Our new baby Galapagos tortoises

[dd33]

I thought I would share some photos of our new Galapagos Tortoises. The oldest hatched on 6/17/21 and the youngest 7/26/21. They look bigger every day and are increasing in weight at a rate of 10-15% per week right now. Their favorite foods are cactus and pusley weed. They also eat several types of hibiscus, grape leaves and a small variety of other weeds. So far the only store bought food has been dandelion greens and all the low hanging leaves on the plants in their enclosure. We have introduced them to Mazuri LS but they were more interested in the fresh stuff.

 

[Jan A]

I thought I would share some photos of our new Galapagos Tortoises. The oldest hatched on 6/17/21 and the youngest 7/26/21. They look bigger every day and are increasing in weight at a rate of 10-15% per week right now. Their favorite foods are cactus and pusley weed. They also eat several types of hibiscus, grape leaves and a small variety of other weeds. So far the only store bought food has been dandelion greens and all the low hanging leaves on the plants in their enclosure. We have introduced them to Mazuri LS but they were more interested in the fresh stuff.

View attachment 331260View attachment 331261View attachment 331262View attachment 331263View attachment 331264

Wow!! Please keep posting photos. They're gorgeous!! Do they have names?

 

[Ink]

They are beautiful ? how many hatched?

 

[dd33]

Wow!! Please keep posting photos. They're gorgeous!! Do they have names?

We are terrible with names. So for now they only have colors.

 

[dd33]

They are beautiful ? how many hatched?

We didn't hatch them, we purchased them from a breeder in Florida.

 

[Ink]

They are beautiful.

 

[jsheffield]

Truly Gorgeous!

Jamie

 

[TammyJ]

I love them and you are very lucky to have them! I wish them a wonderful long life.

 

[Tom]

What a fantastic treat! Thank you for sharing and posting pics. I look forward to seeing more and tracking their growth as they get older. Congratulations to you! They are not easy to come by. If these are your first, you are in for an amazing ride. They really are different from other tortoises. Please keep this thread going for years to come.

 

[dd33]

What a fantastic treat! Thank you for sharing and posting pics. I look forward to seeing more and tracking their growth as they get older. Congratulations to you! They are not easy to come by. If these are your first, you are in for an amazing ride. They really are different from other tortoises. Please keep this thread going for years to come.

Hi Tom,
These are our first Galapagos but not our first tortoises. I am hoping they are friendlier than our Aldabras. After three years they are still terrified of us. I will post more pictures as they get older.

 

[Tom]

Hi Tom,
These are our first Galapagos but not our first tortoises. I am hoping they are friendlier than our Aldabras. After three years they are still terrified of us. I will post more pictures as they get older.

I meant if these are your first Galapagos...

Both species are terrified of people as youngsters, but Galaps seem to desensitize sooner, more, and more completely.

 

[Hutsie B]

How wonderful they are. We had very friendly Aldabras even as they were younger, interesting that some of you didn't. Congratulations on your beautiful babies, keep us posted on their growth

 

[Markw84]

Hi Tom,
These are our first Galapagos but not our first tortoises. I am hoping they are friendlier than our Aldabras. After three years they are still terrified of us. I will post more pictures as they get older.

It won’t be long until your Galapagos will rather have attention over food. Here’s a photo from yesterday. Brenda and I were feeding some treats to some Galapagos. This one wanted petting before showing any interest in the banana treats! This is a pure Chelonoidis vicina.

 

[dd33]

It won’t be long until your Galapagos will rather have attention over food. Here’s a photo from yesterday. Brenda and I were feeding some treats to some Galapagos. This one wanted petting before showing any interest in the banana treats! This is a pure Chelonoidis vicina.
View attachment 331460

We are looking forward to that. Some of the adult Galapagos we have been around were very curious and friendly and certainly seemed to want more than just food.
Is the tortoise in that photo normally kept in that area with see through fencing?

 

[Markw84]

We are looking forward to that. Some of the adult Galapagos we have been around were very curious and friendly and certainly seemed to want more than just food.
Is the tortoise in that photo normally kept in that area with see through fencing?

It normally takes until they are about 2 to 2-1/2 yrs old before they really start wanting the touching and petting.

 

[Robivens]

It won’t be long until your Galapagos will rather have attention over food. Here’s a photo from yesterday. Brenda and I were feeding some treats to some Galapagos. This one wanted petting before showing any interest in the banana treats! This is a pure Chelonoidis vicina.
View attachment 331460

I want to visit with the torts.

 

[William Lee Kohler]

It won’t be long until your Galapagos will rather have attention over food. Here’s a photo from yesterday. Brenda and I were feeding some treats to some Galapagos. This one wanted petting before showing any interest in the banana treats! This is a pure Chelonoidis vicina.
View attachment 331460

This is just what I experienced when I visited the ones at the San Diego Zoo. They loved getting scratched and rubbed and came over to get it.

 

[dd33]

We took a few new pictures yesterday. These three are about 10 weeks post hatch and in the 180 gram range. Their weights have increased by 44-46% in just the last 4 weeks.

 

[Maggie3fan]

Oh they are seriously fantastic! Obviously growing...and I am very impressed with the one eating cactus. Even my adult Gopherus agassizii wouldn't eat that...

 

[dd33]

Oh they are seriously fantastic! Obviously growing...and I am very impressed with the one eating cactus. Even my adult Gopherus agassizii wouldn't eat that...

All of them took to cactus pads immediately, they seem to like it more than anything else we offer them.
We are going to need a ton of it so we have been planting it all around the property. I feel bad for whoever gets this place after us, they will never be able to get rid of it all.