Sheldon enjoying his big finch!

wellington

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I not be long and your going to have to put a fence up if you want to enjoy that patio. He'love be plowing everything over.
 

BILBO-03

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Love how your little girls scrubbing him;) he looks great! What's his diet?
 

Baoh

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Looks fantastic. You have done a great job. I like using those water dishes, too, for my animals.
 

ben awes

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he looks great! Are you pretty confident he's a he? My Uncle Bri was hatched in 2012 and seems to be female, still very short tail, totally flat plastron - but i know its still early!

Say, whats the story on that water dish? what is it? where from? would love to know.

Thanks,
Ben
 

ogmoses

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he looks great! Are you pretty confident he's a he? My Uncle Bri was hatched in 2012 and seems to be female, still very short tail, totally flat plastron - but i know its still early!

Say, whats the story on that water dish? what is it? where from? would love to know.

Thanks,
Ben
Yeah not sure on the sex all though I have seen his tail getting a bit longer. And feeling like the plastron is dipping. But no real rush to find out :) just enjoying the growth. The water dish is plastic and I found it at a reptile show about 2 years ago. I've been on the hunt for some more.
 

Markw84

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. The water dish is plastic and I found it at a reptile show about 2 years ago. I've been on the hunt for some more.
Beautiful tortoise! Thanks for the picture.

The dish is made by a company called Tusco Products. They have all sizes from 11" to 30" diameter. The 26" and 30" are 3" deep. I love them.
 

Tom

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Finch?

That is really smooth growth for outdoors in SoCal. Nice job!
 

TammyJ

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So very beautiful, the aldabra and the little girl!
So what is with the FINCH??? I too was hoping the tortoise was not eating a bird.
 

ogmoses

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So very beautiful, the aldabra and the little girl!
So what is with the FINCH??? I too was hoping the tortoise was not eating a bird.
The reason I said Finch is because I think it pertains a little bit more to Galapagos. In the Galapagos islands finches help giant tortoises clean the tortoise of any parasites. So The tortoise extends his legs and neck and tail to get a deep clean.
 

ogmoses

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Finch?

That is really smooth growth for outdoors in SoCal. Nice job!

Galápagos tortoises have a unique, mutualistic relationship with a particular bird in their native land called the Darwin’s finch. The Galápagos tortoise solicits itself to the finches by displaying a particular posture when in the presence of these birds. During this interaction, the tortoise rises up as high as it can, extending its neck way up into the air, which then signals to the finch that it is safe to land on the tortoise and pick off ectoparasites. The tortoise holds this statuesque posture, termed the “finch response,” for a long time while the finch is hard at work. This outstretched position enables the birds to reach otherwise inaccessible spots on the tortoise’s body such as the neck, rear legs, and skin between plastron and carapace. We refer to this interaction as “symbiosis,” because the tortoise benefits from having the parasites removed, and the finch benefits by receiving a meal.
 

ogmoses

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Looks good. But I thought he was eating a bird by the title. How old is he?

Galápagos tortoises have a unique, mutualistic relationship with a particular bird in their native land called the Darwin’s finch. The Galápagos tortoise solicits itself to the finches by displaying a particular posture when in the presence of these birds. During this interaction, the tortoise rises up as high as it can, extending its neck way up into the air, which then signals to the finch that it is safe to land on the tortoise and pick off ectoparasites. The tortoise holds this statuesque posture, termed the “finch response,” for a long time while the finch is hard at work. This outstretched position enables the birds to reach otherwise inaccessible spots on the tortoise’s body such as the neck, rear legs, and skin between plastron and carapace. We refer to this interaction as “symbiosis,” because the tortoise benefits from having the parasites removed, and the finch benefits by receiving a meal.
 

Tom

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Galápagos tortoises have a unique, mutualistic relationship with a particular bird in their native land called the Darwin’s finch. The Galápagos tortoise solicits itself to the finches by displaying a particular posture when in the presence of these birds. During this interaction, the tortoise rises up as high as it can, extending its neck way up into the air, which then signals to the finch that it is safe to land on the tortoise and pick off ectoparasites. The tortoise holds this statuesque posture, termed the “finch response,” for a long time while the finch is hard at work. This outstretched position enables the birds to reach otherwise inaccessible spots on the tortoise’s body such as the neck, rear legs, and skin between plastron and carapace. We refer to this interaction as “symbiosis,” because the tortoise benefits from having the parasites removed, and the finch benefits by receiving a meal.

Now I get it. It wasn't registering with an Aldabra and your daughter...
 

TammyJ

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Symbiosis between the huge tortoise and the tiny finch! Wonderful. Evolution for mutual benefit and besides, it's adorable!!!
 

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