SanctuaryHills
Active Member
Alright, let's get right to it! I have a few questions, but first some background info:
My Aldabras have been staying in an outdoor enclosure during the entire Florida summer. Temps during this time never dip under mid 70s at night and they do have plenty of places to hide from the sun during the daytime. I religiously track both growth and weight monthly on each individual and they are growing according to normal parameters, if not a tad faster. Health-wise they all seem to be doing great and are quite active. One of them exhibits a bit of pyramiding, but that's the way I got it. If anything I feel like it's been getting smoother since being outdoors in the very humid Florida weather.
They eat mostly grass and weeds although I supplement their diet about once a week with things like Mazuri pellets, bits of fruit, romaine lettuce, baby carrots, hibiscus leaves and flowers, cucumbers, yellow squash, opuntia pads, etc.. Note that I rotate these foods, I'm not just throwing the fore-mentioned supplements in their enclosure altogether. My goal has always been to only feed them as much as they can eat within an hour or so.
I soak my 6 Aldabra tortoises at least twice a week (45min to an hour each time). Used to be daily when they were younger:
![20220725_105252.jpg 20220725_105252.jpg](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334456-4b0306cddf078b07ca4e33b226c163c8.jpg)
However I have yet to see any of them utilize their pond, either for cooling off or drinking water.
The pond is situated in a way that it gets plenty of sunlight, yet also surrounded by plants so that the torts don't have to feel too exposed.
The picture below is totally staged since like I mentioned I have not seen them go into the pond on their own:
![20220710_161344.jpg 20220710_161344.jpg](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334455-8385d871a92f59f1fe6df803d7542d3f.jpg)
Here is a bird's eye view of the pond (water is replaced DAILY to avoid any stagnant water/contamination. I do this by letting a hose run on the pond for about 45 mins each day):
![20220704_162805.jpg 20220704_162805.jpg](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334457-388368fdc808bb5f7da63ac6f2e0bd8f.jpg)
Enclosure bird's eye view:
![20220704_162746.jpg 20220704_162746.jpg](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334470-4eeb3793aed11913744ae4621ae4be1c.jpg)
So I set up a motion camera for a week to see if maybe they were using the pond when I wasn't watching, and this is what I found:
1: By far the most common visitor: Rats. Both during daytime and nighttime, but mostly nighttime.
![DSCF0096.JPG DSCF0096.JPG](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334459-07fd329eac0d2167038d24655c61a043.jpg)
2: This big toad was an almost daily visitor during nighttime. A couple of times joined by a partner:
![DSCF0054.JPG DSCF0054.JPG](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334461-4ee4df89d4ed03bc723bb2551306bb79.jpg)
3: Another daily and common visitors: Crows
![DSCF0041.JPG DSCF0041.JPG](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334463-bd2f389b4dafa9a5a3118b3acb40e066.jpg)
4: Pigeons visited a few times:
![DSCF0037.JPG DSCF0037.JPG](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334464-1fbf105e8af0e6a6a85c7f9e066a402c.jpg)
5: A few visits by Blue Jays:
![DSCF0175.JPG DSCF0175.JPG](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334466-037f79e1483d124e7b10bfa2b27ef19f.jpg)
6: One sighting of a Red-headed Woodpecker:
![DSCF0146.JPG DSCF0146.JPG](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334467-11e78510836adbc1e0f45f469bd25be3.jpg)
But the thing I didn't observe during my one week spying on the tortoise pond: Tortoises. I captured a passing butt, but that was it:
![DSCF0086.JPG DSCF0086.JPG](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334468-1fab397353d5a1489d80bc8f9690e63e.jpg)
So here is where I seek the forum's guidance:
1) The rats (mice?) definitely concern me. How worried should I be? How do I mitigate?
2) According to the Florida Iguana breeder he stops soaking his Aldabras after a year old, yet I'm worried about doing the same since they are not seeking the pond water. Although it makes me wonder if the reason they don't is because I'm soaking them to begin with, and hence removing any incentive for them to do so.
3) So how can I encourage the torts to use the pond? These are some ideas I've thought of:
According to everything I've read about Aldabras they like to hang out in water, so I'm obviously doing something wrong! I'd really appreciate any feedback, ideas, or scolding!
My Aldabras have been staying in an outdoor enclosure during the entire Florida summer. Temps during this time never dip under mid 70s at night and they do have plenty of places to hide from the sun during the daytime. I religiously track both growth and weight monthly on each individual and they are growing according to normal parameters, if not a tad faster. Health-wise they all seem to be doing great and are quite active. One of them exhibits a bit of pyramiding, but that's the way I got it. If anything I feel like it's been getting smoother since being outdoors in the very humid Florida weather.
