Dream Come True...

Anthony P

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Yeah, it's a shame how dire their situation is in the wild. Sucks that you can watch an hour long show on animal planet and not see a single tortoise. I know lemurs are important too, and I guess us tree-hugged tortoise lovers need to keep in mind that in a place where slash and burn agriculture is the priority, most wildlife will end up being classified as critically endangered as both Pyxis species are...

They do behave a bit differently. I have always argued the pretty rock thing. Arachnoides go inactive for half the year, pretty much no matter what. Planicauda don't go down into dormancy quite as hard as the spiders. They are more active too. For me though, spiders are better, because they do best with a dry, cool winter, and a hot, wet summer. We have both of those things in CT! It's not often I find a species that actually works up here. And personally, I love the thrill I feel when the spiders wake up, or decide to take a few bites during the winter. They don't hibernate, per say, they just get lazy, haha.
 

bigred

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Very cool tortoises, I really like the tan brown shells. Its great that you go them small so you can raise them right
 

Tim/Robin

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Arachnoides go inactive for half the year, pretty much no matter what. Planicauda don't go down into dormancy quite as hard as the spiders.

This has not been my experience at all, especially with adults.
 

tortadise

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Agreed with Tim for my guys. My plani is quite inactive during the day. Seems to favor coming out twice to three times when sprayed down for food. They go down September and come up march-April. PAB and PAA seem to be way more active and go down sometimes not at all through out the year. I recall similar activity from oblonga back when I had some. Active year around.
 

Tim/Robin

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I am wondering if you are basing your statement off your experience with the hatchlings you recently acquired? Or have you had other experience?

What I have seen over the years working with Pyxis is that planicauda adults are down more than they are up (meaning they have a longer inactive period). They typically go inactive late September or early October and really don't do much at all until April/May. They may take a bite every few weeks when we get them up and put them in front of food. The hatchlings/juveniles go down later, typically late December and return to normal activity in May.
Paa adults go inactive November/December and return to full activity and mating in early March. Hatchlings and juveniles keep very close to this but may get up independently more often during the "inactive" period. Pab are similar to this as well.
For the most part, my Pao stay fairly active year round. Some will take a few days off, but in general they stay active.
 

Anthony P

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I think that's great stuff, TIm. I am basing my comments off of my own experience, added to lengthy conversations with others whom breed both species in late numbers. I apologize for doing so, as I didn't mean to pass that of as a blanket statement across the board.

Great to have your input, as well as Kelly's.
 

mitchellr

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But you guys live in a four seasons country. What if the PAA is kept in tropical country such as indonesia?

I think it would be active all year round since temperature and climates are quite constant except for raining and dry seasons.
 

Anthony P

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I think that's what Kelly and Tim are eluding to. I definitely have seasons here, where temps and humidity change drastically throughout the year.
 

Tim/Robin

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Rainy and dry are the only seasons in Madagascar and they still go inactive. Actually, they are inactive more of the year than active in Madagascar.
 

mitchellr

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Rainy and dry are the only seasons in Madagascar and they still go inactive. Actually, they are inactive more of the year than active in Madagascar.

But madagascar's climate is extreme. It drops to less than 10 degree celcius. Here in indo it's pretty much warm enough even at night.
 

Kapidolo Farms

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I've spoken to primate field people who have been in the Kirindy forest and read most of Primate report #46 (which is a collection of people's studies of all manner of flora and fauna of the Kirindy forest). The forest is patchy enough that there are year round open and closed (canopy) areas. Even in the middle of winter (dry season) there is enough piles of leaf litter that the tortoises can regulate their microclimate humidity. It seems unlikely they would find a dry area though in the mid summer when the rainy season occurs.

There don't seem to be many small depressions in the forest floor that collect water for drinking, however there are thousands of leaves on the forest floor with a enough of a bowl shape to them that will collect water, and with frequent rain and dew there are thousands of small water bowls all over. I provide one 8 inch plant saucer and they drink from it readily.

One of the explanation for their local name 'kapidolo' (ghost tortoise) is the likelihood of finding them around small open (canopy) places where cemeterial plots are. Now if they have a preference for these areas or it's just circumstantial to find them there when the living pay their respects I don't know. However it seems most lily they are a species that spend much time in the areas of transition between open and closed.

My set ups are a mosaic of wet and dry, high light and closed canopy (for tortoise height). When I look into their enclosure non are to be seen. I put a food plate in and all of a sudden they are all coming out from the overhang of live plants in their enclosure. They are uninhibited to be out when food is present even if my hands are in the enclosure spot collecting feces (gloved hand) or removing the rapidly growing plants from completely choking out all floor level light.

They went into a torpor last fall in October and prefered the most dry area. This spring they gradually ended up in the more moist areas. I soaked them a few times in full sun (the real kind not a bulb) and they all came into full animation. Their enclosure this time of year is ranging in temps from 72F as the low to 104F as the high. The plants have massive dew each morning and the enclosures humidity is very high (though not measured) condensation form on plastic box walls that are entirely inside the overall enclosure.

The foot print is 45 inches by 19 inches and there are two sweater boxes in there one at each end, with a whole in the side, no lid. One always has standing water in the substrate one is as dry as the enclosure microclimate allows. They use all the space right now, but mostly the dry inner box over the winter. Those winter temps had been as low as 52 and no higher than 78. Winter enclosure humidity was rarely over 25% (whatever the actual RH was for the region. The summer humidity is artificially raised by putting plexiglass over the whole top.

They seem willing to eat pretty much everything any of my tortoises will eat. @tortadise convinced me to try mushroom, they finally started to eat them, but with no particular preference. They very much like blossoms of any plant that is offered, they like the winter and summer squashes, but oddly enough, much like the Forsten's seem almost addicted to mulberry leaves. The recent newest little girl (?) finds them her preference as well. I just got a bunch of spectacular plantago leaves, and they loved them too. I mix dry leaf and dry straw/grass into their food as well, they don't seem to mind at all.

I would in no way, shape, or form characterize them as pretty rocks, they are animated and active this time of year. During their torpor they are no less interesting then any and all other species that hibernate for month on end.

If not so rare and low in reproduction I think they would make great terrarium pet tortoises. They are attractive and responsive to your presence. And like all those snake people and hibernating tortoise folks, you get a break from daily care over the winter. My pancakes want food 365.
 

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