Niki and Terry . . .

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Posted by Lisa and Virgil on July 15, 2001 at 15:22:56:

In Reply to: Re: Terry... posted by Terry on July 15, 2001 at 01:41:24:

:
: Niki.
: Hoku is the sickly sulcata that I took in.
: He was very weak and ill at that time, but soon improved.

: He will be a year old in September, and is around 3".Sulcatas are around 2" as hatchlings and should grow at the rate of at most around 2" a year.Reaching adult size at around 15 years of age.
: So although a bit small, she/he's not totally of the scale.If she/he only grew an inch each year till adult hood, she'd still be 18" fully grown.
: Not the biggest sulcata in history, but still not too small.

: Even amoung the same clutch, clutchmates can grow at very different rates.
: He/she is eating, is active and healthy but has a slow growth rate. But as long as he/she is eating, showing growth and is healthy, I'm not at all worried.

: My daughter is almost 11, but wears a size 5-6! Shoe size 1-2!
: She isn't a dwarf or failing to thrive, she's just a little short and petite for her age.

: Just an inch or so shorter than her friends of the same age, but very slim.

: In every way she's absolutely heathy, but slim and a bit shorter than her class mates.

: True Virgil and Hoku could be failing to thrive, which does happen. Only time can tell and if they're still 3" at two years of age, we'll know pretty much for sure!
: But in cases like that there's nothing to be done.

: Or many times smaller torts have a sudden growth spurt and catch up a bit.
: But as long as they're healthy, active, eating, growing and heavy all is good.
: Terry.

Thank goodness I have people watching out for Virgil. If what I was told by LLL is correct, Viril was also born in September. He does feel solid and eats and poops like a fiend and is very active. The most noticeable way I see his growth is based on a 3 x 3 post it note. When I first got him you could see a 1/2 inch margin all the way around him. Now all I see are the corners of the post it sticking out around his round body. His shell is smooth as a baby's behind. He was weighed at the vet and who knows how accurate that was. I did buy my own scale but it tends to give different weights based on its location on my kitchen counter. It's hard to hit the exact same spot each time. I truly appreciate your concern and opinions. Do no hesitate to question me if something does not seem right. I will not be offended. Thanks again.

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Re: Niki and Terry . . . Terry 07/15/01 (0)

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: : : : Niki. : : Hoku is the sickly sulcata that I took in. : : He was very weak and ill at that time, but soon improved. : : He will be a year old in September, and is around 3".Sulcatas are around 2" as hatchlings and should grow at the rate of at most around 2" a year.Reaching adult size at around 15 years of age. : : So although a bit small, she/he's not totally of the scale.If she/he only grew an inch each year till adult hood, she'd still be 18" fully grown. : : Not the biggest sulcata in history, but still not too small. : : Even amoung the same clutch, clutchmates can grow at very different rates. : : He/she is eating, is active and healthy but has a slow growth rate. But as long as he/she is eating, showing growth and is healthy, I'm not at all worried. : : My daughter is almost 11, but wears a size 5-6! Shoe size 1-2! : : She isn't a dwarf or failing to thrive, she's just a little short and petite for her age. : : Just an inch or so shorter than her friends of the same age, but very slim. : : In every way she's absolutely heathy, but slim and a bit shorter than her class mates. : : True Virgil and Hoku could be failing to thrive, which does happen. Only time can tell and if they're still 3" at two years of age, we'll know pretty much for sure! : : But in cases like that there's nothing to be done. : : Or many times smaller torts have a sudden growth spurt and catch up a bit. : : But as long as they're healthy, active, eating, growing and heavy all is good. : : Terry. : Thank goodness I have people watching out for Virgil. If what I was told by LLL is correct, Viril was also born in September. He does feel solid and eats and poops like a fiend and is very active. The most noticeable way I see his growth is based on a 3 x 3 post it note. When I first got him you could see a 1/2 inch margin all the way around him. Now all I see are the corners of the post it sticking out around his round body. His shell is smooth as a baby's behind. He was weighed at the vet and who knows how accurate that was. I did buy my own scale but it tends to give different weights based on its location on my kitchen counter. It's hard to hit the exact same spot each time. I truly appreciate your concern and opinions. Do no hesitate to question me if something does not seem right. I will not be offended. Thanks again.

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