No, we (lots of us) just love these guys. I don’t like a lot of the treatment I hear about torts. I’ve had my Mali 🇲🇱 since 2018. She was found in the gas fields in South Dakota. She was about 40 lbs vs now she’s 65 lbsI've brought 6 tortoises into my home off of Craigslist... 4 Russians and 2 Hingebacks.
The Russians all still live with me, I kept the Hingebacks until they were healthy and eating and then shipped them to people already working with breeding groups of, and more experience with, them.
I keep an eye on my local craigslist for tortoises, particularly the more esoteric or exotic types, so that I can keep them out of the hands of muttonheads and either invite them to join my creep or live with them a while and then move them along to someone better suited to long-term living with them.
This is all leading up to a listing I saw today for an Aldabra hatchling a few hours away from me. I initially assumed it was a scam but in texting with the guy I'm considering the possibility it's legit.
1) he answered my questions with knowledgeable responses about their feeding and care
2) when I asked him for a pic of the tortoise with a random item I'd picked, he seemed confused/amused, but sent the pic of his tortoise with a metal spoon within a minute
3) he asked me to call him to discuss the tortoise
View attachment 357185
I'm tempted to make the drive and get the tort, just to keep it out of the hands of someone who cannot actually take care of it, and then figure out who to move it along to within a year (before it gets huge).
Am I crazy, or stupid, or gullible, or all three?
Jamie
Great name!No, we (lots of us) just love these guys. I don’t like a lot of the treatment I hear about torts. I’ve had my Mali 🇲🇱 since 2018. She was found in the gas fields in South Dakota. She was about 40 lbs vs now she’s 65 lbs
Thanks, I'll probably err on the side of caution unless it's sunny....If it's windy, cloudy and rainy, I'd say no, not until he's bigger. But if it's sunny and 75, he should be fine, he likely will be much warmer than the air temp as he will attract the sun/heat.
Wish@Aldabraman would answer on this one.
I know my adults can withstand a lot colder temps than the 80 but, they are of course bigger and have a heated hide to go into.
In the direct sun in my Russian's outdoor enclosure it's usually at least 10° higher than the air temperature close to the ground. I don't know much about aldabras or the babies. But as much real direct sunlight as you can get seems like the best choice to me before winter. Even if it's only an hour or two. It also seems like that's what they would do in the wild to store up for the winter months. Maybe it's a stupid answer but it's just my thoughts.😊Possibly Stupid Question:
I'm working from home tomorrow and was hoping to get Dozer outdoors for some time in his outside enclosure, but it's not going to be as warm as I generally keep him.
I keep his inside enclosure between 80-95 degrees generally, and have previously brought him outside on days when it's over 80 degrees, but tomorrow is going to be in the mid to upper 70s.
He's now nearly 6 inches and I'd love to get him outside for a warm and drizzly day if it's not going to risk his health... what are people's thoughts on my bringing him outside for a few hours of slightly lower temperatures?
Thanks,
Jamie
79 and rain isn't bad. We had rain all day but no sun and never got out of the high 60's. Luckily I got the winter shed all ready in time. Tuesday and Wednesday not going to be much better. Thursday is the start of another warm streak.The temp peaked this afternoon around 2pm at 79 with partial sun, so I put Dozer out for about an hour, ending the field trip when it started raining (although he seemed to enjoy being rained on for a few minutes while I watched him tromping around in the long grass in his outside enclosure).
Jamie
You are a very good person.I've brought 6 tortoises into my home off of Craigslist... 4 Russians and 2 Hingebacks.
The Russians all still live with me, I kept the Hingebacks until they were healthy and eating and then shipped them to people already working with breeding groups of, and more experience with, them.
I keep an eye on my local craigslist for tortoises, particularly the more esoteric or exotic types, so that I can keep them out of the hands of muttonheads and either invite them to join my creep or live with them a while and then move them along to someone better suited to long-term living with them.
This is all leading up to a listing I saw today for an Aldabra hatchling a few hours away from me. I initially assumed it was a scam but in texting with the guy I'm considering the possibility it's legit.
1) he answered my questions with knowledgeable responses about their feeding and care
2) when I asked him for a pic of the tortoise with a random item I'd picked, he seemed confused/amused, but sent the pic of his tortoise with a metal spoon within a minute
3) he asked me to call him to discuss the tortoise
View attachment 357185
I'm tempted to make the drive and get the tort, just to keep it out of the hands of someone who cannot actually take care of it, and then figure out who to move it along to within a year (before it gets huge).
Am I crazy, or stupid, or gullible, or all three?
Jamie