Aldabra Behavior

marty4dive

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FLINTUS said:
I don't think it's imported. Shell doesn't look good enough and importing a highly protected species would be very hard.

Thanks for your observations but I'm curious what you meant by the shell not looking good enough. Not getting defensive, it's just that if what you mean is there is pyramiding evident, it seems this is endemic to captive bred tortoises and imported tortoises, and no one has clearly defined a way to keep it from happening, despite the very best efforts of many learned keepers. When I was looking for Aldabras to buy I wouldn't have accepted an extreme case but I also wouldn't reject an animal that displays some pyramiding. In my opinion these specific tortoises will be gorgeous specimens because I intend to be the best keeper I could possibly be. Just rambling here. Would be hard to absolutely rule out imported just based on mild pyramiding is the short reply. Some pictures for your perusal
 
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ashleym

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I don't know anything about Aldabras and am a new Sulcata owner myself, but I definitely wish you luck! They are beautiful and you seem very dedicated already.
 

FLINTUS

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I would not completely rule it out, I would say maybe 60% likely that it is not imported-but baoh seems to know someone called Chris who imports them. It is a nice looking tortoise for sure and the pyramiding is very minor, but WC aladabras I have seen are completely smooth. Very, very smooth. It seems hard to get these guys to pyramid compared to other species, they seem to cope much better with extremes from what I have observed. Even in captivity, there are loads of small babies being raised 100% smooth.
 

EricIvins

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There are many operations that Export offspring the world over. Some are Zoos, In-situ breeding projects, and private keepers. These are not uncommon animals at all, and they pyramid the same way any other Tortoise does....
 

marty4dive

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FLINTUS said:
I would not completely rule it out, I would say maybe 60% likely that it is not imported-but baoh seems to know someone called Chris who imports them. It is a nice looking tortoise for sure and the pyramiding is very minor, but WC aladabras I have seen are completely smooth. Very, very smooth. It seems hard to get these guys to pyramid compared to other species, they seem to cope much better with extremes from what I have observed. Even in captivity, there are loads of small babies being raised 100% smooth.

Well I should come clean here; Chris is the guy i bought this one from and he claims to import all of the ones he sells but he buys them as 4"ers so I suspect this 13"er had been hanging around for awhile. You know salesman- you never get the 100% straight scoop. I'm gonna ask for a little more info, i.e which country are they imported from, how long had you actually had this one, etc. Given that mild pyramiding is evident, there's a good chance he had it since it was a 4"er. When I bought it I was suffering from Aldabra fever and didn't really care about the split scute or pyramiding. Actually, I still don't. Alot of tortoises have minor cosmetic issues that don't affect anything. For what it's worth. Marty


EricIvins said:
There are many operations that Export offspring the world over. Some are Zoos, In-situ breeding projects, and private keepers. These are not uncommon animals at all, and they pyramid the same way any other Tortoise does....

Thanks for the info; that's sort of what I intuitively suspected; nice to have it confirmed by others. If what I've read is true, just the natural settings these beasts are found in prevents pyramiding, i.e. roaming long distances, very low protein diets. rubbing the tops of carapaces on low-hanging vegetation, burrows, etc. Only time will tell if my animals escape this in the long term. Most older Aldabras I've seen are basically pyramid-free. Marty


ashleym said:
I don't know anything about Aldabras and am a new Sulcata owner myself, but I definitely wish you luck! They are beautiful and you seem very dedicated already.

Thank you; like may others I started with Sulcatas and have an adult male and female Sulcata and a female juvenile sulcata. The adult male is 65lbs, the female is 80lbs. Couldn't resist the Aldabras;closest thing to a Galapagos, which I fell in love with as a kid but probably will never have. Aldabras are the next bestest thing.Marty
 

EricIvins

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Pyramiding has everything to do with hydration and husbandry. You don't have to look hard to find deformed Aldabras. They can be grown smooth by keeping them humid and hydrated.
 

wellington

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Agreed with EricIvins. Pyramiding is preventable and we do now know how to accomplish this. Just for example, read Toms threads at the bottom of my post for raising smooth Sullies and leopards. Look at Aldabramans Aldabras they are smooth. Good hydration and humidity plays a big role. BTW, Chris does also import larger Aldabras, at least that is what he told me. 4 inchers and also larger ones. However, he does not really keep them the right way for them to not pyramid. You are right though. If the tort is healthy and has been hydrated a little pyramiding does not make them bad. You can help to stop it by raising it properly with soakings, humidity and good hydration.
 

marty4dive

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wellington said:
Agreed with EricIvins. Pyramiding is preventable and we do now know how to accomplish this. Just for example, read Toms threads at the bottom of my post for raising smooth Sullies and leopards. Look at Aldabramans Aldabras they are smooth. Good hydration and humidity plays a big role. BTW, Chris does also import larger Aldabras, at least that is what he told me. 4 inchers and also larger ones. However, he does not really keep them the right way for them to not pyramid. You are right though. If the tort is healthy and has been hydrated a little pyramiding does not make them bad. You can help to stop it by raising it properly with soakings, humidity and good hydration.

Well, all I can say about hydration is they're getting daily soaks, sometimes more than once a day; their pond is 3/4 finished so they'll have access to at-will soaks; they get "wet" foods like carrot, squash, apple, romaine, grass, besides Maduri pellets; won't eat hay yet but my 13" from ATC is eating grass. The 13" from Chris is not into grass yet and is very shy; according to Chris not much interaction with people so socialization is creeping him/her out. Humidity in the SF Bay Area is ok but certainly nowhere near Florida's. Supplemental Ca++ of course. Tucked in at night;carapace temp between 80-85 in their indoor enclosure. Planning for winter which tends to be mild here.Marty
 
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ALDABRAMAN

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wellington said:
Aldabras are quite shy until older and the females much more then males.

