"Egg Tooth" ques and juvie vs hatchling questions

[mom2twinsplus2]

How long do cherry heads normally have their egg tooth?

I am considering getting either a summer 2009 or an 8 week old cherry head (two different sources) but I have been told that the 8 week old still has its egg tooth...is that typical? The torts will have to be shipped so I want to be sure that the tort is old enough and I know that with the egg tooth it is too soon but I thought 8 weeks was OK so I am confused...

Also, in terms of behavior, I know that young torts are always more shy than older ones but one of the big appeals to us of cherry heads is that they are supposed to be so social so I am just curious what the typical experience is for people with young cherry heads...how long does the shy-ness last before they start to become more regularly interactive with people.

I have two sub-adult Russians who literally came out of their shipping box ready to explore and eat out of our hands and one who will stretch his necks out if I rub under his chin (I guess he likes that-LOL)...I am not expecting that from young juvies but it sure is fun if it happens that way <grin>!

Thanks!

Alison

 

[Meg90]

When I got my youngest tort she was six weeks old, and still had her egg tooth. I'm not sure when it fell off.

But, if this is your first baby tortoise, I would suggest going with the older one. Babies are notoriously fragile. And they are little for a while, so even a summer 2009 baby is little!

And yes, I have found that the younger they are, the less they want anything to do with you. Anouk, my middle girl was 7 months old when I got her. She was more apt to come to me when I spoke, and held out food. Novalee, the 6wk old, would go running as soon as she saw me. I couldn't even snap a picture of her eating at first, because she was so shy.

Now, both torts are very friendly towards me, but it did take a little longer with the baby. I think a month or two before she started to trust that I wasn't there to eat her!

 

[cdmay]

The egg teeth of redfoot tortoises (and many others) never falls off. Instead, it is a modified projection of the front portion of the maxilla that smooths out as the young tortoise grows.

 

[mom2twinsplus2]

Thank you! I think maybe the summer 2009 babies will be the perfect ones for us...kind of splitting the difference between the 8 week olds and the 2008s-LOL! My kids are great with animals but a little loud so if it took a month or two for your baby tort to relax around you, it would probably be longer here just cause the kids are never exactly quiet-LOL. My Russians don't seem to care at all but I still want to try to set us up for the best adjustment for all of us.

We can't wait!

Alison