I am thinking about getting an aldabra in like a year or so. I just got a sulcata yearling a few weeks ago and know what its going to take to raise him. Just wondering how big of a difference a aldabra will be? Don't get me wrong i realize the size difference and all. I live in utah and i guess my main concern would be winter time.
Aldabra in utah
- Thread starter Aaron23
- Start date
Hello and welcome.
Anything is possible with enough time, effort and money. But how are you going to create the needed giant tropical island weather simulator in Utah? Your climate is all wrong and one of these giants cannot be out in your dry air in summer, or cooped up in a tiny space in winter. If you have the resources (money) to build a giant heated/cooled, humidified, and properly lit tropical weather warehouse, then by all means, get an Aldabra or a group of them. Outside of this scenario, they will not do well in your climate and the space limitations of a normal house and yard, so I'd recommend against it.
Do you like Florida? Is moving there an option?
Thank you for your reply tom.
If i were to build a indoor living space during the winter how big would you recommend? I've seen people on here that have them in utah and im curious how they do it? If i feel like its a bad idea to raise one here i definitely won't. Thanks for advice
If i were to build a indoor living space during the winter how big would you recommend? I've seen people on here that have them in utah and im curious how they do it? If i feel like its a bad idea to raise one here i definitely won't. Thanks for advice
@ALDABRAMAN may be able to help
It seems plausible initially. It's really not fair at all for the tortoise though. Even being in Dallas with Aldabras they were penned up during winter and it was tragic seeing them inside for 4-5 months. Since moving to s tropical area they flourish.this species walks a lot, they have to develop proper muscles, motor skills, and develope properly by this experience along with nutritious foods. Sunlight is imperative also. Artificial lighting works, but it is nowhere near the same. They grow quite fast. Our 3 year old is around 20 pounds already. The 4 live in a 5000 square foot enclosure and consume over 100 pounds of cactus a week, 3 cases of dandelions, a couple wheel barrels of Guinea grass, and random papaya treats just in one week. They are super sweet ancient majestic creatures with a higher knowledge that is sensual more so than many other species. Utah is most certainly a difficult environment to provide a proper element of naturalistic and suitable environments for even one. It is possible, yes indeed. But as Tom stated, it would be quite costly. I charted the first 2-3 years of growth on our little one. They put sulcatas to shame with growth rate. But they will also develop a many number of medical issues including bone, muscle, tumors/goiders, improper stance, overweight, and more prone to pyramiding and improperly dense she'll growth when kept outside a suitable environment, I'd really recommend against it. But it is possible.
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- Jul 30, 2013
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Aaron, I'm going to bit a bit of the contrarian here! Clearly as you can read, most of the "experts" strongly advise against raising an animal like an Aldabra in any environment outside their natural one - and for very good reason. Having an animal like this is no joke and they deserve the best. Most of these experts (and most of them are experts, been doing this for years, have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to raising tortoises) live in climates that are more like the natural environment they recommend. Hard to imagine they would recommend anything other than this. However, people are doing it and with some success. Of course, everyone who has one is keeping them outside their natural enviroment, unless they live on the Aldabra Atoll. I have one and while the jury is still out on whether mine will thrive when really big - so far so good. Mine has to live indoors in the winter. Of course I would rather have an acre or two of land in south florida for him, but moving there is not an option for me and i wanted one really badly, so I went for it. Some think Im a bad person for that (and some of those people keep a Macaw in a cage next to their TV), and that's OK because I'd rather see more vigilance about their care then apathy. I happen to believe that really good care is really good care no matter where you live. Of course the size of the enviroment is very important with a large animal, but its not the only thing. Its just as easy to poorly feed an aldabra in Florida as it is in Minnesota. Most of the terrible cases of bad husbandry out there have to do with lack of knowledge and not giving a damn - not size of enclosure. I happen to give a damn and work hard to provide the best environment possible for my guy. That being said, enclosure size is my biggest challenge as i have expanded mine several times, and will have to continue that long into the future. Getting an Aldabra is serious business, and simple love for them is not enough - but commitment and passion in their care go a long way. I raised African Leopards for 10 years (bred and hatched them indoors in the dead of a Minnesota winter) and they thrived (granted, not in the same universe in terms of size), but there are many who think that Leopards should not be in cold climates either. I did not find anyone who had even heard of breeding P Pardalis Leopard indoors anywhere, let alone MN. All that to say that it's possible, and might not require a warehouse to do it. Good luck either way and if you ever decide to move forward, this is the place to get the help.