* This is true, however patience and slow movements are important when working with your aldabra at any ages.
* Ours become very comfortable and eat directly from our hands at a very young age!


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EricIvins said:
Pyramiding has everything to do with hydration and husbandry. // They can be grown smooth by keeping them humid and hydrated.

* This is true.
* Ours browse on natural vegetation, etc. with minimal fruit and no commercial diets or supplements. We notice the best shell growth when there diet is all natural, they thermal regulate themselves, good humidity and plenty of water for hydration, and plenty of space for ample exercise.

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* One thing i notice many aldabras are not afforded is proper space for good exercise capabilities.


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marty4dive

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ALDABRAMAN said:
wellington said:
Aldabras are quite shy until older and the females much more then males.

* This is true, however patience and slow movements are important when working with your aldabra at any ages. Ours become very comfortable and eat directly from our hands at a very young age!

2qjkp43.jpg

f0vgb5.jpg



EricIvins said:
Pyramiding has everything to do with hydration and husbandry. // They can be grown smooth by keeping them humid and hydrated.





Yes I've found slow movements help when socializing. Wish I had gotten these two as babes; they would totally be eating out of my hand by now.Thanks for weighing in. Your advice, suggestions are most welcome always! Marty
 

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marty4dive

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image.jpgJust wanted to get some pics up of my three year old Aldabras, Toothless and Jett


marty4dive said:
Just wanted to get some pics up of my three year old Aldabras, Toothless and Jett


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wellington said:
Wow, that would be a nail biter for sure. I would be all over those people. Anyway, we have had a few members have their new purchased tortoises be kept in transit for 3-4 days. However, they were much smaller. Hopefully you won't see any signs of it being a problem. Good luck with them all and pictures are a must:D. Okay, pics aren't really a must, but sure would be nice:)
Some more pics hopefully. Marty4dive
 
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wellington

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Agree with Greg, they do look big. But then i only see pics and they can be deceiving. Do you have weights and sizes on them? Would be interesting to know the sizes of yours to say Greg's three year olds if he still has any.:)
 

marty4dive

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wellington said:
Agree with Greg, they do look big. But then i only see pics and they can be deceiving. Do you have weights and sizes on them? Would be interesting to know the sizes of yours to say Greg's three year olds if he still has any.:)

Don't have current weights cause the battery in the scale is dead and it's one of those damn specialty batteries; will get some weights posted soon. I haven't seen any other 3 year olds to compare to. Will keep posting pics though. Marty


ALDABRAMAN said:
marty4dive said:
my three year old Aldabras, Toothless and Jett

* Toothless and Jett are very big for three years old!

You think so? Funny, I'm always doubting whether they're progressing as they should; soaks, variability in diet, plenty of roaming outdoors. Almost time now for reduced time outdoors as it's getting colder in N. Calif. Need to get UVB lights up in the TuffShed and pig blankets
 

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ALDABRAMAN

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marty4dive said:
ALDABRAMAN said:
marty4dive said:
my three year old Aldabras, Toothless and Jett

* Toothless and Jett are very big for three years old!

You think so? Funny, I'm always doubting whether they're progressing as they should; soaks, variability in diet, plenty of roaming outdoors.

* Yes, they look for sure bigger than most three year old's we see, actually they are about the size of a male four or five year old if they were at our place. Based on your last picture, the new growth lines look very wide, indicating they are eating lots of food.

* This is a picture that i enhanced in order to optically show you the thin and consistent healthy growth lines.

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* This is a good example of a typical three year old with perfect smooth growth.

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Yellow Turtle

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ALDABRAMAN said:
* This is a good example of a typical three year old with perfect smooth growth.

2s7xmdk.jpg

Marty sorry to chime in your thread, but I'd like to ask question to Greg.

For the 3 years old aldabra picture showing above, what is the size and weight of it?

Thank you.
 

marty4dive

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Yellow Turtle said:
ALDABRAMAN said:
* This is a good example of a typical three year old with perfect smooth growth.

2s7xmdk.jpg

Marty sorry to chime in your thread, but I'd like to ask question to Greg.

For the 3 years old aldabra picture showing above, what is the size and weight of it?

Thank you.

Wow; what a difference in growth lines; your pic shows very narrow lines and both of mine have very wide lines. Is that all because of rate of consumption? Mrty
 
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wellington

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This is getting very interesting. Of course the pics of your two lovely Aldabras are always nice too look at. So, please don't stop.
I would like to know though Greg. Do you think,the difference in growth lines are because these ones are growing at a faster pace then average or because they have pyramiding?
Also, Marty, I don't remember if you have already or not. But how much natural grazing does yours get compared to grocery greens and Mazuri. I have heard before with other torts, that Mazuri will get a tort growing for sure.
 

marty4dive

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wellington said:
This is getting very interesting. Of course the pics of your two lovely Aldabras are always nice too look at. So, please don't stop.
I would like to know though Greg. Do you think,the difference in growth lines are because these ones are growing at a faster pace then average or because they have pyramiding?
Also, Marty, I don't remember if you have already or not. But how much natural grazing does yours get compared to grocery greens and Mazuri. I have heard before with other torts, that Mazuri will get a tort growing for sure.

Hello again; just to be clear Toothless is almost completely without pyramiding; I don't know his/her provenance(but I will find out) Jett was imported from outside the U.S. and has some moderate pyramiding I'm trying to correct with soaks. They both have roaming, grazing everyday with access to hay, lawn grass, succulents, lots of other plants to graze, but they do get Mazuri 4-5 days a week
 
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