Newest Addition To My Chaco Tortoise Herd

[matt41gb]

Do you have or can you get a picture Matt?

They are found in dry thorny scrub areas of Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. They aestivate when it gets to hot during their summer (our winter) and slow down during their winter (our summer). They don't get very big, 6 to 8 inches on average for males and 8 to 12 inches for females. When imported they usully come in under-weight and in poor condition, so can be very hard to acclimate. Males are usually best kept alone and females can be in small groups. They usually mate in the late spring for me and usually lay from July to October, anywhere from 1 to 3 clutches a year. Their diet is the same as any Testudo with the additions of cactus, some vegetables and some fruits.
The fact they were seldom kept in captivity, 1 because they were seldom imported when I got into tortoises and 2 because they didn't seem to do well once here, drew me to them. So the first time I ever saw them for sale (from a bird wholesalers list in New York) in February of 1989, I drove 800 miles (400 there and 400 back) to get the 4 that they had left. I only paid $20 a piece for them. 2 were for me and 2 for a friend. I picked what I thought were a pair (turned out to be 2 males, this was before I knew how hard they were to sex ). Unfortunately my friends only lasted 6 months. The 2 I got in 1989 lasted much longer than that , with my oldest male (I estimate he was about 50 when I got him) just passing away last year. The other male was between 20 and 25 years old when I got him and he is still doing great. Once I figured out they were 2 males, the long quest for a female began. In 1992 quite a few hatchlings showed up in the country and I bought 2 (hoping of course to get females). These 2 did well and in either 1993 or 1994 (Gary might remember) I got 2 more from a friend of Gary's. One of those did well (the father of the 2 hatchlings) and one was sickly and didn't make it. Well all 3 of them ended up being males. I ended up selling the 2 males I got in 1992 later on as I just had to many males. I did finally find a female for sale at the breeders expo in Florida in 1996 or 97. She was very nice, been in the country for a while and was doing well. I couldn't get the seller down below $2,000. I finally broke down at the end of the expo and bought her. She did well for me, but never laid any eggs and in 1999 when I had come home from the expo (she had been outside) I found her dead in the pen with her head partially gone. No other tortoise was harmed, so I have no clue what exactly happened to her. I was devastated as it was back to square one looking for a female. I didn't have the chance to get another female till 2007, when I picked two 4 inch animals out of a group that were being imported. I got lucky with one (mom of my 2 (hatchling and yearling)).
I liked their color, the way they looked (like mini Galapagos tortoises to me, which are their closest relatives), how they acted (the male that just passed away never quite got used to me (he'd stand tall and stiff legged trying to look bigger to scare me away every time he saw me )).
They keep me on my toes and keep me challenged more than any other tortoise I've ever had, which is what I like.

Danny

Danny, I got my friend to email me some pictures of what he thinks is a Chaco. Looked like a sulcata to me when I had it last year.

-Matt

 

[egyptiandan]

It's a sulcata Matt so no kicking yourself

Danny

 

[matt41gb]

Ok, thanks. I haven't seen it in person since last year. I've never seen a Chaco in person, so it would be hard for me to know the difference with no hands on experience. He said it hasn't grown much at all since he received it from me. He actually breeds sulcatas, so I figured he could tell the difference. Oh well, I won't kick myself anymore. Haha!

-Matt