A Couple Aldabran Facts

Yvonne G

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I thought it would be sort of interesting to have a couple "time of life" facts about Aldabran tortoises. Not to say ALL Aldabrans share these time lines, but it gives you an idea for when YOUR little Aldabran might show these.

BO and SO hatched 2000.

In May, 2010, they weighed about 125 and 130lbs and both 'flashed' (showed me their manhood).

2014 - I haven't been able to weigh either of them for a couple years, but two years ago (2014) they weighed 180 and 200lbs.

2016 - This morning SO was mounting BO. This is the first time they showed this type of behaviour.
 

nicolerm

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That is interesting! Did either of them show any other indication of sex before the flashing, like tail size or anything like that?
 

motero

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Is the mounting a first sign that they might not get along in the same pen for ever? Or are they more chill than Sulcatas? More like leopards?
 

ben awes

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this is great info Yvonnne - good data points. Personally, I love tracking the data for my torts, have since they were hatched. I record their length every month or two, their weight every week, their meals and soaks every day. I think for Aldabras this is particularly interesting because there does not seem to be much info out there on this, and knowing this info should help in planning and prep and in health.
 

Yvonne G

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That is interesting! Did either of them show any other indication of sex before the flashing, like tail size or anything like that?

Not really. They have no points on the anal scutes and it just looked like a normal sized tail.
 

Yvonne G

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Is the mounting a first sign that they might not get along in the same pen for ever? Or are they more chill than Sulcatas? More like leopards?

They're really not "not getting along." They do fine together. There's never any sign of domination or aggression. I'm sure the mounting yesterday was simply a breeding tactic and not aggression at all. They are very docile.
 

Kasia

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They're really not "not getting along." They do fine together. There's never any sign of domination or aggression. I'm sure the mounting yesterday was simply a breeding tactic and not aggression at all. They are very docile.
Breeding a male is a singh of domination, the submissive one did not developed secondary sex features. I would separate if that happens again @Tom mentioned a story about 2 male sulcatas in one of his threads one dominant and other submissive that were kept together.
 

Yvonne G

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Breeding a male is a singh of domination, the submissive one did not developed secondary sex features. I would separate if that happens again @Tom mentioned a story about 2 male sulcatas in one of his threads one dominant and other submissive that were kept together.

Yeah, but he wasn't talking about Aldabran tortoises. There isn't a mean bone in these tortoises' bodies. Plus, they both weigh over 200lbs. I'm sure if it was aggression, I would have known it.
 

Kasia

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Yeah, but he wasn't talking about Aldabran tortoises. There isn't a mean bone in these tortoises' bodies. Plus, they both weigh over 200lbs. I'm sure if it was aggression, I would have known it.
So they are gay?;) do they both like it? I think that you as a owner (both good and loving one) should focus on the fact are animals. And maybe, just maybe they will behave like animals sometimes.
 

Yvonne G

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Huh?

It didn't bother the other tortoise in the least. He was eating and kept right on eating.
 

wellington

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So they are gay?;) do they both like it? I think that you as a owner (both good and loving one) should focus on the fact are animals. And maybe, just maybe they will behave like animals sometimes.
I think you should maybe pay attention to who you are addressin. She's not a newbie. Aldabras are not anything like a Sulcata. She has many years on your one year.
 

wellington

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It's ok Barb. I'm never too old or too experienced to learn something new.
Yes, if there was actually something to learn there. Comparing sulcatas to aldabras and to someone with your years of experience is just kinda disrespectful. Specially from a fairly new newbie.
 

Kasia

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Yes, if there was actually something to learn there. Comparing sulcatas to aldabras and to someone with your years of experience is just kinda disrespectful. Specially from a fairly new newbie.
That was first thing I thought. Sorry that tortoiseforum is a place to say what you think. NOT. "Kinda disrespectful" - not even trying to be but thank you. I will keep that in mind.
 

Tidgy's Dad

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Looking at Aldabraman's threads it seems this is the time of year for them to engage in this sort of activity.
With my Greek lot, it's as soon as they've recovered from hibernation.
All very interesting.
 

Millerlite

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Sounds like dominance type thing. Maybe just a happy morning? Never had a aldabra but very interesting thread! Is that the first time you ever saw him mount ?

Kyle
 

Tom

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Breeding a male is a singh of domination, the submissive one did not developed secondary sex features. I would separate if that happens again @Tom mentioned a story about 2 male sulcatas in one of his threads one dominant and other submissive that were kept together.

Kasia linked me in here or I probably wouldn't have commented.

Barb, I do see your point.

Yvonne, Thanks for sharing all this insight in to an amazing species that so few of us, myself included, have much experience with.

Kasia, I have to agree with your thoughts on this matter. Now I don't know Aldabras except what I've learned from friends, like Yvonne, that keep them. They do seem to be a pretty docile, easy going species, but since I have no personal experience to draw from, I really can't say how two males would fare together in a long term housing situation. I can only say that I would not do it. I wouldn't do that with any species. The thing is though, I respect Yvonne's knowledge and high level of experience. Lots of people have kept tortoises for decades, but very few people have kept as many species and as many individuals as Yvonne has. She knows the score. She knows what she's doing and what the potential consequences of being right or wrong are. I give her a pass. If a new person joins and has a pair of a species that I do have experience with, and these are their first tortoises and they are new to the hobby, I will try a lot harder to make the case that they should separate their tortoises before something bad happens. But Yvonne already knows my opinion on this matter, so there is no point in discussing it. Yvonne and I sometimes disagree about tortoise keeping practices, but I defer to her superior level of experience in a case like this, and learn from her. If I knew for sure that keeping two male Aldabras together was a problem because I had raised a bunch of them over many years, I would say so. But I really don't know that to be the case since I've never raised a single one.
 

mark1

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Breeding a male is a singh of domination, the submissive one did not developed secondary sex features. I would separate if that happens again @Tom mentioned a story about 2 male sulcatas in one of his threads one dominant and other submissive that were kept together.
having raised quite a few dogs , which are social animals where dominance and submission is an integral part of their lives . this behavior is common in both males and females , puppies , adolescents and adults , i personally doubt it's motivated by dominance , because i've seen every dog i've ever had display this behavior at some point in their lives . i've seen dogs hump the air more times than i could possibly remember , they hump toys ......i've only once ever seen a dog in a fight mount the other dog , and i don't believe that was dominance , i think it was just a stressed excited dog ...... i think mounting is most times a sex driven behavior brought on by stress , hormones , excitement ....... but it's never struck me as a dominant behavior , i've seen pups mount adult dogs , i know and they do too , could kick their *** ....... the dog just ignoring them knowing it's just a pup , or just tells them to get off , which they do ...... i think you just got a frisky male that would probably mount anything nearby ......
 
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