My 2 year old leopard tortoise won't grow.

by catherine
(Florida)

Hi, I bought 2 Leopard tortoises 2 1/2 years ago. They were about 2 months old when I 1st got them.

One is now over 6 inches big, but my other one whom is the same age is only about 3 inches. Infact my other baby leopards are just as big as her. She is a blonde leopard tortoise, she eats very well, very strong and seems extremely lively and healthy. I know leopards differ in their growth, but this is ridiculous, she is so tiny for her age. Oh, and she completely stops eating during winter,although I keep them inside with UV. Her stool is white during winter, propbably from eating her own fat. But she has a sensational appetite about 9 months out of the year. I live in Florida and the winters are short.
I am so baffled, she seems very healthy but all my babie tortoises are outgrowing her and she's going on 3 years old.

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Nov 01, 2016
 My Leopard Tortoise Won't Grow
by: Anonymous

I also have a baby leopard tortoise that I have had for almost a year now and he/she has not grown at all and remains about 4 or 5 inches or so. She has a healthy appetite, but does not grow. She also has been (was doing this at the pet shop as well) kind of lurching when she walks, as if the shell is too big and heavy for her body. When I bought her at the pet shop they said it was normal--that she needed to grow into her shell. But she has not grown at all as far as I can tell, since i brought her home.
Sep 12, 2015
 Leopard tortoise not growing
by: Anonymous

My hatchling Leo tort is 4 months old. She has not gained a single gram since I got her more than 3 months ago. She weighs 24 grams and her shell is perfectly smooth as it was at hatching, having not grown at all. Her shell is pliable like a hatchling and her plastron gives like she just rolled out of the egg. Her egg tooth is gone. She is light brown colored. Took to vet who said there are only two reasons why she would not grow. The first is that she's ill and so he had me give her antibiotic shots every 3 days for 30 days. The second reason would be parasites and so he had me worm her twice. These treatments have made no difference at all. She eats fine, she poops fine, she's active and walks outside eating clover, plantain and occasional grass. She eats organic spring mix too and gets a bath each day and also drinks from the water dish. She does like to sleep under the warm red light at night but other than that, she's perfectly normal. She comes alive in the sunshine and eats and walks about every day So my question is: are their dwarf torts? I got her a companion tort about the same age. When I got it however it weighs three times as much as she does. I am concerned that one will keep growing and mine will remain the size of a half dollar and I will not be able to keep them together. Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated.

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