~ Awesome!
"Cupcake"
- Thread starter Alaskamike
- Start date
~ Awesome!
Alaskamike
Well-Known Member
Weighed Cupcake today. I think several times I had the scales on the paving stones and did not get an accurate weight.
Today I set the scale on a glass table and inverted a big flat bottomed cup and set her on top of it.
She's right at 7 lbs. 18 months old.
( I don't know that she's a she. But I really think so. Very shy , and absolutely flat plastron. But of course way too early to tell with an Aldabra. She / he will be " Cupcake" regardless hahaha)
She is on 90% free grazing diet.
Today I set the scale on a glass table and inverted a big flat bottomed cup and set her on top of it.
She's right at 7 lbs. 18 months old.
( I don't know that she's a she. But I really think so. Very shy , and absolutely flat plastron. But of course way too early to tell with an Aldabra. She / he will be " Cupcake" regardless hahaha)
She is on 90% free grazing diet.
~ Awesome!
Wow, just wonderful! I just finished reading this entire thread and loved it! Lovely pictures and adorable video! What a cutie-pie!!! 
Easily one of my favorite threads on here!! I wish you, Cupcake, and Tiny the best and I hope we continue to receive all these adorable photos. 
Easily one of my favorite threads on here!! I wish you, Cupcake, and Tiny the best and I hope we continue to receive all these adorable photos. 
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2011
- Messages
- 346
She is beautiful, so nice to see her enjoying the grass
Alaskamike
Well-Known Member
Cupcake with a treat. I noticed some new thin growth lines starting. Still haven't been observant enough to gauge how long the stay gray before turning dark and starting new ones.
Just looked at a pic of her a year ago when I got her. Boy does a year make a difference. She is not growing as fast as some, but she is steady. Lives outside so I really don't know how much she eats. Grazes and goes back into her hide still.
Thighs are chunky. The humidity in south Florida is keeping her shell smooth. It looks like she will be a high domed one.
Such a sweet thing. Likes to just sit and look around when out of her enclosure on my lanai. Ate some spinach , Mazuri , blackberry leaves, hibiscus flower and sweet pepper today. She also got a few bites of orchard grass in the mix. I've started feeding them on a bed of orchard grass to get used to eating it. Seems to be working.
Just looked at a pic of her a year ago when I got her. Boy does a year make a difference. She is not growing as fast as some, but she is steady. Lives outside so I really don't know how much she eats. Grazes and goes back into her hide still.
Thighs are chunky. The humidity in south Florida is keeping her shell smooth. It looks like she will be a high domed one.
Such a sweet thing. Likes to just sit and look around when out of her enclosure on my lanai. Ate some spinach , Mazuri , blackberry leaves, hibiscus flower and sweet pepper today. She also got a few bites of orchard grass in the mix. I've started feeding them on a bed of orchard grass to get used to eating it. Seems to be working.
~ Awesome
~ For sure, she looks fantastic!
Gorgeous!!!
Alaskamike
Well-Known Member
Feeding Cupcake
Beautiful flower!
And an adorable tortoise!
Alaskamike
Well-Known Member
Cupcake have some treats for lunch today. Served fresh on a bed of Orchard Grass.
She's not spoiled - I swear !
She's not spoiled - I swear !
TerrapinStation
Well-Known Member
She is beautiful!
her scutes look almost like a hologram or something, like those halls of mirrors at the circus.... mesmerizing....
her scutes look almost like a hologram or something, like those halls of mirrors at the circus.... mesmerizing....
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2011
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- 346
Mmmm hope she enjoyed! She's so beautiful, who could not spoil her with looks like that
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2013
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- 436
Looking great Mike! Great shape on Cupcake.
Alaskamike
Well-Known Member
Thanks Ben.
Cupcake is 8lbs 5 oz today. About 22 months old.
She is growing at a steady rate - certainly by no means large for her age , but I think healthy.
Such a calm peaceful little thing.
She's very cute!
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2013
- Messages
- 436
Hi Mike, really great to see how cupcake is coming along. regarding her size - it's really confusing to me what is normal/healthy. The more of us that share this info the better. There must be dozens / hundreds / thousands? of Aldabras in private hands now in the US alone? (It would be great to get Greg thoughts on that as a breeder). Uncle Bri was the same size at Cupcake at about 25 months, and by 33 months had more than doubled to 19lbs 4oz. It was around then (July) that I was working with my vet to figure out this crack in Bri's plastron. She was sending out photos to other vets in country and one guy, who seemed to be an expert in reptile / tortoises by his resume, responded and said that Bri was extremely over weight. Of course that through me for a loop, and I've cut back on his food supply! But since then he has not slowed down his growth at all. Cupcake looks great, and Bri does to (too me
. How do we know for sure? Obviously, in the wild they would grow much slower - what should the husbandry protocol be?
