8 New Babies from TOM! AKA The Bond Girls (maybe)

DeanS

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So, as most of you are aware, I picked up 8 babies from Tom yesterday! They originated from a breeder in the Valley. Tom collected the eggs for an experiment...20 in total! 14 made it...the others were duds! They started hatching out on April 12. With our hectic schedules...mostly Tom's shooting commitments...we didn't touch base until yesterday! Just to show what a GREAT guy Tom is...as if you didn't already know...he told me to pick my eight...he ONLY needed six.

Move to today! I got home from work at a little before 9 this morning (YES! I work GRAVE) and pulled the eight from their current chamber...90º of dripping heat...and promptly placed them in their soak tub. I believe it was the first time they had seen sunlight. They went nuts!
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Then I moved them to the backyard...just to see what they'd do in the open! They hit the ground running...literally! A couple of them even managed to take on the cuttlebone!
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After weighing and measuring each one...they went into their other chamber! I should point out that they will be alternating chamber. One will have eight inches on coco coir/coconut bark and the other 'edible' substrate...grass, weeds, flowers...you get the idea! Check out the cactus...a lot of little nips taken out of it!DSC_0088.JPG DSC_0089.JPG

I'm going to create a growth chart similar to what I did for the IVORIES yesterday! Stay tuned!
 

Yvonne G

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What is special about this group? Are they the bigger Sudans? Have they been incubated differently? I curious why you've taken on this group.
 

DeanS

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What is special about this group? Are they the bigger Sudans? Have they been incubated differently? I curious why you've taken on this group.
I have yet to see the parents...but Tom assures me that the male is HUGE...at least 150 lbs...and he's (almost) certain the female is Sudan. Three factors played in my decision to make this acquisition!:

1) A shadow of doubt was cast on whether the 'Sudans' Tom and I acquired from Brad were actually Sudans.

2) Apparently, Tom's friend has only the one pair...so the hatchlings' origin is (fair to say) certain!

3) Tom incubated for female...so I figure by the time they're ready to breed...MONSTRO! should be as big as their father! Not to mention...I have my eye on another Sudanese male...so if that works out, I'll have all I ever asked for! But, I've never been interested in breeding before...so when push comes to shove, I just wanna grow more babies!

BEWARE!! CUTENESS OVERLOAD!
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Moozillion

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So how many sulcatas do you have, total? Twelve? (Monstro!, the 3 ITs and the 8 Bond Girls)???

What will you do with so many sulcatas? (...besides taking incredible pictures, that is!) :p
 

DeanS

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So how many sulcatas do you have, total? Twelve? (Monstro!, the 3 ITs and the 8 Bond Girls)???

What will you do with so many sulcatas? (...besides taking incredible pictures, that is!) :p
12 is the magic number indeed! I still have my sights on one more...a HUGE Sudan...and possibly an Ivory male down the road. As things stand...I suspect all three ITs are female! Monstro's gonna be a busy boy...in about 10 years! My plan is to build an addition to my wall...so the yard is wrap around...so MONSTRO! can have a portion to himself...without any distraction from the girls.
 

DeanS

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AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG OMG OMG!!!!! IM LIKE DYING FROM THE AMOUNT OF CUTENESS. I WANNA JUST LIKE PLAY WITH THEM. THEY ALL LOOK LIKE THEY HAVE THEIR OWN PERSONALITIES ALREADY. :D!!! Ur lucky
It's funny...I just got through texting Tom and we're cracking up over the fact that these guys could care less about food! All they wanna do is run EVERYWHERE!
 

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Aside from size is there any visible trait that you all assign to 'sudan' type sulcatas. I think somewhere I recall seeing Tom post size after one year, or maybe that was you Dean? Comparing size change over one year.

But If I was at a show and someone said, these are sudan type, what would I look for to know?
 

DeanS

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Aside from size is there any visible trait that you all assign to 'sudan' type sulcatas. I think somewhere I recall seeing Tom post size after one year, or maybe that was you Dean? Comparing size change over one year.

But If I was at a show and someone said, these are sudan type, what would I look for to know?
As hatchlings? IMPOSSIBLE! That's why I'm stoked about these! Only one adult pair...so it's rather simple to deduce! It strikes me that you really can't tell until they're somewhere between two and three. The three I sold to Amanda are showing ridiculously domed carapaces! After that? It's all about the size they attain by 20 years of age! I've seen a couple of (adult) Sudan females that others acquired from Brad...and there's no doubt! That's why I'm dying to see the 8s' mom...if she's Sudanese...I'll know it on sight! Tom knows them well...and his word is GOLD to me! Speaking of which, @Tom you better give some input on this thread from time to time! ;)
 

Tom

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But If I was at a show and someone said, these are sudan type, what would I look for to know?

As adults the ones from Sudan have a higher, more rounded dome, and they attain a much larger size than the typical lower domed, slope backed, Mali sulcatas. I see no difference in the babies, but even my 4-5 year old "regular" sulcatas are now starting to show that Mali slope.

The parents of these ones look like they are probably Sudans. I have no way to verify, so its just speculation, but the female especially is large and very high domed. My guy has two females with these high domes that look distinctly different than the other females which have the more typical flatter carapace of a fossorial tortoise species.
 

Tom

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@Tom you better give some input on this thread from time to time! ;)

Okay okay... I've just got 6 carbon copies of these, so what am I gonna say? I love them too. Mine are sunning right now. I'll be doing a thread on this years growth experiment with mine pretty soon here too.

I'm looking forward to comparing how they all do in different hands now. So much to learn...
 

DeanS

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As adults the ones from Sudan have a higher, more rounded dome, and they attain a much larger size than the typical lower domed, slope backed, Mali sulcatas. I see no difference in the babies, but even my 4-5 year old "regular" sulcatas are now starting to show that Mali slope.

The parents of these ones look like they are probably Sudans. I have no way to verify, so its just speculation, but the female especially is large and very high domed. My guy has two females with these high domes that look distinctly different than the other females which have the more typical flatter carapace of a fossorial tortoise species.
I couldn't have dreamed of putting it better than that! Well done, Tom!
 

DeanS

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Okay okay... I've just got 6 carbon copies of these, so what am I gonna say? I love them too. Mine are sunning right now. I'll be doing a thread on this years growth experiment with mine pretty soon here too.

I'm looking forward to comparing how they all do in different hands now. So much to learn...
Speaking of experiments! This is what I'm doing! I'm going to stuff these guys with EVERYTHING (and anything) they can eat for two months! After that, I'll divide them, four and four! Half will still get anything and everything...and the other half will receive an all-natrual diet...no Mazuri...no Marion...no Grassland! Their diet will be relegated to grass weeds and all the homegrown greens I can manage! ;) They will get the same 4 hour outdoor access as the past hatchlings...but with a twist! They will spend it in the cactus garden...which is 30 feet long by 2 feet wide! There is no way out...unless they climb out from a corner...but they will be supervised! The reason for this is out of that peak time (10AM-2PM)...only half of the habitat receives direct sun...the fence blocks some access and the pergola blocks even more. It's easy for them to take refuge beneath some of the rocks...and foliage! Plus, the addition of netting over the top and sides will eliminate the threat of predation...something I Haven't experienced since 2010 when a rat tried to take off Snowflake's head!
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I'm also in the process of building to garden boxes similar to those @Tom built a few years back for his Gpp's! Wish me luck!
 

DeanS

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Here are the first measurements on the 8s...since I took possession of them! For now, they'll simply be the 8s, until a division of personalities appears or the 'DIET EXPERIMENT' commences!
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