Craigslist rescue, Dozer

[jsheffield]

I did the monthly check-in for Dozer today and he seems to be doing quite well... much improved since his arrival.

He'll be moving into a larger indoor enclosure soon, which will insure he has room to explore and exercise once the weather here gets too chilly for him to keep going outside.

Jamie

 

[jsheffield]

Most days Dozer gets a plate of greens from the fridge or weeds from the yard, but a few times a week I do a bit more.

Today's brunch was a bed of kale topped with rehydrated wakame seaweed and hibiscus flowers, mushrooms, butternut squash, and a bit of water-softened Mazuri for dressing.

I also gave him an extra long soak this morning, followed by a rubdown with my homemade shell conditioner.

#SundayswithDozer

Jamie

 

[jsheffield]

Dozer gets a nice long soak everyday... It normally involves a poop as well.



Dozer after his morning soak... it's a warm day here in NH so I took him outside to enjoy a few hours in his big outdoors enclosure... it rained all last night, so the ground and grass are nice and damp.

j

 

[TammyJ]

He looks absolutely amazing.

 

[jsheffield]

It's another hot day here in NH, so after running thes prinkler for 30 minutes to soak everything down in his big outside enclosure, I brought Dozer out for a fewh ours of fun in the sun.


I love the patterns on his head and legs and carapace....

Jamie

 

[Ink]

Are you going to keep Dozer??? A book possibly?

 

[Moozillion]

Dozer is GORGEOUS!!! He really hit the jackpot when he came to you!!!

 

[Obbie]

I've brought 6 tortoises into my home off of Craigslist... 4 Russians and 2 Hingebacks.

The Russians all still live with me, I kept the Hingebacks until they were healthy and eating and then shipped them to people already working with breeding groups of, and more experience with, them.

I keep an eye on my local craigslist for tortoises, particularly the more esoteric or exotic types, so that I can keep them out of the hands of muttonheads and either invite them to join my creep or live with them a while and then move them along to someone better suited to long-term living with them.

This is all leading up to a listing I saw today for an Aldabra hatchling a few hours away from me. I initially assumed it was a scam but in texting with the guy I'm considering the possibility it's legit.

1) he answered my questions with knowledgeable responses about their feeding and care
2) when I asked him for a pic of the tortoise with a random item I'd picked, he seemed confused/amused, but sent the pic of his tortoise with a metal spoon within a minute
3) he asked me to call him to discuss the tortoise

View attachment 357185

I'm tempted to make the drive and get the tort, just to keep it out of the hands of someone who cannot actually take care of it, and then figure out who to move it along to within a year (before it gets huge).

Am I crazy, or stupid, or gullible, or all three?

Jamie

No, we (lots of us) just love these guys. I don’t like a lot of the treatment I hear about torts. I’ve had my Mali 🇲🇱 since 2018. She was found in the gas fields in South Dakota. She was about 40 lbs vs now she’s 65 lbs

 

[jsheffield]

No, we (lots of us) just love these guys. I don’t like a lot of the treatment I hear about torts. I’ve had my Mali 🇲🇱 since 2018. She was found in the gas fields in South Dakota. She was about 40 lbs vs now she’s 65 lbs

Great name!

 

[jsheffield]

Possibly Stupid Question:

I'm working from home tomorrow and was hoping to get Dozer outdoors for some time in his outside enclosure, but it's not going to be as warm as I generally keep him.

I keep his inside enclosure between 80-95 degrees generally, and have previously brought him outside on days when it's over 80 degrees, but tomorrow is going to be in the mid to upper 70s.

He's now nearly 6 inches and I'd love to get him outside for a warm and drizzly day if it's not going to risk his health... what are people's thoughts on my bringing him outside for a few hours of slightly lower temperatures?

Thanks,

Jamie

 

[wellington]

If it's windy, cloudy and rainy, I'd say no, not until he's bigger. But if it's sunny and 75, he should be fine, he likely will be much warmer than the air temp as he will attract the sun/heat.
Wish @ALDABRAMAN would answer on this one.
I know my adults can withstand a lot colder temps than the 80 but, they are of course bigger and have a heated hide to go into.

 

[jsheffield]

If it's windy, cloudy and rainy, I'd say no, not until he's bigger. But if it's sunny and 75, he should be fine, he likely will be much warmer than the air temp as he will attract the sun/heat.
Wish@Aldabraman would answer on this one.
I know my adults can withstand a lot colder temps than the 80 but, they are of course bigger and have a heated hide to go into.

Thanks, I'll probably err on the side of caution unless it's sunny....

