New Tort

Scubaroo

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At that age it's impossible to tell. Still very much a baby.
Do you know the approximate hatch date?

When I got my CupCake she was already 6-7 months old. So I missed some of the stages your going through.

She/ he is a cute little thing :)

Thank you.

I was told he/she was hatched in late January.
He/she is also still a little soft on the shell and plasteron...is that normal still if he/she is this old?
My fiancee says I am a helicopter dad and am just far too worried, as he eats tons, and poops just fine. He is active and gets everything he needs.

I'm sure it is possibly that he/she is perhaps younger than thought. But I don't know
 

Alaskamike

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You asked about softness on shell & plastron. Wasn't ignoring you , I just don't know for sure. But I'd be concerned a bit. Seems by now that should have firmed up.
 

Scubaroo

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You asked about softness on shell & plastron. Wasn't ignoring you , I just don't know for sure. But I'd be concerned a bit. Seems by now that should have firmed up.
No worries.
I emailed the breeder who I got him from, and he said it could still take a few months for it to completely harden. So I will continue to just keep an eye on him. He seems completely healthy otherwise.
 

Scubaroo

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Up 30 grams!
My plan is to take a picture every week, and then in a few years I can make a quick slide show to show his progression into becoming a giant
 

Alaskamike

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That's great.
I started a notebook for mine , something to hand down with her to the next owner.

A baby book. Hahaha.
 

Scubaroo

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Here's Albus's growth so far
I wasn't consistent at first, but am now weighing him every Monday to chart his growth.
I was told he was born in January 2017. I got him June 25th. 2017

June 25. 156 grams.
July 23. 256 grams.
Aug. 09. 306 grams.
Aug. 14. 349 grams.
Aug. 21. 379 grams.
Aug. 28. 419 grams.
Sept. 04. 438 grams.

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Here's my cat playing life guard while he soaks.
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And here he is at today's weight!
 

Alaskamike

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It's always amazing to see one that can get so large when they start so small.

I remember holding my CupCake in my hand at a little over a pound and trying to imagine her at 200 lbs. or more.

They are fun :)
 

Scubaroo

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It's always amazing to see one that can get so large when they start so small.

I remember holding my CupCake in my hand at a little over a pound and trying to imagine her at 200 lbs. or more.

They are fun :)

Yes they are! I'm so excited he is almost one whole pound!! And yeah, a few hundred more to go is mind blowing. It's a journey for sure
 

Mr. turtle

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It's always amazing to see one that can get so large when they start so small.

I remember holding my CupCake in my hand at a little over a pound and trying to imagine her at 200 lbs. or more.

They are fun :)
Is it hard to take care of? I thought about getting one, but they get way too big, and cost too much. I was just wondering if it is hard to take care of.
 

Scubaroo

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Is it hard to take care of? I thought about getting one, but they get way too big, and cost too much. I was just wondering if it is hard to take care of.

Depends on your definition of hard i suppose. yes the tortoise was expensive, and the lighting, and enclosure and all that cost several hundred dollars as well. I soak mine every day right now, a lot of people do it every other, or every few days from what i gather, but i have the time to do it every day, so i do. Picking him fresh grasses, and cutting off weeds for him to eat, and chopping up all his meals every day, it takes a little time, but i enjoy it. I clean up his poop, and water his grass, and check his temperatures, and the temperatures of his enclosure often as well. But with all animals they take some level of dedication and care to provide for.
For the most part he just does his thing, basking, walking around exploring, eating. I hang out with him, read to him ( i'm a big reader, and feel it will help him learn to trust me and get to know my voice ) I consider my self lucky, and for it to be a privilege to care for him, and when i look at things that way, it certainly isn't hard at all.
 

Alaskamike

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I find taking care of tortoises to be incredibly easy. But .. mine are raised in South Florida , temps are only an issue about 3 months a year , and they are outdoors. Setting up the surrounds took work , and just recently I fenced off another 2500 sq' of grass area for more grazing.

Torts eat , poop, graze, hide & sleep. They don't bark, tear up furniture, leave hair all over the house, or wake you in the middle of the night to go outside for potty. :). I have dogs & cats too. Lol.

