eh radiata got hi black ar?
i tot hi yellow je...
btw is there any possible where a tortoise is stunted??
eat as usual everything also usual....pee poo all normal...eating like pig..
but will nvr grow since day 1...owner have it bout a year d...

This post has been edited by lessilly: Mar 10 2009, 12:55 PM

Ya possible and 2 outcome

- Die all of a sudden without notice

- Sudden growth some day after 1 yr of no growth ie soon !!

Scutes got fused togather and thus cant grow !! (prolong non-feeding or reduced feeding for a long time ie transport , neglect ...etc)

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My view only as seen a few of those somewhere !!!

This post has been edited by SAMPERTH: Mar 10 2009, 01:25 PM

thx for the info...

how about this one SAM?this is my friend's ST..he bought it from someone who didnt know how to care ST.when he bought it,this ST really small,n previous owner said they didnt grow since he buy it.almost one year i think..but when my friend keep it,they grow very fast,and after one year,one of his ST show this thing..dunno what cause it..

deform shell i think.

[attachmentid=840210]

I was waiting for pictures !! Drawings are a bit hard to explain !!!

Classic example of what I meant of the "fused scutes " in red !!

New growth in green !!

* No growth with previous owner for 1 year , new sudden growth the next year !!

May or may not be as normal but hey it made it so far with so many new growth !!

This post has been edited by SAMPERTH: Mar 10 2009, 10:53 PM

i see,i see..thanx for ur help SAM..its really good answer i think..hope he will be ok..thanx again..

The tort is mine, i name it Ribeena and if it a guy then it will be Sunquick, Thanks for the answer Sam and thanks Sclakerz for helping , hope the scute will defuse someday , lolz

This post has been edited by Skatila: Mar 10 2009, 11:28 PM

yeah,the owner come out already..nvrmind,ur ribena n sunquick grew really fast..but cannot surpass mine yet..kwah3.

Just two ends of a spectrum..extreme yellow and extreme black...most ppl prefer hi yellow (including me) but once you have got some nice hi yellow or s.h. yellow u tend to want an extreme black specimen to pair off but of course YMMV....

More poison below
Hi dome, when it grows bigger, it shld get more black with thinning of the radiating lines

Oddly enough, I have seen a few deformed carapace pattern, some even with extra scutes...the one u have seems as Sam mentioned fused...the areolae are stuck together as 1 clump...sad...but consider it unique as a consolation

If ur torts dont seem to be growing, pls think about parasites(internally) as they get it very easily...give them some fenbendazole for deworming or metronidazole for parasite infestation...

If u want to be more evidence based, u can consult a vet for diagnostics through faecal samples microscopy...

Also next train of thought is: enough calcium onot in your diet? They need high calcium and a Cal:phosphorus >2:1
meaning if you read the tortoisetrust articles(which I have most of them)..the higher the ratio the better...give them calcium carbonate supplement tablets crunched and sprinkled to their food twice a week. But bear in mind if they havent been eating those powder b4, they wont like it and will only eat a few bites..so starve them 1-2 days and then feed them..give them some sunlight for VitD3 synthesis and calcium absorbtion....I still have doubts as to how good those UVA/UVB artificial light can be but i do use them too...

Rmbr to weigh them now and 3-6 mths down the line to ensure weight gain. Failure to thrive is a paediatric term but I would use it for them in this context and it can end up like what experienced keepers say...dead suddenly...hope ur ST thrives!

Cheers

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Added on March 11, 2009, 12:57 amEven amongst stars, there are some very nice ones around..especially the hi yellow STs...even better if the hi yellow ST has very balanced and symmetrical pyramiding(collector's item!). My friend has got one like that but not for sale..very thick white-cream lines with balanced pyramiding. Note that ST are well known to have a genetic basis for pyramiding...some do pyramid even with Fife's moisture theory eventually if the genes predominate over environmental factors but then the pyramiding pattern will be symmetrical and balanced, turning them into a nice and unique looking tort which is healthy.

On the other hand, poor diet and too arid/dry an environment can also stimulate pyramiding but most tend to look ugly and deformed(flat and outta shape) with gross asymmetry and the tort is usually veering towards illness and the like.

Example of what a friend has but nfs...if anyone has this kind of ST, kindly update thru pm
Pls note it must be hi yellow/cream with balanced pyramiding...thin lines and deformed pyramids are not so collectible(as mentioned above).

This post has been edited by Omegaminx: Mar 11 2009, 12:59 AM

got ques to ask
y my sulcata (3.5inch) always hv water at his nose there??
when i bought it ady like tt...
is flu ithink..
i but it under 70walt bulp around 3mths ady still haven recover..
n usually this size of sulcata how much does it eat??

i think thats RNS..my ST also have it when i bought it..there's many ways to overcome that problem and maybe a lot of senior here can teach u that..but IMO,just go to vet,easy but must sacrifice ur money la..LOL..

Yup, RNS...if sunbathing and your heat lamps don't seem to be doing the trick...perhaps you shld seek a vet review. It will likely need enrofloxacin(baytril)..try nasal route first unless your vet is pro at injecting. Other options to try would be using gentamicin-dexa eyedrops or co-use with the baytril for lasting effect..this is documented in one of chelonian sites. I do have something else that works as good as baytril...though you may want to try the standard approach first using the above info.

Cheers bro!

i go put my turtles aquarium at the outside of my house...lol..save money..

ho3,they can basking everyday sumore..

and with healthy shell..

but putting ur aquarium outside expose to the sunlight can encourage the growth of algae..for me,its just nice,i mean look natural,but not everyone like it..some people dont like green water or algae that stick at the aquarium surface.

Any link for sulcata guide?

http://www.chelonia.org/

You can use uv filter to eliminate that algae