Proud new Daddy!

Kittivan

Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2017
Messages
65
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago
We got Kaci our new 6-month old Aldabra about a week ago and it has been non stop fun since. I don't know how or why I'm so attached to this little critter but I can't get enough of her. Btw, I call her a her because I was told she was temp incubated to be female but I know too well that I can't go by that. (Casey if she's a he)

She's been active right out of her shipping box, started eating a few hours after her first soak. She's pretty skittish but her personality is starting to show more as each day passes. For now I'm just handling her when I take her out to soak or to her outdoor enclosure. Surprisingly she stays pretty active making her rounds in her enclosure. She's out wondering around pretty much the whole day and retreats to her hide only at night. I noticed she loves climbing her "giant" sized log hide so I decided to make ramps for her out of stones and substrate to avoid an accident.

As far as diet, she loves her spring mix and mazuri but I have her on a grass (and like) routine with an occasional taste of spring mix, collar, turnip greens, and kale for variety.

I plan to update this thread frequently as I wish I had done for my 15+ year old sully so we can look back and see how much she's changed. Thanks for reading!

Here are some pic's...

ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1504562610.237661.jpg
She climbed up her log and roared (more likely yawned) as if to say "Look mom, I'm on top of the world!"

ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1504562789.817028.jpg
413 grams after a soak and poop

ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1504562938.305441.jpg

ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1504562982.930947.jpg
Out for a stroll

ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1504563054.038139.jpg
 

Alaskamike

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It's always fun to have a new Aldabra owner on this site.

I got my CupCake at about the same age. She's 3 & 1/2 now. And I never tire of her.

This is a great place to share the adventure. We look forward you your progress. I still have a couple Sulcata's. Have to keep them entirely separate. I know eventually I'll have to rehome the sullys and give CupCake all the room.
 

Kittivan

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Aug 25, 2017
Messages
65
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago
It's always fun to have a new Aldabra owner on this site.

I got my CupCake at about the same age. She's 3 & 1/2 now. And I never tire of her.

This is a great place to share the adventure. We look forward you your progress. I still have a couple Sulcata's. Have to keep them entirely separate. I know eventually I'll have to rehome the sullys and give CupCake all the room.

Thanks Mike! Cupcake is a beautiful Aldabra! Hope our Kaci grows as well as her.
 

ben awes

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5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2013
Messages
436
Congrats on Kaci! Very exciting. Aldabras are awesome!. Whether this matters or not is debatable, but you'll find out that sharing that you raise the largest tortoise species in the world is the best cocktail party ice breaker ever!

Do you have a first name that you want to go by? I always fine it a bit awkward to not be able to address folks by a name - maybe just me! ;)

Good luck and keep sharing,
Ben
 

Kittivan

Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2017
Messages
65
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago
Congrats on Kaci! Very exciting. Aldabras are awesome!. Whether this matters or not is debatable, but you'll find out that sharing that you raise the largest tortoise species in the world is the best cocktail party ice breaker ever!

Do you have a first name that you want to go by? I always fine it a bit awkward to not be able to address folks by a name - maybe just me! ;)

Good luck and keep sharing,
Ben

Thanks Ben, my name is Dan. LOL on the ice breaker, it shall be my go to from now on!

I've actually followed yours and Uncle Bri's thread very closely. I find your love, dedication, and care for Uncle Bri (and your new little ones) inspiring and I hope to care for Kaci just as well. Your "Fort Knox" enclosure is awesome! If only they were able to be out there all year round. Being in the suburbs of Chicago for the first year of Kaci's life will undoubtably present problems but guys like you living in the Midwest successfully raising these magnificent animals gives hope.

Thanks for sharing!
 

Kittivan

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Joined
Aug 25, 2017
Messages
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Chicago
So I've had Kaci for 2 weeks now and have just a couple of notes.

Although she eats a good amount, she takes her sweet ol time doing so. The complete opposite of our sulcata torts. She takes to her eating like she's fine dining where as the sulcata are at old country buffet stuffing their faces to get back in line before the ribs run out. Which brings me to my theory that she may be taking her time because she doesn't have the urgency to eat since she doesn't compete for food like her siblings do. Do your Aldabra take their time eating as well? I guess it's relative because she isn't THAT slow, just not as ferocious as her sulcata siblings.

Her weight can fluctuate a decent amount depending on when you weigh them. Before a soak she weighed 446 grams, after the soak and all the poop and urination she weighed 413 grams.

