THE BIGGEST SULCATA KNOWN...TTPG TOUR!

leopard777

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bob mention that he doesnt dig out the eggs to incubate ,guess is the theory of only the strong survives ?
 

Tom

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bob mention that he doesnt dig out the eggs to incubate ,guess is the theory of only the strong survives ?

I wish Bob were here to answer for himself. There are all sorts of theories, but I think it is more a case of the path of least resistance. Eggs will hatch in the ground there with their year round good weather, and I think that digging up hundreds of sulcata nests and incubating thousands of eggs is just not practical. He does dig them up when he sees them, he says, but most hatch in the ground.
 

Tom

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bob mention that he doesnt dig out the eggs to incubate ,guess is the theory of only the strong survives ?

To elaborate further: I have heard many people say that the ones hatching out of the ground are more vigorous, "stronger", or somehow better and more fit. My personal observation have been just the opposite. Mine hatch out of the ground and they are just fine, but the ones I hatch inside and start with my African Rainy season simulation routine simply thrive. It takes a week or two of constant "nursing" to get the in-gound ones up to the same level as the incubated ones. I suspect that if a person was using the dry routine for their babies, then their incubated ones would be lacking vigor and health, while the ones coming out of the ground would be at a more developed stage and seem healthier somehow.

I think a person's opinion on this is going to vary with how they start their babies.
 

Merrick

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If you live in the area like him than his torts are likely to do good because they are hatched in and used to the environment they may even evolve to do better in that specific environment because of natural selection if hatched tortoises
 

Tom

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If you live in the area like him than his torts are likely to do good because they are hatched in and used to the environment they may even evolve to do better in that specific environment because of natural selection if hatched tortoises

To see this sort of "evolution" would take at least a few generations, wouldn't it? Probably many many generations, right? They have not been there that long.

And if this were what was going on, wouldn't mine also "evolve" and be "used to" my environment, which is not all that different than AZ in the first place?
 

DeanS

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To elaborate further: I have heard many people say that the ones hatching out of the ground are more vigorous, "stronger", or somehow better and more fit. My personal observation have been just the opposite. Mine hatch out of the ground and they are just fine, but the ones I hatch inside and start with my African Rainy season simulation routine simply thrive. It takes a week or two of constant "nursing" to get the in-gound ones up to the same level as the incubated ones. I suspect that if a person was using the dry routine for their babies, then their incubated ones would be lacking vigor and health, while the ones coming out of the ground would be at a more developed stage and seem healthier somehow.

I think a person's opinion on this is going to vary with how they start their babies.
The problem is NOBODY else raises them 'African' style...and almost all babies produced...except for those reigning from Santa Clarita...are raised dry! I can't say anymore or might leak Tom's next project...which I should leave to him...but I'll be doing the same thing with the few sources I have...
 

Merrick

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To see this sort of "evolution" would take at least a few generations, wouldn't it? Probably many many generations, right? They have not been there that long.

And if this were what was going on, wouldn't mine also "evolve" and be "used to" my environment, which is not all that different than AZ in the first place?
Yeah but you have to start somewhere.
 

Yvonne G

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This wasn't on the tour, but I was looking at pictures through Google about enclosures, and this picture came up:

crutchfield_0001_07.JPG

I went to the site for the picture and it's on Tom Crutchfield's site. Is that Tom Crutchfield? And do you think the picture is a bit distorted because the tortoise is closer to the camera (his hands look pretty big)? Also, does it look like someone has shaved off the gular?

Sorry for going off topic, but this is one very large sulcata tortoise, no?
 

bouaboua

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Somehow the video link are not there anymore......??How come??
 

IRTehDuckie

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i watch animal bytes all the time i remember when it was snakebytes wish they still did that.

that is a HUGE sully i wonder if females have any problems with holding him during breeding....



they still do snakebytes.. I used to work for Brian a little bit.
 

Moose

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Great video... Was the weight ever specified on the largest Sulcata in the video?
 

eric joranson

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this is a sulcata that is kept in the zoo in Mexico City.....sorry I could not get a better shot; but it was keeping a low profile Biggest I have seen (no one there could tell he his age)

IMG_8503.JPG
 
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