Giant tortoises need love, too…but not too much love! Maintaining wild conditions in captive environments is often overlooked in the care of captive reptiles, whether for captive breeding populations, education ambassadors, or even pets. It’s only natural that we want to give these creatures the best lives possible by providing them with as much heat, light, and food as we can; this is how we show our love. However, in the wild, many reptiles evolved to survive on scarcity. This is particularly true of giant tortoises, whose habitats are typically quite dry with limited foraging opportunities for six months out of the year.

The story of Mike, the youngest Aldabra tortoise at the Jersey Zoo, shows what can happen when captive reptiles are given too much ‘love.’ Not much is known about Mike’s history, other than he was raised as a pet and provided with active growing (i.e. feeding) conditions year-round. At just 26 years old, Mike weighs around 300 pounds and is the second largest of the three other Aldabras he shares an enclosure with, despite being the youngest.

Evidence of Mike’s overindulgent childhood can be seen in the ‘pyramiding’ of his shell, which occurs when excessive growth causes the scutes (shell compartments) to grow upwards instead of outwards, forming the characteristic pyramid-like shapes that can be seen in the photo below. Mike developed osteoarthritis in his front right shoulder as a result of having to carry too large of a shell before developing adequate strength in the rest of his body. The shell of a giant tortoise can weigh up to 50% of the individual’s total body weight!