Hello from Mama of 9 Desert Tortoise Hatchlings

Bonnie

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2013
Messages
6
Hello,

I'm in California and received 14 desert tortoise eggs from a friend whose neighbor found them in her yard in June. I'm taking it on her word that they are California desert tortoises. I believe they are, but I'd appreciate an expert's help in identification details. Turns out her tortoises are old enough to mate now. ;) Anyway, 5 of the eggs were not fertile, and we managed to do enough right to get 9 out of 9 hatchlings from the others. I've been soaking them and feeding them finely chopped greens, kale, and a little organic baby food, giving them regular sun outside, etc. I have them on wax paper right now so that the littlest ones' egg sacs don't rupture, but only the newest one needs that now, and I want to do something better for substrate.

Any advice would be appreciated.

BTW, I'm not entirely new to tortoises -- we found an unmarked one in the street some years ago. After a couple of years, the original owner turned up and wanted her back. :( I tried to adopt one, but no one would allow it because we have dogs, despite having a very safe enclosed area for torts. I have nearly 2/3 acre, so that didn't seem fair, but whatever. Now I have my hands full with these tiny darlings. I want to make sure I do it right!

Thanks,
Bonnie :)

So far they are Master Oogway, Leonardo, Dean, Icarus Proudbottom (hatched upside down and backwards!), Beans and Clarence Oddbody. Still working on names for the others - ha.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,390
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Hi Bonnie, and welcome to the Forum!!

I'm almost 100% positive that your babies are little sulcatas...sight unseen! Desert tortoises don't lay that many eggs, 4 maybe 5 occasionally 6, but that's a stretch.

Can we see pictures?

You would do well to read the 'important threads' at the top of the Sulcata Section. Even if they are desert tortoises, the care for the babies is the same as for sulcatas.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,660
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Hello and Welcome:). The threads at the bottom of my post are Toms for raising sulcatas.
 

ascott

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Apr 10, 2011
Messages
16,138
Location (City and/or State)
Apple Valley, California
I am on board with Yvonne....unless your friend only has verified CDTs and she actually gave you a couple nests worth....also, male and female CDTs really should not be housed in same enclosure....well, for this type if reason, among others.....we would love to see pics...
 

BeeBee*BeeLeaves

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Messages
2,312
Location (City and/or State)
Orange County, So Cal
Oh boy! I cannot wait to find out, cute sulcata babies? or cute desert tortoise babies? Welcome to the forum Bonnie. Either species, those babies are lucky to have a caring keeper. And, Icarus Proudbottom? Great name for the upside/backwards topsy turvy baby! Clarence Offbody? Too funny!! : )

And Yvonne, as usual, you just know so much. You rock! : )
 

ascott

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Apr 10, 2011
Messages
16,138
Location (City and/or State)
Apple Valley, California
Agree with you too....thankfully the forum is full of experienced knowledge such as Yvonne for one :D
 

Bonnie

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2013
Messages
6
Ah -- I should have been more specific. The eggs were from two clutches, about a week apart and were ping-pong ball size. By the time I was able to go pick up the first ones she had found another. According to the CTTC, CDTs lay between 2 and 12 eggs, so that matches, but still... I'm not positive.

What exactly are the differences, though? My understanding is that sulcatas can get very big. These are not. The adults are maybe 12-14 inches and they are about 10 years old, I think, though I have not seen them myself. My friend's neighbor gave her some eggs to hatch two years ago and the babies are not much bigger than my hatchlings. Her biggest two year old is maybe 4 inches and the others are much smaller.

Here's a YouTube vid. I'll upload more pics when I get a chance. The best ones are on my ipad, not on this machine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XJGVZ240IE

Let me know what you think and I'll post more when I'm on the proper device, haha.

Thanks!
Bonnie :)
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
For either species, that baby with the yolk sac needs to be in a brooder box. Use damp paper towels (damp, not wet) and lay a couple of them flat on the bottom of a plastic shoe box or spring mix tub. Keep the box somewhere warm. It can take 4-7 days for the yolk sac to absorb and the umbilical scar to close up.

If these are sulcatas, you will need that 2/3 acre. :D
 

Laura

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2007
Messages
7,502
Location (City and/or State)
Foothills above Sacramento CA
if your friend does have Desert torts... she needs to separate them so they no longer breed...
post pictures!!!
9 sulcatas.... wow...
 

nate.mann

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2013
Messages
779
Location (City and/or State)
Glendale, Arizona, USA
welcome to the forum. youre in good hands with Yvonne, CDT expert there. haha. and if they turn out as Sulcatas..Toms got you.