Once you have the proper environment for your tort & your area it is almost autopilot.

Tweaking that, & changing as they mature is needed, but is not an emergency. You can preplan & work at it till done.

An Aldabra , like most tortoises, will outlive you. They grow to unbelievable size in rapid order. But it still takes years. Decades really. This is a tortoise that doesn't reach sexual maturity till around 20 yo.

This is a tortoise that will , in 15 yrs or less need my entire 1/2 acre back yard. So I've planned in my mind how that will be done. As she's grown I've expanded her domain. Not hard just practical.

If you have the room , can manipulate the environment, are willing to pay attention to their needs- tortoises are a relatively easy pet to keep.

But ... if you live in an apartment, are raising them on a balcony, move frequently, have limited room & resources- the larger ones like Sulcata's, Aldabra , Galapagos- are bad choices.

Then it's not just hard , its irresponsible.
 

Scubaroo

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I'm hoping the scale is broken. Albus has lost serious weight If not. But He has been eating everything, still has healthy poops. He was cooped up for the last 30 hours or so because of the hurricane, but he ate every bite offered to him the whole time. I'm guessing the scale, but would appreciate any thoughts on why he could still eat normally and lose a big chunk of weight..20170911_142833.jpg

And this is how he survived the hurricane locked in an office at my work. Fortunately this one building never lost power. Only I was locked in another building all night long.

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Kittivan

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That is quite a bit of weight to be lost in 7 days. Did you happen to soak him right before you put him on the scale?

My Kaci weighed 446 grams on 9/2 when I weighed her without soaking her and then I weighed her again on 9/4 after a soak, a big poop and who knows how much she urinated and she weighed 413 grams.

Not as big of a drop as yours but it may account for some loss.

I hope all is well and goes well for you and your family during this storm.
 

Scubaroo

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That is quite a bit of weight to be lost in 7 days. Did you happen to soak him right before you put him on the scale?

My Kaci weighed 446 grams on 9/2 when I weighed her without soaking her and then I weighed her again on 9/4 after a soak, a big poop and who knows how much she urinated and she weighed 413 grams.

Not as big of a drop as yours but it may account for some loss.

I hope all is well and goes well for you and your family during this storm.

Thank you. We were very lucky for the storm. Several friends had trees fall on their houses. We even has power back the next day.

But no, I always weigh him before I soak him just to keep things. consistent. I'm going to just keep extra close attention, which is hard because he seems to be acting normal.
 

Kittivan

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Thank you. We were very lucky for the storm. Several friends had trees fall on their houses. We even has power back the next day.

But no, I always weigh him before I soak him just to keep things. consistent. I'm going to just keep extra close attention, which is hard because he seems to be acting normal.

Glad everything is good. What a stressful time it must have been. Hope everything goes back to normal soon enough.

Maybe the scale is broken then. Have you tried to weigh something you for sure know the weight of? Some scales come with those little weights to balance the scale.
 

Scubaroo

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Glad everything is good. What a stressful time it must have been. Hope everything goes back to normal soon enough.

Maybe the scale is broken then. Have you tried to weigh something you for sure know the weight of? Some scales come with those little weights to balance the scale.

Thanks, ya we still have no Internet or tv. But that's a small price compared to so many others. People are still fighting and waiting hours for gas but I'm sure it'll be back to normal before long.

My scale didn't come with weights, I'm trying to figure out something I know the exact weight of to test it. I'll probably just end up buying a new scale.
 

Taylor T.

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For weights, you could always use water. Put the container to hold the water on the scale, set the scale to zero, and pour in a pint of water.(equal to one pound, which is similar to the weight of your tortoise.)

If it is not equal or close to 454 grams, It's time for a new scale.
 

Scubaroo

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For weights, you could always use water. Put the container to hold the water on the scale, set the scale to zero, and pour in a pint of water.(equal to one pound, which is similar to the weight of your tortoise.)

If it is not equal or close to 454 grams, It's time for a new scale.
Brilliant. Thank you
 
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