CHACO BREEDING PROJECT

[Jacqui]

Everybody is voting yes, with one exception who is undecided, Greg himself.

That was an accident, wish i could change it....lol!

Well I tried to fix it so you could change your vote, but all I succeeded in doing was not making your vote count. Sorry.

 

[conservation]

There is a show this weekend here in the Los Angeles area. Maybe there will be Chaco's there! I think I would own a group of every tortoise species if I had the space! I am looking forward to seeing Aldabraman's photos of his group when he decides to buy them.

I agree Tom, the few I have seen have been super bumpy.

 

[tortadise]

Well heres one thats not It is very common to see that though. Usually kept way too dry and no ambient moisture. Watering the food is a great way to get them proper hydration, same methods like the babies that are off to a great smooth growth start.

 

[EricIvins]

Theyre super easy. Lots of doubt when reading about the species (well what little is out there) They really are a future ploughshare if the export quotas keep up. They need to be facilitated and placed in breeding programs to ensure the wild population keeps strong.

The wild population is just fine. They are common animals throughout their range........

No one will take a chance on bringing them in any more because they come in under Captive Bred Permits........The last person who attempted this had all the animals confiscated......Daytona of 2010 was the last time these guys were brought in and allowed to stay in any kind of quantity.........Most of these animals did not make it because of a 5 day transit due to Permit problems both in Argentina and the US.........

 

[tortadise]

Oh man thats too bad. I still worry about all the other countries that get quotas, and the burning of the native land, Kinda like the bolsen tortoise and the mexican people burning the land for more fertile soil for crops. I still keep them on my list of needing to be in the studbook anyways as there are many keepers but fewer succesful breeders.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Well heres one thats not It is very common to see that though. Usually kept way too dry and no ambient moisture. Watering the food is a great way to get them proper hydration, same methods like the babies that are off to a great smooth growth start.

This photo makes me cry...wish we had done better by Taco, but it's too late to fix her shell now.

Just two things to remind Aldabraman: 1) Articles I've read about Chacos state that they often die within the first three years of captivity and 2) Another article showed a pyramided Chaco like Taco, and stated that breeding for these deformed tortoises was dangerous as the eggs can become "lodged" and threaten the mother's life...here's the article link. It's why Taco will be an old maid for the rest of her life.
http://www.chelonia.org/articles/Gchilensiscare.htm

And to Tom/TerryK, if you still have that video, send me a PM and I'll let you know our new address so I can have it back.

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Not to dissuade you, Aldabraman, you are clearly a superior, successful, and conscientious tortoise breeder.

 

[Tom]

That page is great Stephanie. It's also nearly 10 years old. I would sure like to have a crack at some babies of this species and see what I could do with them. Maybe someday.

 

[JeffG]

Greg, I know you wouldn't even ask this question if you hadn't already thoroughly researched the requirements of chacos. Because of that, I would encourage you to do this. There are very few people that have both the desire and means to take on difficult projects like this that are necessary for the good of a species. I have a feeling that this is something that you will never regret.

 

[tortadise]

Well heres one thats not It is very common to see that though. Usually kept way too dry and no ambient moisture. Watering the food is a great way to get them proper hydration, same methods like the babies that are off to a great smooth growth start.

This photo makes me cry...wish we had done better by Taco, but it's too late to fix her shell now.

Just two things to remind Aldabraman: 1) Articles I've read about Chacos state that they often die within the first three years of captivity and 2) Another article showed a pyramided Chaco like Taco, and stated that breeding for these deformed tortoises was dangerous as the eggs can become "lodged" and threaten the mother's life...here's the article link. It's why Taco will be an old maid for the rest of her life.

Dont beat yourself up. The information was and still really isnt out there about these guys. Its taken me many years to understand and boil down the breakdown of this species. They really are simple.

And yes they can die if bred too young. They lay very large eggs, and are very easy to become egg bound, if;

1. Not large enough (ventral and anal scutes can become a HUGE problem in breaking the eggs) They typically tend to lay successfully when the female is around 7-8" in length.

2. Inproper nesting material. These guys build burrows like a sulcata, and lay their eggs in a egg site inside of the burrow. So the soil is typically not just dug on the ground in a nice area.

 

[Halcyon]

Hello Greg,
As promised I was to inform you if I came across Chacos for your potential breeding project. So here it goes!
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375014

These Chacos are not from my source in Maryland, but I had written to Aaron and asked for his pictures. We corresponded well and he has shared alot of his experiences with his Chacos. He seems like a really good kid, but just did not manage to raise the captive bred baby Chacos smooth. He hatched these babies (2005,2008) himself. Some have rather severe pyramiding, but there is a smooth long term captive male and 1 or 2 cb males with less severe pyramiding. I am not sure if pyramiding will be an impediment to breeding them in the future, perhaps more so for the female than the male?

Anyway I hope you may wish to consider them for your breeding project, or to anyone who may be willing to give these Chaco tortoises a good home. Aaron has extenuating circumstances that he needs to find good homes for these babies. However be advised that these Chacos have pyramiding that not everyone can overlook.

Please contact him at [email protected] if you are interested.

Regards,
Kailee