0.1.0 Sonoran Desert Tortoise
0.0.1 Leopard Tortoise
1.0.0 Bluenose Pitbull/American Bulldog
 

sibi

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 23, 2012
Messages
6,486
Location (City and/or State)
Florida, USA
Hello and welcome. If the parents of these babies aren't sullies, I don't see how the two clutches of eggs can be baby sullies. What you can do is look at some pics on the forum of baby sulcatas. If you're babies don't look like them, then you probably have DT. Either way, congrats on you new family. Please post pics asap.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Since your post had to be approved by a moderator, it didn't show up until after some of us had already posted.

Those are DTs. Soak them daily and don't follow most of the care sheets you will find on them. Most people keep them far too dry as hatchlings and a large percentage of them die from dehydration complications. Yes they come from the desert, but they live underground where its cooler and damp. They don't live above ground in the hot dry air. They'd get picked off by predators if they were just out walking around out in the open. They should have moderate ambient humidity, damp coco coir for substrate, a humid hide box for sleeping and hanging out and a 4" terra cotta saucer sunk into the substrate for drinking. House them the way a desert earthworm would live. I have raised dozens this way and they thrive. If you listen to the advice about keeping them dry, with low humidity, on dry substrate with no humid hide and no water bowl. Their chances will not be good.
 

BeeBee*BeeLeaves

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Messages
2,312
Location (City and/or State)
Orange County, So Cal
Amen to what Tom has stated. Excellence! Just say no to jerky baby tortoises! : )
I think it was Angela, ascott, that once said "plump and juicy". That is right on, and still cracks me up.
 

Bonnie

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2013
Messages
6
OK, thanks. I thought they looked most like CDTs too, but it's so hard to tell just looking at pictures on the internet and since I haven't seen the parents, I couldn't be sure.

I have placed hatchlings still working on climbing out of their shells on top of damp paper towels until they work their way off of the shell completely. All of the yolk sacs are gone and healed now, except number 9 who is still sitting in half of his egg on a damp paper towel. I've been soaking the babies in very shallow warm water every day, and giving fresh chopped greens.

My biggest concerns at the moment are substrate -- you think coir is best? How often do you freshen it? They are pretty messy eaters, haha. And also -- how much does a hatchling eat every day?

Thanks for your help! You all are awesome.

-Bonnie :)

Tom said:
Since your post had to be approved by a moderator, it didn't show up until after some of us had already posted.

Those are DTs. Soak them daily and don't follow most of the care sheets you will find on them. Most people keep them far too dry as hatchlings and a large percentage of them die from dehydration complications. Yes they come from the desert, but they live underground where its cooler and damp. They don't live above ground in the hot dry air. They'd get picked off by predators if they were just out walking around out in the open. They should have moderate ambient humidity, damp coco coir for substrate, a humid hide box for sleeping and hanging out and a 4" terra cotta saucer sunk into the substrate for drinking. House them the way a desert earthworm would live. I have raised dozens this way and they thrive. If you listen to the advice about keeping them dry, with low humidity, on dry substrate with no humid hide and no water bowl. Their chances will not be good.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Coco coir is my favorite substrate for baby Russians and CDTs. They burrow into it and it think their little humid "tunnel/hollows" help keep them hydrated and encourage smooth shell growth.

I just spot clean mine daily. I remove any poops or left over food. I don't ever replace it. Unless I am putting new tortoises into that enclosure.

I let hatchlings eat as much as they want.
 

kanalomele

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Apr 2, 2012
Messages
1,526
Location (City and/or State)
East Bay area
Welcome and congratulations on your new brood!
 

thatrebecca

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2013
Messages
928
Location (City and/or State)
Los Angeles, CA
Wow, 9 DT hatchlings! My goodness. They're pretty stinkin' cute. Congratulations on finally getting the tort you've always wanted, plus 8 more. :) And welcome to the forum. There is wonderful care advice on here from many experienced folks.

Do you know what you'll do with them when they get bigger? One nice thing about DTs is how slowly they grow, so you have lots of time to figure that out. However I ask as someone who adopted a couple of DT juveniles who outgrew their previous owner's home. I thought he asked me to take them cause my husband and I seemed so swell, but I later found out he'd asked nearly everyone in the neighborhood. :D


Oh, just reread your post and saw you have 2/3 acre. Sounds like plenty for a good tort farm. :D
 
Top