Tiny arrivals ... tortoises beside 20 pence piece
Solent
FAMILIES have been shelling out on a visit to a Hampshire wildlife park – to have a gander at this quartet of baby tortoises as small as a 20 pence piece.
The tiny creatures are the first to be born in five years at Marwell, near
Winchester, Hants.
The smallest of the youngsters, at just over a week old, weighed just 3.1grams after hatching.
He and the three others, all critically endangered Egyptian tortoises, went on display to the public for the first time on May 4 and are proving popular with visitors.
Trainee keeper Kimberley Goodfield said: “This is the first time babies have been born in five years.
“Until now we haven’t really had the space to incubate or care for new-borns."
She added: “These babies have come from two different females — it was really
exciting when we discovered they were pregnant.
“They began searching for a nest so we gave them a little help and prepared the enclosure for them.”
The eggs were quickly transferred to an incubator soon after being hatched in the tortoise enclosure.
Staff made sure they were kept in controlled conditions — a temperature of 30 degrees and 75 per cent humidity.
And, after 111 days, they were delighted to discover the eggs had begun to hatch.
The babies will now be kept separate from the adults for a few years until they are old enough to fend for themselves in the enclosure.
They are currently in a quarantine tank where members of the public can watch them exploring their new surroundings.
Miss Goodfield said: “They’re not quite old enough to fend for themselves with the adults in the enclosure.
“For now we will keep them separate. We have to be very gentle with them because they’re so small and their shells are not very hard yet.”
The Egyptian tortoise, also called the Kleinmann’s tortoise, is the smallest in the northern hemisphere.
Adults live for up to 50 years. They can grow to around 15 centimetres long and weigh 500 grams.
The smallest of the youngsters, at just over a week old, weighed just 3.1grams after hatching.
He and the three others, all critically endangered Egyptian tortoises, went on display to the public for the first time on May 4 and are proving popular with visitors.
Trainee keeper Kimberley Goodfield said: “This is the first time babies have been born in five years.
“Until now we haven’t really had the space to incubate or care for new-borns."
Shelling out ... tortoises are first for five years
Solent“They began searching for a nest so we gave them a little help and prepared the enclosure for them.”
The eggs were quickly transferred to an incubator soon after being hatched in the tortoise enclosure.
Staff made sure they were kept in controlled conditions — a temperature of 30 degrees and 75 per cent humidity.
And, after 111 days, they were delighted to discover the eggs had begun to hatch.
The babies will now be kept separate from the adults for a few years until they are old enough to fend for themselves in the enclosure.
In hand ... baby tortoises have proved a hit with visitors
Solent
They are currently in a quarantine tank where members of the public can watch them exploring their new surroundings.
Miss Goodfield said: “They’re not quite old enough to fend for themselves with the adults in the enclosure.
“For now we will keep them separate. We have to be very gentle with them because they’re so small and their shells are not very hard yet.”
The Egyptian tortoise, also called the Kleinmann’s tortoise, is the smallest in the northern hemisphere.
Adults live for up to 50 years. They can grow to around 15 centimetres long and weigh 500 grams.
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