New aldabra addition is blowing bubbles.??

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jake

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Hi everyone,

I have a new aldabra addition to my family. He is 2.5 years old, good size, looks and acts normal. But he blows bubbles out of his mouth. Could it be the climate change? He came to us in San Antonio from Vegas. Do tortoises have allergies to oak pollen? It is extremely high in San Antonio right now.

Thanks!
 

old4x4

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I'm new to this tortoise thing, but he sounds like he's got a respiratory infection. Get him to a vet. I would.
 

Josh

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nasal bubbles would be indicative of an R.I.
mouth bubbles are probably something else...though i'm not sure what. other, more experienced, keepers will have to weigh in on this one...
 

Yvonne G

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jake said:
Hi everyone,

I have a new aldabra addition to my family. He is 2.5 years old, good size, looks and acts normal. But he blows bubbles out of his mouth. Could it be the climate change? He came to us in San Antonio from Vegas. Do tortoises have allergies to oak pollen? It is extremely high in San Antonio right now.

Thanks!

I have two aldabran tortoises about 7 years old and appx. 75lbs. I've noticed that when they are too dry (thirsty) their mouths have a lot of foam inside and some squishes out the sides of the mouth. I use the lid from a large plastic tub for their water tray and if I forget to fill it up every day, I notice some foaming. They also really, I mean REALLY, love a mud wallow. Take a shovel and scoop out an indentation in their pen then fill that up with water. They love throwing it up on their backs and just wallowing in it!

Yvonne
 

jake

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Thanks so much for the advice. We are finishing up their outdoor enclosure tomorrow, and we'll make sure to do a mud wallow. I bet that will be fun to watch!

Yvonne, do you have some kind of care sheet for Aldabras? We've been looking everywhere and have had trouble finding reliable information.

Thanks!
 

Chipdog

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I have searched the internet for a long time and finally found this one by Ed Priog.


Aldabra Tortoise Care


This is by no means a definitive care sheet. The information on this sheet is based on the care and maintenance of 14 yearling Aldabra Tortoises (Geochelone gigantea) that where maintained in San Diego, CA. over a 3 year period.

Housing: The minimum recommended space is 5 X 5 feet or 25 square feet of floor space for a single 8 inch animal. A suitable substrate is Hay, pine bark mulch, aspen bedding, sand or dirt. A warm retreat should be provided in colder climates. A shallow water dish such as a 12 inch diameter glazed plant saucer should be provided making sure to clean and fill the dish daily.

An outdoor enclosure is highly recommended when conditions allow this. The above dimensions apply but the more space that can be provided the better.

Environment: Aldabras seem to tolerate a large range of conditions but a warm stable environment is recommended. They should have a hot spot of at least 100F and a cool section of no less than 75F. Their heated hide box should be at least 80F. You can attain this by fixing a heat emitter to the ceiling of the hide box. The wattage of the heat source is going to be determined by the insulation of the hide box and the surrounding temperature. A UV source is a must if you cannot provide daily exposure to natural sunlight. For this a self-ballasted mercury vapor lamp is recommended. A popular example of this is the Active UV Heat lamp, which is now distributed by several dealers with T-Rex being one of them. Humidity can be provided by moistening the substrate of the hide box but does not seem to be necessary. It is presently suspected that a humid microhabitat is beneficial in good shell development. Aldabras like to soak So, if possible, try to provide a 'mud hole' in its outdoor enclosure.

Feeding: Aldabras are grazers for the most part but seem to be opportunistic when the situation arises. In a word... these guys are pigs and will eat anything. This particular group is fed mainly grasses and broadleaf weeds (read: lawn clippings when the lawn is mowed) in addition to grocery greens including Romaine, Escarole, Endive, Green leaf, Red leaf, Kale, Collard greens. When these are fed, it is in a ratio of 2 to 1 (lettuces to the other stuff). The greens are fed every 2 to 3 days. Fruits such as Apple, Pear, Strawberries, Kiwi, Mango and occasionally mellon are fed as a treat. Not too much concern is given to feeding the Apples and Berries and such. The high moisture content foods are fed with caution. On the days in between, Mazuri tortoise diet is fed. (It can be found at any feed store or can be ordered directly from Purina) Mice are fed on an occasional basis (once a month or so in the form of prekilled mice)(It is not recommended that you watch or do this around kids).

Vitamins in the form of crushed tablets of Centrum is added every 2 or 3 weeks. Calcium carbonate is added at every feeding. Cuttlebone is available at all times.


Any further questions contact , Ed Pirog at [email protected]



hope this helps you out.
 
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