Jamie

 

[Cathie G]

Possibly Stupid Question:

I'm working from home tomorrow and was hoping to get Dozer outdoors for some time in his outside enclosure, but it's not going to be as warm as I generally keep him.

I keep his inside enclosure between 80-95 degrees generally, and have previously brought him outside on days when it's over 80 degrees, but tomorrow is going to be in the mid to upper 70s.

He's now nearly 6 inches and I'd love to get him outside for a warm and drizzly day if it's not going to risk his health... what are people's thoughts on my bringing him outside for a few hours of slightly lower temperatures?

Thanks,

Jamie

In the direct sun in my Russian's outdoor enclosure it's usually at least 10° higher than the air temperature close to the ground. I don't know much about aldabras or the babies. But as much real direct sunlight as you can get seems like the best choice to me before winter. Even if it's only an hour or two. It also seems like that's what they would do in the wild to store up for the winter months. Maybe it's a stupid answer but it's just my thoughts.😊

 

[jsheffield]

The temp peaked this afternoon around 2pm at 79 with partial sun, so I put Dozer out for about an hour, ending the field trip when it started raining (although he seemed to enjoy being rained on for a few minutes while I watched him tromping around in the long grass in his outside enclosure).

Jamie

 

[wellington]

The temp peaked this afternoon around 2pm at 79 with partial sun, so I put Dozer out for about an hour, ending the field trip when it started raining (although he seemed to enjoy being rained on for a few minutes while I watched him tromping around in the long grass in his outside enclosure).

Jamie

79 and rain isn't bad. We had rain all day but no sun and never got out of the high 60's. Luckily I got the winter shed all ready in time. Tuesday and Wednesday not going to be much better. Thursday is the start of another warm streak.
Now is the time that starts having to move them in and out more than not.

 

[jsheffield]

Dozer seems to like his new, and bigger, enclosure.

I almost never see him moving, but I keep finding him in different parts of it, exploring.

I've been checking & tweaking temperatures with a temp gun in the enclosure obsessively since moving him... looking for a gradient of 75° to 100° so that he can choose how warm he needs to be at any given time.

I've found him down at the cool end in one of the hides in the enclosure and a few times right under the heating element and UV light, charging up.

When I finished my supper tonight, I went in to check in on him and he was enjoying a dip in one of the two shallow pools I've got in there for him.

Jamie

 

[jsheffield]

Doing a little work down in my office and I saw Dozer peeking out of one of his hides to watch me... he seems increasingly comfortable with me and his new enclosure, hiding a bit less (although I guess that's a hardwired behavior for hatching tortoises for the first year or two, to prevent predation).

J

 

[jsheffield]

I drove to New Jersey to pick Dozer up from a guy who couldn't care for him adequately four months ago today.

He's more than doubled his weight in that time, is putting on good growth after living too dry for too long, no longer has scratches and scabs on his neck and legs (from the guy's cat, I think), and is more comfortable not hiding all of the time.

I still soak him 5-7 days a week. He gets a varied diet of greens with occasional veggies and Mazuri. He's now living in a bigger enclosure with more precise temperature and humidity control.

In general, I feel pretty great about this rescue and his prospects....



He scared me by climbing up on top of the half log hide earlier, and I kept checking in until he'd gotten down without flipping... he's fine, just exploring.

Jamie

 

[SinLA]

LOL dis baby is now approx the size of my adult Russian!

 

[NJO]

I've brought 6 tortoises into my home off of Craigslist... 4 Russians and 2 Hingebacks.

The Russians all still live with me, I kept the Hingebacks until they were healthy and eating and then shipped them to people already working with breeding groups of, and more experience with, them.

I keep an eye on my local craigslist for tortoises, particularly the more esoteric or exotic types, so that I can keep them out of the hands of muttonheads and either invite them to join my creep or live with them a while and then move them along to someone better suited to long-term living with them.

This is all leading up to a listing I saw today for an Aldabra hatchling a few hours away from me. I initially assumed it was a scam but in texting with the guy I'm considering the possibility it's legit.

1) he answered my questions with knowledgeable responses about their feeding and care
2) when I asked him for a pic of the tortoise with a random item I'd picked, he seemed confused/amused, but sent the pic of his tortoise with a metal spoon within a minute
3) he asked me to call him to discuss the tortoise

View attachment 357185

I'm tempted to make the drive and get the tort, just to keep it out of the hands of someone who cannot actually take care of it, and then figure out who to move it along to within a year (before it gets huge).

Am I crazy, or stupid, or gullible, or all three?

Jamie

You are a very good person.