General Care Discussion :: How quickly should I expect turtles to grow.

[zuse]

I'm not sure yet whether I have males or females, but here's my question:

In your experience, how fast do these turtles grow? For example, how big should they be if you got them as silver-dollar sized 6 months later. A year later? Etc.

Thanks.

[sonyj]

Their growth depends on a number of things, overfeeding, genetics, poor habitat etc.

If they are healthy and have a well-balanced, correct diet you can base it around this general growth suggestion: At/around a year 3 inches is considered good growth. One inch per year after that is considered good growth, but they do grow a little more than that when they are younger. Slow and steady growth is what you should strive for. Overfeeding (especially foods with protein- pellets, live foods, krill/shrimp) will lead to fast growth that can cause health and shell problems. Also, water that is too warm (above 78 for a hatchling, above 75 for older turtles) will lead to faster growth.

Hope this helps... just focus on having the correct habitat set up for them and a well-balanced diet.

[zuse]

How old are the ones I have now: they're a little over 1.5 inches.

[Turtleboy]

in the month since i've gotten him, feeding him daily pellets (not over feeding) and veggies he's grown 40 mm

[fishandcandy]

How old are the ones I have now: they're a little over 1.5 inches.

Unless you know when it was born, there's no way to tell the age.

[camee1991]

I have a question about that also? My RES "Tobi" girl is only 2 1/2 and was like half-dollar sized when we got her and she is about or over 6" long and 5" wide....I think she is humungous for her age; but vet says she looks healthy. I fed her daily when she was a baby. Pellets, and dried shrimp. Now I feed every other day. She eats pellets and turtle bites as well as worms. Not all at once of course. But she loves em all. I just wonder if she is wayyyyy to big???

[sonyj]

Are you giving her any plant matter and veggies daily? Too much protien will cause fast growth and health/shell problems in the long run. How often and how much do you feed her these things? How long have you had her?

[camee1991]

HI! Thanks for your response. Ive had her since she was about half dollar size (pretty young I guess) . I dont give plant matter, but give reptomin pellets now and aquatic turtle food with some homecooked no salted or buttered veges when we eat em, but not as her diet. She gets worms also. She gets fed once every other day. When she was a baby I did what "I was told" whether wrong or right and fed her daily in a tub for 15 minutes. what she could eat of her floating sticks and dried baby shrimp daily. Then at a little over a year I changed to once every other day. Other than being large her shell is sorta lumpy, not bad just uneven. It doesnt seem to hinder her in any way and I see no rot or fungus. ?! She is just my monster RES I suppose?!

Cam

[DanielRES1180]

Looks like you have a light case of pyramiding. I wonder if it still harms them if they have a light case of pyramiding, not the severe case where the whole shell is obviously bumpy. Mine have a slightly pyramided shell, but it's only visible if you look closely. Does it still harm them?

[camee1991]

My vet has seen her and seems to think maybe the "pyramiding" (as I havent heard it called that before, but seems appropriate) is pretty normal for a faster growing turtle. Only if I knew the reason for such fast growth?! lol