New Aldabra

[ALDABRAMAN]

No need to be scared or intimidated by them being young as far as im concerned, as long as all needs are met there's no reason she shouldn't be fine. I've raised plenty of young torts and hatched and raised many other reptiles before including chameleons and geckos. i see nothing wrong with selling young animals that are going to someone who is experienced with keeping other tortoises or reptiles in general. Aldabras are said to be one of the more forgiving species, so as long as basic husbandry needs are met all should be fine. This one has already received more attention than any tortoise that i've ever owned that's for sure!!! Greg, i will try to take a few pics of her underside tomorrow, hopefully outside in the sunshine

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i almost forgot, i actually think she does have a nuchal scute. It's just so small it's hard to see in the pics

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Aldabras are a very hardy species.

 

[Jerry7777]

Yeah that's what i have heard. My only concerns before making the decision to get her were due to the local climate, because we actually do have a winter here although it may not be as cold as up north it does still stay too cool for them to be outside for 3 or 4 months of the year. i have a close friend that has raised a Galop here(which i'm going to post pics of as soon as i find them) that has done very well with having to be raised indoors for part of the year, so i think she will be just fine. She will be outside as much as possible as soon as spring arrives, which won't be soon enough!!

 

[EricIvins]

wow, that is Young.. Id be scared..
I really wish breeders would hold them for at least 2-3 months before selling.. get them started well and on the right track..

I don't see it that way at all........

Whether it's a hatchling or a new Import, I want that animal to go to its new owner as soon as possible to ease the transition between owners......The more an animal is established in one owners care, the harder it is to get it switched over to the others........Age, sex, species, etc.......

 

[Jerry7777]

Laura Wrote: wow, that is Young.. Id be scared..
I really wish breeders would hold them for at least 2-3 months before selling.. get them started well and on the right track..

I don't see it that way at all........

Whether it's a hatchling or a new Import, I want that animal to go to its new owner as soon as possible to ease the transition between owners......The more an animal is established in one owners care, the harder it is to get it switched over to the others........Age, sex, species, etc.......

Read more: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/newreply.php?tid=41636&processed=1#ixzz1mnQhVDs9

i agree

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

We have had some experienced keepers pick up our hatchlings at a very young age and have had others want us to hold them for several months before they take delivery. Most wholesalers we deal with want them between 30 and 60 days old.

 

[Laura]

maybe its just me...
but we see so many hatchlings die on here... Im glad you have the expereince raising youngens and have done it before..

 

[Jerry7777]

We have had some experienced keepers pick up our hatchlings at a very young age and have had others want us to hold them for several months before they take delivery. Most wholesalers we deal with want them between 30 and 60 days old.

I can also see where the wholesalers would want to have a little size on them before trying to care for multiple animals and sell them with that much money invested. Especially since most of those animals are most likely going to be getting shipped by the wholesaler.

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maybe its just me...
but we see so many hatchlings die on here... Im glad you have the expereince raising youngens and have done it before..

I'm not saying that i'm the most experienced keeper or anything like that especially when it comes to Aldabras with this being my first. I'm not even saying that i haven't lost animals myself. i just feel that being in and around the hobby for about 17yrs. and having worked with a number of species that i should be able to handle a young animal. I've also been lucky enough to have been able to be around my friends Galopagos tortoise for around 12yrs so that helps a little also. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and i don't have a problem with that at all, and i'm sure your not the only one that feels that way. it's cool and i'm sure you weren't directing that towards just me, but to the hobby as a whole.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

That is what is nice about this forum, just post a picture and/or a question and you are going to get a lot of opinions and experience.


You should be fine, you have experience and your little aldabra has had a good start. I talk with the main keeper at the Tulsa Zoo, he is a very great guy. They have experience with aldabra hatchlings for several years now and yours would not have been let loose for sale if any issues were noted. Your aldabra looks very active and alert. Her appetite should increase soon. Ours usually start to eat within the first two days from getting out of the egg, she might be eating and you might just not see.


This little is about the same age as yours and he is eating, just not much. Ours are eating and pooping at this stage!

 

[Jerry7777]

She eats pretty good she just likes to stay hidden in her moss a lot. I usually get her out when i get home and put her in front of her food and she will eat awhile and then go back to her moss. She is getting more active each day. I'm not too concerned about her eating. She actually went from 54grams on the 12th to 61grams on the 16th. so i think she is doing pretty well at this point. that's cool that you talk with the keeper in Tulsa. We plan on going up to see the male soon. We haven't been up there for few years.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

She eats pretty good she just likes to stay hidden in her moss a lot. I usually get her out when i get home and put her in front of her food and she will eat awhile and then go back to her moss. She is getting more active each day. I'm not too concerned about her eating. She actually went from 54grams on the 12th to 61grams on the 16th. so i think she is doing pretty well at this point. that's cool that you talk with the keeper in Tulsa. We plan on going up to see the male soon. We haven't been up there for few years.

Sounds like things are real good, that is a good weight for that size. They do sleep a lot at that stage.

The main aldabra keeper at the Tulsa Zoo is Barry Downer, very passionate about his work and the success with the aldabra breeding program.

 

[tortuga_please]

Awesome tort, congrats!

 

[Jerry7777]

New pics from this morning.

On the scales

Breakfast

Her indoor home

Close up

Her belly----for Greg

 

[ShadowRancher]

She is beautiful, so much tort envy

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

New pics from this morning.

On the scales

Breakfast

Her indoor home

Close up

Her belly----for Greg

Perfect!

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Is your moss moist or dry?

 

[Momof4]

Congrats!!!

 

[Jerry7777]

Greg-----I've been wetting it once or twice a day, usually twice as it dries out pretty fast. It's usually still moist on the bottom where she burrows down to when i get home in the evenings. im using an Exo-terra 10.0 UVB and a 75w red heat bulb which is the main cause of the drying out. i haven't found a good humidity gauge yet, i guess i'll have to order one online. i noticed in one of your photos of your incubators that you had an exo-terra digital humidity gauge, is that one pretty accurate?

 

[JoesMum]

I'm in love with that young Aldabra <3

 

[Kvoigt]

Does she have a humid hide?? my guess is that , the moss in the humid hide would stay moise for several days with out misting... or mine does anyway

 

[zesty_17]

Just got my first Aldabra hatchling. She is from Bob Clarks captive female and fathered by a male from the Tulsa Zoo here in Oklahoma, so she is an Oklahoma born and bred Aldabra! She hatched on Feb. 6 at the Tulsa Zoo. She doesn't have a name yet, still working on that... well her she is

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aww, how cute! Tulsa is doing great things with the aldabs! i hear they play them Barry White every morning. lol.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Greg-----I've been wetting it once or twice a day, usually twice as it dries out pretty fast. It's usually still moist on the bottom where she burrows down to when i get home in the evenings. im using an Exo-terra 10.0 UVB and a 75w red heat bulb which is the main cause of the drying out. i haven't found a good humidity gauge yet, i guess i'll have to order one online. i noticed in one of your photos of your incubators that you had an exo-terra digital humidity gauge, is that one pretty accurate?

No , however it is within reasonable parameters. I prefer the single gauge, hard to get them anymore. I have not found an accurate humidity gauge as of yet that was not expensive. The single gauge stops reading past 90% and defaults to 99% on the read out. I use them on my incubators also.