Does anyone here keep "giant" yellowfoot tortoises?

[Baoh]

I, being interested in the giant "Amazonian shield" or "Peruvian" or what-have-you (depending upon who spins the yarn) yellowfoot tortoises, had a juvenile sent to me a couple weeks back.

Does anyone else here keep them? Any differences you have noticed other than size in comparison to "regular" yellowfoots? Do you have any photo banks or links to such? I have kept redfoot and yellowfoot tortoises before, but I have been curious to know if anybody has noticed anything particularly different about these guys.

I have seen the supersized ones in a zoo before, but have not come across any keeper accounts.

I am not speaking for or against the legitimacy of these as a race or subspecies. Whether or not there is any significantly different genetic variation from the "regular" animals I have typically seen on the market is not a point I am currently arguing due to the seeming dearth of evidence.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Baoh:

I don't believe we've ever properly welcomed you to the forum!

Welcome!!

You seem to have a wealth of knowledge and a varied interest in tortoises. I've seen you talk about Manouria and the Ivory sulcata and leopards. And now the giant YF. I've only heard stories about these tortoises, but I'd love to see one. How big/old is your new YF? Can you post some pictures?

I have a small colony of YF tortoises, but my male is very small, so I'm sure he's not what your looking for. The female is a bit bigger than the male.

May I ask where you're located and if your tortoises are able to live outside?

 

[Baoh]

Hello and thanks.

Mine is supposed/claimed to be a not-even-yearling, but I cannot say that with certainty since I didn't hatch it myself. "She" is 5.1 inches scl. All of my cameras are at work, but I'll be certain to take some photos and post them one of these days.

I currently live in MO and the tortoises can only stay outside for portions of the year. Right now, my sulcatas are outside and handling things fine. Still too unpredictable for small leopards with variable nighttime lows, IMO. My Mee can go outside as soon as I find a proper cover for the hatchling-and-juvenile outdoor enclosure to protect them from birds. While the hawks, falcons, and other raptors don't seem to care about my tortoises, we occasionally have murders of crows in the field behind my yard and I don't want any issues with the little ones. My dogs keep the possums, raccoons, and skunks at an adequate distance.

 

[Yvonne G]

Of course, I knew that a "flock" of crows is called a "murder," but I've never actually heard it used in a sentence! Good job!!