1st Platynota Babies!!!

Keith P.1961

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Please keep me posted on available babies. What temperature did you incubate at?. I'm looking to add to the 3 I just purchased. Congrats and you might just want to buy a lottery ticket while you're at it.
 

Tom

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Congrats. I just bought 3 babies and am looking for more. What temperature did you incubate at? Please keep me posted on your available offspring.

I will do that. I like to hold them for at least a month or two and get them growing and eating a wide range of foods.

I copy/pasted this part from a recent conversation with a friend. It answers your incubation temperature question:

I incubate all of them at 87-88. I don't think anyone knows how to temp sex platynota yet.
4 from Ken S, all incubated for female: 2.2
4 from Skottip, all incubated for female: 2.2
2 from John in FL acting as a broker for a TX breeder: 1.1
4 from Behler center, all incubated for female: 3.1
 

Ranman

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Congratulations Tom. This has to be so exciting for you. I can only imagine your reaction when you saw those babies in there. Had to be a wonderful feeling to see all of your fine time and effort has paid off. They are beautiful. If you have enough to go around I would certainly like to get on that waiting list also.
 

Lark_Tortoise

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Those are some of the most beautiful babies and adults I've ever seen! I wish I had the room for one them! Congrats!:)
 

Tom

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Here they are enjoying their soak this morning. I don't know how these babies could have survived in the wild. They don't seem to have any fear of the giant two legged hairless ape that handles them daily. They just walk around nonchalantly. They look up at me when I open the box, but they don't tuck in their legs or heads at all. They just remain in their relaxed positions with their legs all sprawled out every where.

They are also eating a lot already. And they are not picky. So far they've had grass, broadleaf plantain, mallow, filaree, Italian dandelion, regular dandelion, sow thistle, thistle, lavatera leaves and flowers, hollyhock leaves, Mazuri, clover, fresh grown alfalfa and a couple other weeds that I regularly feed but can never remember the name of.

IMG_5074.JPG IMG_5077.JPG
 

Justin808

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Congratulations Tom! Please let me know when they are all available I'd like to pick up a few from each mom and give em just a little bit of Hawaiian Sunshine!
 

Tom

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I have new 96x30" closed chamber enclosures from Animal Plastics https://apcages.com that are divided in half. That makes each side 48x30". Given that these guys are so small, I thought I might follow the example of breeders that have more experience with them than I do, and keep them in smaller tubs to start with. I decided to try coco coir for their substrate:
IMG_5116.JPG

It was just too messy. Sticking to them, sticking all over their food, fouling the water, etc…

I decided to switch to my usual fine grade orchid bark. Much better:
IMG_5132.JPG
 

mrnewberry

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I have new 96x30" closed chamber enclosures from Animal Plastics https://apcages.com that are divided in half. That makes each side 48x30". Given that these guys are so small, I thought I might follow the example of breeders that have more experience with them than I do, and keep them in smaller tubs to start with. I decided to try coco coir for their substrate:
View attachment 235152

It was just too messy. Sticking to them, sticking all over their food, fouling the water, etc…

I decided to switch to my usual fine grade orchid bark. Much better:
View attachment 235153

Thanks for sharing your setup!
 

Tom

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I like the setup, are you using a humid hide for them?
Their little hide is more humid than the rest of the enclosure, but I'm not too concerned since the tub is contained inside the larger closed chamber. Away from the lights my humidity in there on multiple hygrometers is registering 99%. In their tub it stays 80-90% except when I leave the door slid open for ventilation while they are out in their soaking tubs. I replace the food and water while they are soaking so the door is open for 20-30 minutes. This is why the low on my hygrometer/thermometer shows 61% and the door was open for this pic which is why it is only at 78%. I'll walk up tomorrow and take a pic before opening the door.
 

Dan

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Very nice set-up. Apart from the strong initial aroma of the fir chips which seems to dissipate with time and dampening, I like orchid bark as a substrate too. Just wish they sold it in big bags like they did cypress mulch which stores here stopped stocking. I had similar results as you when I experimented with coconut coir. You might want to get a couple of those thermometer/hygrometer units to switch out and let them dry. The same model is sold in my area. Mine have all had greatly shortened service lives when left in a high humidity enclosure for too long at a stretch.
 
