Successful Hatching of C. angulata - Sterantino / CAWG

Sterant

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So amazing, Carol do you know how long it takes for an egg sack to close? My little one came out of the ground with it nearly closed (took a day or two then it was completely closed) so I’m just trying to figure out a more precise ‘hatched’ date as a DOB..
This really depends on when the tortoise emerges from the shell. I know a few people that have told me their angulates stayed in the shell 2 or 3 days after pipping, and emerged with the yolk sac almost fully absorbed. Mine pipped on May 4th and I opened the egg. The yolk sac was fairly large. It took 3 days until it was down to a small bump. Today, a week in, its just a very small hard scar and is nearly gone and closed up. I will try to remember to take a picture later and show you.
 
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This really depends on when the tortoise emerges from the shell. I know a few people that have told me their angulates stayed in the shell 2 or 3 days after pipping, and emerged with the yolk sac almost fully absorbed. Mine pipped on May 4th and I opened the egg. The yolk sac was fairly large. It took 3 days until it was down to a small bump. Today, a week in, its just a very small hard scar and is nearly gone and closed up. I will try to remember to take a picture later and show you.

Thanks for the info! My little one is actually a leopard tort but I presumed the yolk sack closing would have a general time it took? When mine crawled out it had a flat shell (bottom) and just a small pink scar which took two days to close up and harden
 
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Hi Christine. Dan would be better able to answer that, as I am still fairly new to the world of tortoises myself. And congratulations. Please start a thread under Bowsprit and post pictures. We would love to see your little one. In your thread if you could advise how you are keeping it, what kind of enclosure (post a pic of your enclosure), the lighting being used, your temps and humidity etc. It would be great. As we are trying to build the info on Angulata on TFO.

My baby is actually a leopard tort but thought I’d ask about measurements and hatching as I saw it was a topic coming up in this thread :) but I’ve gotten a lot of info from the leopard tort threads so all set at least :)
 

Sterant

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The baby, "Sol", is doing very well. I decided to raise it in a closed chamber at high humidity as I do radiata. So far so good. I am hoping this will begin to ease our concerns about this species being able to handle high-humidity conditions. My current experiences, combined with the experiences of others, would strongly suggest that the issues many have experienced with wild caught specimens does not translate to captive bred.
 

wccmog10

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The baby, "Sol", is doing very well. I decided to raise it in a closed chamber at high humidity as I do radiata. So far so good. I am hoping this will begin to ease our concerns about this species being able to handle high-humidity conditions. My current experiences, combined with the experiences of others, would strongly suggest that the issues many have experienced with wild caught specimens does not translate to captive bred.

I ultimately do not have much experience evaluating the differences between captive bred and WC leopards. But from what I’ve heard second hand- from shall we say “people older than me” (I believe he is in his 70s)- is that WC leopards do poorly with the humidity here in the southeast. But captive bred individuals who are raised in these conditions don’t show any adverse effects.

I know we are talking about angulata, not leopards. But there are not exactly a bunch of captive bred angulata to use as an example, so I thought I would comment.
 

Sterant

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I ultimately do not have much experience evaluating the differences between captive bred and WC leopards. But from what I’ve heard second hand- from shall we say “people older than me” (I believe he is in his 70s)- is that WC leopards do poorly with the humidity here in the southeast. But captive bred individuals who are raised in these conditions don’t show any adverse effects.

I know we are talking about angulata, not leopards. But there are not exactly a bunch of captive bred angulata to use as an example, so I thought I would comment.

Could be multiple factors. In the case of WC Angulates, It seems to be naturally occurring, though pathogenic, bacteria and parasites that are kept under control in the wild through diet and seasonal changes, but when they go through the stress of capture, transport, new diet, new climate - the stress is too much and they succumb to these pathogens. I have tested WC angulates and found a number of bacterial loads as well as nematodes. If they are not treated for all of this prior to showing symptoms, they can go down hill quickly. In fact most WC angulates don't survive long in captivity. Even fewer thrive and reproduce.

CB is definitely the way to go with Angulates.....If you can get them ;-) I'm working on that!
 

Sterant

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Here's an updated shot of "Sol", a month old today (oh yes and May the Forth be with you all) and older pictures as a record of growth.

I am raising her in a humid closed chamber to see how angulates handle the humidity - so far so good. Growth is fantastic and she is a very active tortoise.

April 4th:
IMG_3471.jpeg
April 19th
IMG_3480.jpg
May the Forth
IMG_3632.jpg
 

CarolM

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dmmj

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It is always nice to see a species that is ( threatened\endangered I am guessing) reproduce in captivity
CONGRATS!!!!!!!
 

Sterant

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This new image is neat - you can see the new growth line starting to come in, soon it will swell up even with the prior lines.
Sol 6-1-19.jpg
 

Tom

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It is always nice to see a species that is ( threatened\endangered I am guessing) reproduce in captivity
CONGRATS!!!!!!!
They aren't threatened or endangered any more than any other common species, they just don't seem to survive well when exported to other countries. In Africa they are common and numerous and appear to be very hardy and adaptable to a wide variety of housing situations. Move them here to a similar climate and they ususally die. Few people have been successful at breeding them or keeping them alive for very long, and the reason why eludes us. Each hatch of a new baby over here is monumental and very important.
 

Sterant

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In my imagination I couldn't make it look any better than that...
Agreed and I am simply raising this like I do radiata - closed chamber above 85% humidity - orchid bark. Daily soaks and I spray the carapace a couple times a day. single UVB tube, a 6500k tube and no basking lamp. Interestingly enough, even at this high RH, it still chooses to hang out in a humid hide rather than a dry one. I make up these small hides with a sponge attached to the inside-top - and he hangs out in there.
 

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