Michel

[nicolerm]

As of last week I find myself the proud new owner of this little guy:

As we will be unsure of sex for quite some time we have decided he is male for now and named him Michel. Currently he is about 8" plastron length. He's residing in an 8x30 section of my yard for now while he settles in, and will ultimately have about a quarter of an acre to roam. Here is a pic of his temporary accommodations:

I haven't been brave enough to leave him out all day alone yet since it is so hot. I'm probably being too overprotective? I also want to do some more work to his yard. Today I'm going to mow the grass down short and strip out a section to plant some nice weeds for him. I'm also going to install a sprinkler on a timer to come on a few times a day. So far he has been going out for several hours in the evenings and the rest of his time in my shed, which I keep at 83-85 degrees and about 80% humidity. He feels a little light to me for his size so I'm working on fattening him up a bit. He loves spring mix and the various native tasty weeds I've been collecting for him!

I'm hoping to use this thread to chronicle his growth and will post periodic updates as I work on his yard, build his night box, tortoise proof the rest of my yard for him, etc.

 

[Gillian M]

As of last week I find myself the proud new owner of this little guy:

As we will be unsure of sex for quite some time we have decided he is male for now and named him Michel. Currently he is about 8" plastron length. He's residing in an 8x30 section of my yard for now while he settles in, and will ultimately have about a quarter of an acre to roam. Here is a pic of his temporary accommodations:

I haven't been brave enough to leave him out all day alone yet since it is so hot. I'm probably being too overprotective? I also want to do some more work to his yard. Today I'm going to mow the grass down short and strip out a section to plant some nice weeds for him. I'm also going to install a sprinkler on a timer to come on a few times a day. So far he has been going out for several hours in the evenings and the rest of his time in my shed, which I keep at 83-85 degrees and about 80% humidity. He feels a little light to me for his size so I'm working on fattening him up a bit. He loves spring mix and the various native tasty weeds I've been collecting for him!

I'm hoping to use this thread to chronicle his growth and will post periodic updates as I work on his yard, build his night box, tortoise proof the rest of my yard for him, etc.

He (if it's a he) is very good looking.

Oh no, I think you are taking good care of him, you're not being over-protective. Please read the "Beginners Mistakes" Thread and ask questions whenever you need help.

And a very warm welcome to the forum!

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Beautiful. If I ever move to Florida, I'll join the ranks of Aldabra keeper. Looking forward to following this thread.

 

[wellington]

Very nice looking Aldabra. He should be able to stay outside all day as long as there is enough shade. Then lock him up at night.
Is this your first tort? Cuz you know it's very hard to have just one. Enjoy and would love to see updates. If you haven't found him yet, check out Aldabramans threads.

 

[itiswhatitis]

Congratulations !!! He looks Beautiful !!!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum! That looks like one of Aldabraman's babies, no?

 

[Marinated mamma]

Hi there! What a handsome fella/ chick (delete as appropriate at a later date) and welcome

 

[nicolerm]

He (if it's a he) is very good looking.

Oh no, I think you are taking good care of him, you're not being over-protective. Please read the "Beginners Mistakes" Thread and ask questions whenever you need help.

And a very warm welcome to the forum!

Thanks! He's just so precious to me already, even when he runs away at the mere sight of me.

Beautiful. If I ever move to Florida, I'll join the ranks of Aldabra keeper. Looking forward to following this thread.

Come on down! I'm in North Florida so will have to do some more adjustments for winter than my South Florida counterparts, but it is pretty nice that most months of the year are tortoise-friendly.

Very nice looking Aldabra. He should be able to stay outside all day as long as there is enough shade. Then lock him up at night.
Is this your first tort? Cuz you know it's very hard to have just one. Enjoy and would love to see updates. If you haven't found him yet, check out Aldabramans threads.

Thanks! He's the first Aldabra I have experience with but far from my first experience with tortoises. I manage a large reptile facility and we generally have hundreds in inventory at any one time of various species. I've also had a redfoot of my own for some time now. It's funny how different the personalities of these two are. I think I've read nearly every thread in this section of the forum and Aldabraman's are some of my definite favorites!

Congratulations !!! He looks Beautiful !!!

Thank you! Hopefully soon I can get some better photos.

Hi, and welcome to the Forum! That looks like one of Aldabraman's babies, no?

Thanks! I'm not sure actually? I'm going to inquire with the seller and find out which breeder he is from if I can.

Hi there! What a handsome fella/ chick (delete as appropriate at a later date) and welcome

Thanks!

 

[Marinated mamma]

He won't run away from you for long! It's so rewarding when your tortoise comes to you and knows you are the mum and you get it double whammy with your huge baby I'm soooo jealous