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Looks like they are doing very well. Nice!! And those little yellow heads. I love it!!
 

Levi the Leopard

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You might want to get a couple of those thermometer/hygrometer units to switch out and let them dry.

Mine have all had greatly shortened service lives when left in a high humidity enclosure for too long at a stretch.

I thought I was the only one! I've noticed the same thing happens to mine.
 

Tom

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I decided to give these 7 the whole 48x30" enclosure. They will soon be joined by six of their siblings from the same Mom that hatch a week after they did. 13 babies would be too many in that little tub. They have two hides, two water dishes one food dish and I'll keep a steady supply of fresh lavatera, grape vine and mulberry branches in there for them to hide in and eat. I moved the four babies from my high yellow female into this tub.

I also added a thermostat in-line on their heat lamps. When the reptile room heats up in summer, those little bulbs are going to over heat these large closed chambers. The thermostat will kick them off at 95 degrees ambient. The LED lights will remain on for daytime light with no heat and kick off at night with their timer. This lets the night temp drop to 78-80.

IMG_5163.JPG
 

Tom

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Nice set up man!!
Animal plastics T65. I love everything about these cages. Prefect design and materials for raising babies tortoises. I just order three more of their T25 size cages. https://apcages.com/collections/terrestrial-cages/products/t25-72l-x-30w-x-18h-1
Their customer service is good and the lady who takes the calls is competent and pleasant. My only complaint is the time it takes to get your cages. They got "discovered" a couple of years ago, and demand for their excellent cages has shot through the roof. They are a small company in a little rural town and demand is now far exceeding supply. They've got their people working long hours and they've upgraded their single CNC machine, but they can't meet the demand, and I think they are leery of getting too big too fast and then having the demand drop off unexpectedly, leaving them with a lot of expensive equipment sitting their idle. They don't seem to want to grow and get bigger. I think they want to stay small and keep doing what they've been doing. They are losing a ton of business because people don't want to wait 3 months, or more, for a cage. I see both sides, but I think they are missing a great opportunity to expand. Everyone should be using these cages. I'm considering buying up 10 or 20 smaller 2x4 cages, so I can sell them to my local buyers here. I'd have to wait several months to get them, but then the people who buy my babies could get them from me immediately. Not everybody wants wants to advance their business. For some people good enough is good enough. I'd just like to see more people with babies tortoises in these cages.
 

Jay Bagley

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Animal plastics T65. I love everything about these cages. Prefect design and materials for raising babies tortoises. I just order three more of their T25 size cages. https://apcages.com/collections/terrestrial-cages/products/t25-72l-x-30w-x-18h-1
Their customer service is good and the lady who takes the calls is competent and pleasant. My only complaint is the time it takes to get your cages. They got "discovered" a couple of years ago, and demand for their excellent cages has shot through the roof. They are a small company in a little rural town and demand is now far exceeding supply. They've got their people working long hours and they've upgraded their single CNC machine, but they can't meet the demand, and I think they are leery of getting too big too fast and then having the demand drop off unexpectedly, leaving them with a lot of expensive equipment sitting their idle. They don't seem to want to grow and get bigger. I think they want to stay small and keep doing what they've been doing. They are losing a ton of business because people don't want to wait 3 months, or more, for a cage. I see both sides, but I think they are missing a great opportunity to expand. Everyone should be using these cages. I'm considering buying up 10 or 20 smaller 2x4 cages, so I can sell them to my local buyers here. I'd have to wait several months to get them, but then the people who buy my babies could get them from me immediately. Not everybody wants wants to advance their business. For some people good enough is good enough. I'd just like to see more people with babies tortoises in these cages.
They look absolutely ideal. I had seen a post about them not too long ago, so I did little looking into them, and definitely liked what I saw. That's too bad you have to wait so long. I really like the idea of not having to worry about paint flaking off and wood rotting down the road.
 
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