Fully Hatched Galapagos Tortoise

Our first little Galapagos tortoise hatchling has finally decided to venture out of the egg to explore and even get its first taste of freshly picked Mulberry leaves. Still quite shy and instinctively wanting to hide for safety it took shelter in the empty egg shell after venturing around the brooding box this afternoon. We gave it a nice warm soak today and cleaned up the residual albumin from the shell after a quick photoshoot. The yolk sac has absorbed well, so the next step with be for the umbilicus to close and form a nice clean midline seam along the plastron. Steady warm temps and high humidity will be very important to foster smooth healthy shell growth and keep it well hydrated for optimal health.