They eat mostly grass and weeds although I supplement their diet about once a week with things like Mazuri pellets, bits of fruit, romaine lettuce, baby carrots, hibiscus leaves and flowers, cucumbers, yellow squash, opuntia pads, etc.. Note that I rotate these foods, I'm not just throwing the fore-mentioned supplements in their enclosure altogether. My goal has always been to only feed them as much as they can eat within an hour or so.
I soak my 6 Aldabra tortoises at least twice a week (45min to an hour each time). Used to be daily when they were younger:
![20220725_105252.jpg 20220725_105252.jpg](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334456-4b0306cddf078b07ca4e33b226c163c8.jpg)
However I have yet to see any of them utilize their pond, either for cooling off or drinking water.
The pond is situated in a way that it gets plenty of sunlight, yet also surrounded by plants so that the torts don't have to feel too exposed.
The picture below is totally staged since like I mentioned I have not seen them go into the pond on their own:
![20220710_161344.jpg 20220710_161344.jpg](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334455-8385d871a92f59f1fe6df803d7542d3f.jpg)
Here is a bird's eye view of the pond (water is replaced DAILY to avoid any stagnant water/contamination. I do this by letting a hose run on the pond for about 45 mins each day):
![20220704_162805.jpg 20220704_162805.jpg](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334457-388368fdc808bb5f7da63ac6f2e0bd8f.jpg)
Enclosure bird's eye view:
![20220704_162746.jpg 20220704_162746.jpg](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334470-4eeb3793aed11913744ae4621ae4be1c.jpg)
So I set up a motion camera for a week to see if maybe they were using the pond when I wasn't watching, and this is what I found:
1: By far the most common visitor: Rats. Both during daytime and nighttime, but mostly nighttime.
![DSCF0007.JPG DSCF0007.JPG](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334458-6c6099b0f997cf526953b79c9aba31fb.jpg)
![DSCF0096.JPG DSCF0096.JPG](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334459-07fd329eac0d2167038d24655c61a043.jpg)
2: This big toad was an almost daily visitor during nighttime. A couple of times joined by a partner:
![DSCF0004.JPG DSCF0004.JPG](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334460-c99b25d0785f410dbed9a8283aebbeb4.jpg)
![DSCF0054.JPG DSCF0054.JPG](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334461-4ee4df89d4ed03bc723bb2551306bb79.jpg)
3: Another daily and common visitors: Crows
![DSCF0045.JPG DSCF0045.JPG](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334462-42de53a408e0270880eda3834f33c5c6.jpg)
![DSCF0041.JPG DSCF0041.JPG](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334463-bd2f389b4dafa9a5a3118b3acb40e066.jpg)
4: Pigeons visited a few times:
![DSCF0037.JPG DSCF0037.JPG](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334464-1fbf105e8af0e6a6a85c7f9e066a402c.jpg)
5: A few visits by Blue Jays:
![DSCF0175.JPG DSCF0175.JPG](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334466-037f79e1483d124e7b10bfa2b27ef19f.jpg)
6: One sighting of a Red-headed Woodpecker:
![DSCF0146.JPG DSCF0146.JPG](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334467-11e78510836adbc1e0f45f469bd25be3.jpg)
But the thing I didn't observe during my one week spying on the tortoise pond: Tortoises. I captured a passing butt, but that was it:
![DSCF0086.JPG DSCF0086.JPG](https://data.www.tortoiseforum.org/attachments/334/334468-1fab397353d5a1489d80bc8f9690e63e.jpg)
So here is where I seek the forum's guidance:
1) The rats (mice?) definitely concern me. How worried should I be? How do I mitigate?
2) According to the Florida Iguana breeder he stops soaking his Aldabras after a year old, yet I'm worried about doing the same since they are not seeking the pond water. Although it makes me wonder if the reason they don't is because I'm soaking them to begin with, and hence removing any incentive for them to do so.
3) So how can I encourage the torts to use the pond? These are some ideas I've thought of:
- Stop soakings?
- Plant ferns around the pond (since that's by far their favorite hiding spot)?
- Spread some beach sand around the pond (to mimic their natural habitat as well as making it easier to climb over the pond edge)?
- Relocate the pond to a corner where there is less sunlight?
- A combination of these things?
According to everything I've read about Aldabras they like to hang out in water, so I'm obviously doing something wrong! I'd really appreciate any feedback, ideas, or scolding!
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