Marcel and Susy - Update thread

Eredant

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Hey, I wanted to give an update on the two Aldabras that I bought in November last year.

I'm very pleased with their overall health and growth! The new growth on their shell seems very smooth. Suzy appears to have a wider shell than Marcel.

Marcel:
10/11/2018: 120g and 7,7 cm (plastron)
3/8/2019: 650g and 13,3 cm (plastron)

Suzy:
10/11/2018: 148g and 7,9 cm (plastron)
3/8/2019: 810g and 13,5 cm (plastron)

WhatsApp Image 2019-08-15 at 2.37.55 PM.jpeg WhatsApp Image 2019-08-15 at 2.09.26 PM(1).jpeg WhatsApp Image 2019-08-15 at 2.09.29 PM.jpeg WhatsApp Image 2019-08-15 at 2.09.26 PM.jpeg Marcel 2.jpeg Marcel 1.jpeg
 

Eredant

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Aalter, Belgium
Their enclosure is currently a section (2,35m x 4m) of our glass porch. It has a PVC liner to protect the stones. I put in some grass sod and plants to give it a natural look.

I will soon install some 54W T5 UVB and daylight lights, to hopefully keep them healthy and active throughout the winter. I will also heat the porch with a space heater to prevent freezing at night and to keep the day temperature at a comfortable 20°C or so. The nightbox is heated to 26°C and they find their own way inside every evening.

Enclosure 2.jpeg Enclosure 1.jpeg
 

wellington

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20 celcius is too cold for young ones. They should be at least 75-80 Farenheit day and night. Also they need uvb summer and winter and unless their enclosure is a special glass, the uvb will not go through it.
Otherwise the enclosure looks great.
If you happen to end up with a Male and a female be prepared to separate them when they get to mating size. Otherwise he will bug her to illness or death. Tortoises should not be kept in pairs but I'm not sure how well this applies to Aldabras. Maybe @ALDABRAMAN can answer.
 

Eredant

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Well the porch is basically a greenhouse so the 20°C is really more of a minimum that will quickly be exceeded when the sun is shining. But I'll figure what temperature setpoint works well. They also have their nightbox which is constantly heated. The person (German) who sold me the tortoises and a local keeper both said they allow their larger (>5kg) animals outside when it's 16-18°C outside, of course with a heated enclosure that is always available.

Now a strange thing I've noticed is that one (Suzy) is most active in the early mornings 7-8 AM, when the temperature was around 17-18°C. During the day when temperatures range between 20-27°C I tend to find 'her' hiding in the grass.

The roof of the porch is polycarbonate, but I guess that isn't much better than glass with regards to UV transmission. But yeah the UV lights will stay one they're installed. In the meantime I've been feeding calcium powder with Vit D with all meals.

You're absolutely right about needing the option to separate them, although I guess it will take about another 25 years before they might become sexually active.
 

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