She is still extremely skittish. However when I hold her to check if everything is ok, she seems just as curious as I do about her. Still won't come to me even with a piece of watermelon in my hand.

Her diet is still mostly grasses and a variety of other greens with some mazuri. I tried to give her some opunta cactus pad but she didn't even try it. I tried to introduce orchard hay by soaking it and cutting it up very fine and putting some mazuri in it but she jus ate around the hay and just seemed annoyed when she got a piece of it in her mouth. Will continue to try.

Today I noticed definitive growth lines for the first time. Not sure what I'm supposed to look for in growth lines on an Aldabra but they seem to be OK. Maybe someone can give their input?

ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1505188317.760165.jpg

She weighed 491 grams today which seems like a lot. She was weighed without a soak. 9/4 she weighed 446 with no soak as well.

ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1505188585.047521.jpg

9/4 446 grams pre soak, 413 post
soak

9/11 491 grams pre soak
4 1/3 " measures plastron

Always checking me out, checking her out. LOL.

ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1505188850.833336.jpg
 

Yvonne G

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It won't be too much longer she'll be too big for that scale cup.
 

Kittivan

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Aug 25, 2017
Messages
65
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago
It won't be too much longer she'll be too big for that scale cup.

LOL, I know! I love following her progress, I get excited every time I put her on there. Gotta figure out something when she outgrows the cup which she pretty much already has.
 

Kittivan

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Joined
Aug 25, 2017
Messages
65
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago
Weekly update...

Kaci is still skittish but I can tell she's slowly accepting the thought of spending part of her life with me LoL. This week she actually let me hand feed her. I tried to rub her shell and legs but she wasn't having any of it. Gave me a look of death stare and then ran away. She's eating normal, sometimes she will leave nothing on her dish and other times she leaves a lot. Her weight has been consistent. This week she was at 508 grams. Loving every moment with this lil Aldabra.

ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1506030677.391846.jpg
 

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Gillian M

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We got Kaci our new 6-month old Aldabra about a week ago and it has been non stop fun since. I don't know how or why I'm so attached to this little critter but I can't get enough of her. Btw, I call her a her because I was told she was temp incubated to be female but I know too well that I can't go by that. (Casey if she's a he)

She's been active right out of her shipping box, started eating a few hours after her first soak. She's pretty skittish but her personality is starting to show more as each day passes. For now I'm just handling her when I take her out to soak or to her outdoor enclosure. Surprisingly she stays pretty active making her rounds in her enclosure. She's out wondering around pretty much the whole day and retreats to her hide only at night. I noticed she loves climbing her "giant" sized log hide so I decided to make ramps for her out of stones and substrate to avoid an accident.

As far as diet, she loves her spring mix and mazuri but I have her on a grass (and like) routine with an occasional taste of spring mix, collar, turnip greens, and kale for variety.

I plan to update this thread frequently as I wish I had done for my 15+ year old sully so we can look back and see how much she's changed. Thanks for reading!

Here are some pic's...

View attachment 217427
She climbed up her log and roared (more likely yawned) as if to say "Look mom, I'm on top of the world!"

View attachment 217428
413 grams after a soak and poop

View attachment 217429

View attachment 217430
Out for a stroll

View attachment 217431
A very warm welcome to the forum @Kittivan .

A beautiful tort! GOD bless.
 

Alaskamike

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Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
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Location (City and/or State)
South Florida
6 mos old is about when I got my " CupCake". Has been fun watching her ( could be him ) grow. Still a baby at 3 & 1/2.

Knowing she will one day be 100ds of lbs is amazing. It's like raising a pre historic beast.

I think you'll find good support and encouragement here. If you ever have questions be sure to ask. I'm convinced some of the most knowledgeable and sincere tort keepers are members here. Someone will have solid ideas and respond.

It's been great to have a running thread on several who raise them. You can see the growth & progress. Good place to keep a log.

Good fortune to you & your new baby.
 

Alaskamike

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Sorry -
You asked a couple questions - here's my input

Personality: they tend to be shy as babies, Much more than sulcata , or any other I've raised. Cautious and slow ( unless running away scared ). I noticed this with mine., especially 1st 2 yrs. & she is still much shyer than my Sulcata's. As they age , get bigger, they get more bold.

Eating: My CupCake eats slow too. If I pick her up & set her in front of a piles of favorite foods like hibiscus flowers & leaves. She might sit there looking at it for 5 minutes before eating. Weird. My sully would've had it all gone by then.

Having said that. Others may have different experiences. Like all animals, they do have personalities ( tendencies ).
 

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