took my little turtle to the vet yesterday. And the vet noticed from his records that he hadn't grown at all since December. He has been diagnosed with a "developmental disorder," which is something that he was born with and causes him to not really grow and be more susceptible to illness.
nfnsprite
 
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Post Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 12:06 pm   

Oh no :( I'm sorry to hear that. Is it treatable?

27 Turtles. 6 Tortoises.
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JessicaTS
 
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Post Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 12:23 pm   

No it's not. but they said I have been doing a really good job with him. He is doing fine. I just wanted to share that because I'd never heard of such a thing. Maybe that info can help someone else figure out what is wrong with their little guy.
nfnsprite
 
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Post Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 12:34 pm   

I'm glad he is doing okay. I haven't heard that either :( Keep us updated on how he is moving along

27 Turtles. 6 Tortoises.
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JessicaTS
 
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Post Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 5:31 pm   

I've never heard of such a thing either, but I suppose it exists with turtles as with other animals/humans. Did the vet recommend any supplementation in the diet?
"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." -Antoine de Saint Exupery-
marisa
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Post Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 11:59 pm   

well I know children have that problem so I guess critters can too hey. sounds like you tend to em well and it will be healthy any oh how.
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