Sudan Sulcata Update 2: Goldie

DeanS

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The second installment in the Sudan update series...is Goldie! Goldie was originally one of Tom's choices. He turned her over to me when the others were rapidly outgrowing her...and she just didn't really fit in with them. At the time, she was 3.5 inches and around 247 grams. She arrived with another sibling I called Baked Potato...because of a ridge that ran the length of the spine...like a baked potato that had been split. BP didn't last two weeks...and we were concerned about Goldie, too! She rarely (if ever) ate. It wasn't until this past winter that I considered her to be out of the woods. She is currently 4.5 inches long and weighs 275 grams. I should also point out that during her bad time...she dropped from 247 grams down to 203 grams. An interesting thing happened to her along the way...she lost ALL of her dark coloring. I am including before and after shots of her...for your enjoyment!

BeforeDSC_0005 (3).JPG

After
CSC_0159.jpg
 

Levi the Leopard

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Wow Dean, what coloring! Have you ever seen the dark color just disappear like that?
Is she housed indoors or out? Think that contributed to the color?
 

Yvonne G

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Oh my lord in heaven! Tom gave up an ivory sulcata!!! Have you been doing the "neener, neener" thing at Tom?

What a pretty face. It definitely looks like a female face. It will be interesting to see if she is female.
 

DeanS

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Oh my lord in heaven! Tom gave up an ivory sulcata!!! Have you been doing the "neener, neener" thing at Tom?

What a pretty face. It definitely looks like a female face. It will be interesting to see if she is female.

Not an ivory...one of the Sudans. The three in the last photo are in the 275 to 350 gram range.
 

DeanS

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Wow Dean, what coloring! Have you ever seen the dark color just disappear like that?
Is she housed indoors or out? Think that contributed to the color?

Never saw such a dramatic color change...I keep them outside whenever there's sun. At night, they're in a mid-humidity 80 degree closed chamber.
 

Hauntmom

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Wow! She's so cute! Sorry she went through that rough patch, hoping she starts to grow for you.
 

shanu303

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WOW, such drastic colour change... she's a fighter for sure :)
 

Zamric

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I can see that Goldie has become quite the burden for you and your family of Sudans.... Just send her to me and I'll take that burden off your shoulders! :rolleyes:
 

littleginsu

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So.. is there any explanation as to why she lost her color? Is that something that happens to tortoises when they fall ill?
 
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