Aldabra Size and Predators

[SanctuaryHills]

Good day good folk!

For context I have three young Aldabras in South Florida. They average 6.5" in length and 2lbs.

They are locked in a completely sealed box style enclosure during night time and then moved to a bigger outdoor pen during the daytime after they've had their 30 min soak and then feeding time.

Their 10'x7'x3' daytime enclosure is not only sealed on the sides but also has a metal mesh on top.

Im itching to let them roam on a much larger enclosed area (which would lack the top mesh) to allow them to graze, explore, excersise more etc.. Pretty much the same roaming grounds where I used to keep 9 red foot tortoises which were about 20 years old and a bit larger than 12".

I suppose that at their current size/weight my biggest fear would be predatory birds of which we have just about every type down here.

Other predators include rats, snakes, and MAYBE racoons (I've never seen a racoon here before but it would be unwise to rule them out).

So it seems to me that their only danger would possibly come from the sky?

So here is my question, what size/weight would you consider safe before they don't need the top protection anymore?

The pictures attached are from their current outdoor pen.

 

[Markw84]

I feel the biggest threat in the way of predators is rats. But that is normally an issue with smaller turtles and tortoises under 5" or so and a nighttime threat while sleeping. Raccoons can be a big threat for aquatic turtles, again at night and normally under 6". Their hunting style makes turtles an easy prey in a shallower pond. Snakes are not an issue at all.

From above, I've never seen or heard about a bird of prey interested in a tortoise. Crows can be a threat, but normally with small tortoises under 4" or so.

I do put tortoises outdoors for daytime activity once about 6" in an uncovered area. I do not keep tortoises outdoors full time until about 8"-10" and then always with a night box I can lock them in at night.

 

[SanctuaryHills]

I feel the biggest threat in the way of predators is rats. But that is normally an issue with smaller turtles and tortoises under 5" or so and a nighttime threat while sleeping. Raccoons can be a big threat for aquatic turtles, again at night and normally under 6". Their hunting style makes turtles an easy prey in a shallower pond. Snakes are not an issue at all.

From above, I've never seen or heard about a bird of prey interested in a tortoise. Crows can be a threat, but normally with small tortoises under 4" or so.

I do put tortoises outdoors for daytime activity once about 6" in an uncovered area. I do not keep tortoises outdoors full time until about 8"-10" and then always with a night box I can lock them in at night.

Thank you! That's great news. And yes I plan to always put them in their enclosed nightbox regardless of how big they get. I suppose it's time to start planning out their new outdoor pen! I'll start with a smaller perimeter as they are still small enough to make themselves pretty hard to find and then expand the pen as they grow.

Lol I think I've just been watching too much animal planet where I see these eagles drop tortoises down a huge mountain range 😅

The red foot tortoises I had which were huge (~20 years old) practically had half an acre to themselves and would sometimes be hard to locate even at their size. That's why I wouldn't give these guys as much freedom just yet. One day they'll have the entire property to themselves 😊

 

[Maro2Bear]

If you are really concerned about an over head threat, you could pretty easily install some bird netting.

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[dd33]

Hawks do eat tortoises in Florida. I feel like a read an account just recently where the hawk grabbed a very small redfoot and dropped it after landing on a fence post. That being said I don't think it would be a problem for a 6" tortoise.

Raccoons and rats are the biggest risk. You can reduce that risk by never leaving any food around at night.
If you are near a canal or lake, Otters are probably the biggest risk for water turtles in Florida. I have seen them in numerous wild turtles from my pond. I believe that some groups of them even specialize in eating turtles. If they happened across a young tortoise while traveling between bodies of water I am certain they would eat it.

Our aldabras are 75 pounds now. I still keep them in an enclosure with 6 foot sides to discourage raccoons. We have only recently stopped covering the entire thing with bird netting. That was meant to keep the chickens and other poultry away from them though. We are about to build a larger pen for them and it will only be 3 feet tall and will no longer be covered, I am still nervous though.

 

[Tom]

I agree with each and every point that Mark made. I also live out in the country with every predator there is. Bears, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, raccoons, rats, ravens, snakes, hawks, golden eagles, ants, etc... I've never had a problem with predators.

Once any of my tortoises reaches about 4-5 inches, I have them in large, uncovered, outdoor pens during the day. Smaller tortoise come indoors at night and larger adult tortoises live outside but take shelter latched in to their heated night boxes over night. Anything under 4 inches gets a cover of some sort, just to be safe.