Accelerated growth in tortoises has traditionally been associated with potential health risks, however empirical evidence in the literature is lacking. In captivity, growth rates of tortoises are generally expected to exceed those of natural populations and the main cause is probably due to differences in diet. In the context of captive management programs for the purpose of reintroduction, diets that increase growth rates are deemed important because larger animals are less subject to predation and rapid growth permits earlier release, reducing overall cost and effort. To assess the influence of diet on growth and health of captive hatchling tortoises, we compared growth rates, sprint speeds, and blood chemistry parameters of gopher tortoise hatchlings reared on four different diets over a period of 168 days. Tortoises fed Mazuri brand tortoise diet or a mixture of horse feed and vegetables had significantly higher growth rates than those fed a mixture of supermarket greens. Calcium supplementation of supermarket greens had no effect on growth rate or sprint speed. Significant differences were also received in blood chemistry. The goal is to use this information to make recommendations that improve the success and feasibility of captive management programs.
","abstract_html":"<p>Accelerated growth in tortoises has traditionally been associated with potential health risks, however empirical evidence in the literature is lacking. In captivity, growth rates of tortoises are generally expected to exceed those of natural populations and the main cause is probably due to differences in diet. In the context of captive management programs for the purpose of reintroduction, diets that increase growth rates are deemed important because larger animals are less subject to predation and rapid growth permits earlier release, reducing overall cost and effort. To assess the influence of diet on growth and health of captive hatchling tortoises, we compared growth rates, sprint speeds, and blood chemistry parameters of gopher tortoise hatchlings reared on four different diets over a period of 168 days. Tortoises fed Mazuri brand tortoise diet or a mixture of horse feed and vegetables had significantly higher growth rates than those fed a mixture of supermarket greens. Calcium supplementation of supermarket greens had no effect on growth rate or sprint speed. Significant differences were also received in blood chemistry. The goal is to use this information to make recommendations that improve the success and feasibility of captive management programs.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Erickson, Matthew"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Biology (M.S.)","degree_level":"Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)","degree_discipline":"Department of Biology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Denison McLain","Lance McBrayer"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2015-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:28:22Z","subjects":["ETD","Gopherus polyphemus","growth rate","nutrition","blood chemistry","captive","conservation","Animal Sciences","Biology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1261","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Denison McLain","Lance McBrayer"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Erickson, Matthew"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2015-04-15T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Department of Biology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Biology (M.S.)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["ETD","Gopherus polyphemus","growth rate","nutrition","blood chemistry","captive","conservation","Animal Sciences","Biology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1261"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Accelerated growth in tortoises has traditionally been associated with potential health risks, however empirical evidence in the literature is lacking. In captivity, growth rates of tortoises are generally expected to exceed those of natural populations and the main cause is probably due to differences in diet. In the context of captive management programs for the purpose of reintroduction, diets that increase growth rates are deemed important because larger animals are less subject to predation and rapid growth permits earlier release, reducing overall cost and effort. To assess the influence of diet on growth and health of captive hatchling tortoises, we compared growth rates, sprint speeds, and blood chemistry parameters of gopher tortoise hatchlings reared on four different diets over a period of 168 days. Tortoises fed Mazuri brand tortoise diet or a mixture of horse feed and vegetables had significantly higher growth rates than those fed a mixture of supermarket greens. Calcium supplementation of supermarket greens had no effect on growth rate or sprint speed. Significant differences were also received in blood chemistry. The goal is to use this information to make recommendations that improve the success and feasibility of captive management programs.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Influence of Diet on Growth and Health of Captive Hatchling Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus)"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Denison McLain","Lance McBrayer"],"dc:creator":["Erickson, Matthew"],"dc:date.available":["2015-04-15T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Accelerated growth in tortoises has traditionally been associated with potential health risks, however empirical evidence in the literature is lacking. In captivity, growth rates of tortoises are generally expected to exceed those of natural populations and the main cause is probably due to differences in diet. In the context of captive management programs for the purpose of reintroduction, diets that increase growth rates are deemed important because larger animals are less subject to predation and rapid growth permits earlier release, reducing overall cost and effort. To assess the influence of diet on growth and health of captive hatchling tortoises, we compared growth rates, sprint speeds, and blood chemistry parameters of gopher tortoise hatchlings reared on four different diets over a period of 168 days. Tortoises fed Mazuri brand tortoise diet or a mixture of horse feed and vegetables had significantly higher growth rates than those fed a mixture of supermarket greens. Calcium supplementation of supermarket greens had no effect on growth rate or sprint speed. Significant differences were also received in blood chemistry. The goal is to use this information to make recommendations that improve the success and feasibility of captive management programs.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1261"],"dc:subject":["ETD","Gopherus polyphemus","growth rate","nutrition","blood chemistry","captive","conservation","Animal Sciences","Biology"],"dc:title":["Influence of Diet on Growth and Health of Captive Hatchling Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus)"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Department of Biology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Biology (M.S.)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:28:22Z"}