New Tortoise and owner of an Aldabra

phengx83

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Hi everyone. I am a new tortoise owner and Tank is my first tortoise. I could use any tips and expertise of anyone who has owned one. I'm trying to figure out if I'm doing right by Tank by the way I have him set up. I want the best for him so I am seeking advice from experience owners. So far I have been researching online for the best ways but there are a lot of different opinions of things regarding diet, housing etc. So far I have him in an outdoor enclosure that is fairly large swimming pool filled with mulch, hide, basking stone, food and water bowl. His entire enclosure is surrounded by a fenced gate top to bottom so nothing can get to him. I feed him grass cuttings and hibiscus. I give him collard green, kale and spring mix twice a week. i soak him twice a week. I got some advice from members in this forum that its not good to leave babies outside.
 

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Minority2

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If it was me and I had the type of play money you had to purchase however many number of Aldabras or even speckled tortoises, I would be sure to get the private number of either the breeder, @ALDABRAMAN, and or any other experienced expert of the species in order to ring them multiple times daily just to bombard them with questions.
 

phengx83

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Spring Hill, FL
If it was me and I had the type of play money you had to purchase however many number of Aldabras or even speckled tortoises, I would be sure to get the private number of either the breeder, @ALDABRAMAN, and or any other experienced expert of the species in order to ring them multiple times daily just to bombard them with questions.
Thank you. I surely will do that!
 

KarenSoCal

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@ALDABRAMAN has a Facebook group called Tortoise Talk. There are many more keepers of giant tortoises on there. Now don't leave us...just join there in addition! ;) It's a private group...you'll have to ask to join.

Is that Spring Hill, TN?

 

lazybfarm

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Hi , it looks like we have aldabras from the same batch . See my threads for Jackson and General, they were J32 and J31. I am in north Alabama , are you in spring hill , tennesse ?
 

phengx83

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You got 2 that's awesome lol. No I'm in Spring hill, Florida. I was thinking of getting another but didn't know if they were going to get along with the 2 of them. How are your 2 doing together?
 

lazybfarm

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They have separate indoor enclosures, but I let them out for about 4 hours a day to soak them and let em run around a little. I have a 14’ x24’ outdoor enclosure, so for now , ample space for them. I would say that they like being around each other and get along great. When they are done roaming they bury themselves in the substrate, they are always within a fioot of each other. I have seen both of them seek out the other and go be by there side, munching away side by side on cactus or ros blooms , no agression at all, more like they feel secure with the other around. Now this will probably work for a while , or forever. My plan is to get 1 more next year . They will have about 1 acre enclosure at my new farm, building a new house next year with a tortoise house and enclosure as part of the big plan. I am building a room at my shop for 3. 4x8x3 sealed enclosures , 1 each for my Sulcata and 2 aldabras , to House them this winter , here is a pic of the Tortoise room ?

4B43DD5C-0131-4441-B5AA-0B286D0D8108.jpeg4DA27BF8-AC98-4F96-8FA8-7A6C90EDC774.jpeg
 

phengx83

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man that's really awesome. I will definitely acquire a friend for mine then. One day I would like to have such a big enclosure for mine. They sound like they are going to be living it up lol. can't wait to see how that project comes out. keep posting updates.
 

lazybfarm

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A lot of experts say to only keep one of any species and definitely do not mix any species together , with that said, look at how many people have multiple Aldabras together and they live a great life. It is better to have a group , not a pair A lot of it has to do with the amount of space they have, food etc. so as they aren’t competing for food or space, from what I have read , seen , and from my own experience , is that they seem to like being around each other, unlike most other types of tortoise
 

Golden Greek Tortoise 567

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A lot of experts say to only keep one of any species and definitely do not mix any species together , with that said, look at how many people have multiple Aldabras together and they live a great life. It is better to have a group , not a pair A lot of it has to do with the amount of space they have, food etc. so as they aren’t competing for food or space, from what I have read , seen , and from my own experience , is that they seem to like being around each other, unlike most other types of tortoise
Aldabras are one of the only tortoise species who live in colonies in the wild, that’s why they do well in groups.
 

Hutsie B

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Yeah, when I had Aldabras I read that they like to be in groups, one of the few tortoises that liked each other's company so I had two. Then I donated them to the local Natural Science Center zoo that was making a place for Aldabras and they added two more so there are four and all get along.
 

phengx83

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That is great. I also keep reading about not having torotise living together but it is good to know there are keepers out there with experience who had 2 living together kust fime
 

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