Countdown to Tortoise Time

[Laurel]

Okay folks... I already bored you guys with this once, but I wanted to keep you all updated whether you like it or not. My tortoises - two (1 boy/1 girl) baby captive-bred Egyptian Tortoises - will be arriving tomorrow morning, and it's dorky to say, but I'm so excited I'll have trouble sleeping tonight.

For those following my tortoise adventure, I've decided against the indoor vivarium in favor of a large outdoor (68"x35"x14") tortoise tub filled with reptile sand, with a shallow rock bathing pond and several hidieholes & shade plants. I have a smaller indoor vivarium for them to stay in at night, with a heat source for winter and hay for them to hibernate in.

Many of the seeds I planted a few weeks have come up already, so I have plenty of grasses, clovers, and dandelion leaves (no flowers yet) to feed them. I also bought some collard greens for them, and bought tortoise vitamin supplements to sprinkle on the food as needed so their little shells stay hard and their little eyes stay clear.

Anyhow, I'm as ready as I can be, and I'm all wound up - anxious, excited, worried that I'll kill them or mistreat them somehow. As soon as they arrive, I'll take pics of them & post them here. You're all warned!

 

[Lovely Latina]

It's a boy!...And a girl!

Congratulations on your little bundles of joyness, hon!

Sounds like you've made such a nice little home for them, and I'm sure you're gonna make just as fantastic a mommy.

Love to you always...your wanna-be lesbo lover,

LL

 

[Laurel]

* hugging Latina with vice-like force *

Ooooh! I'm so nervous... Now that I've read about tortoises and how fragile they are I'm scared shitless.. Did you know that 98% of turtles & tortoises sold as pets in the US die within the first two years of life!? And this is an animal that's supposed to life 40-120 years, depending on the species... They're so complex, and so little is known about them. They're WILD animals, and it's shocking to me that they used to sell the babies for a nickel a piece to kids!

I remember owning a box turtle when I was 8 years old. It dug out of its pen - I have no idea where it went. Probably in search of food... My dad was feeding it iceberg lettuce, which is about the worst thing you can give 'em (besides dog food - which, believe it or not, some people feed tortoises, and tortoises are nearly exclusively vegetarian! then they wonder why it dies!).

Anyhow, hopefully I'll do right by these little beauties & they'll live long, happy lives. I'll name them Latina & Lasher! LOL! Maybe... since they're probably going to breed someday, I probably won't name them that so I don't get beat up by your respective spouses.

 

[Lasher]

I'll name them Latina & Lasher! LOL! Maybe... since they're probably going to breed someday, I probably won't name them that so I don't get beat up by your respective spouses.

I think we could probably find SOME way to explain the tortoise names to my wife without her getting too violent (and if she does get out of control, just start throwing cheesecake at her)....

However, if I check the board tomorrow and see my title has been changed to Male Tortoise, there's gonna be hell to pay...

Good luck with the little guy and girl, Laurel.

 

[Jade]

Laurel,

Yeah, I totally know what you mean. I am constantly pissed at stuff like that. The main problem with why that statistic is so high (and I read it was 99% within the first year of life when they are sold as babies) is that people just DO NOT research at all how to care for them.

They are typically bought on a whim... and they are thought of materially speaking as opposed to "a life, " which is what they are.

Therefore, they often don't get to bask, or swim (for aquatic turtles, not tortoises of course), the proper UV, or (as you already mentioned) the proper diet. Iceburg lettuce is highly addicting for most reptiles but provides extremely little nutritional value!
The worst part is that many of them die b/c they are purchased as "toys" for the children of yuppies and are completely unsupervised and therefore often die horrendous deaths (eaten by the family cat, let loose and crushed.. etc. )

Ugh... sorry for this rant but I am so passionate about this. I am THRILLEd beyond belief that your two babies are going to a loving home with adults who care and who are educated. I could not be more happy for you than I am right now.

 

[SimplySouthern]

Don't hold it against me, because I know you guys are all animal people, but I have never had a strong love for animals. Not that I DISLIKE them...just not as "into" them as some are.

What I am about to tell you has shocked even me! I am in love....with a turtle. he was a gift brought back from SC where it isn't illegal to keep turtles. Here...you can't have them. (not sure why) At first I was pissed...who would bring ME a turtle? So he swam around in this tank and I begrudgingly fed him and watched him swim.

Not sure what happened to me, but somewhere along the way this little guy became so darn cute and endearing, that now I talk to him like a baby and just giggle at all the cute things he does.

Have to tell you the cutest thing...he gets up on this rock and stretches out his arms and legs, head and tail and balances on the botom of his shell...oh...that is so adorable. So...the family is going back to the beach this weekend...and i simply must have another turtle. May have to quit my job and raise turtles for a living....whowouldathunkit?

 

[Sonora]

Laurel, have fun with the little ones. Looking forward to the pix!

SS, it always amazes me how animals/reptiles always seem to endear themselves to the ones that are most indifferent to them. I'm glad you found the joy they can bring.

 

[RonG]

The Indiana Turtle Hotel

Best of luck with the tortoises. Unfortunately, each spring I become the adoptive parent of several turtles. I have a garden pond behind my house which I use for water lilies, irises, and fish but it becomes the winter and spring hangout for the local turtles. Since I really can't have them with everything else that lives in there, I spend each spring taking them out in a bucket and ferrying them to a local nature shelter. Normally by June, I am turtle-free until the following spring.

Regarding anti-turtle laws: I don't know if this is North Carolina's issue but several locales made turtles illegal over concerns about some types of bacterial diseases the turtles would carry and pass on to people. The real source of the problem was the deplorable conditions of pet store animals but the turtles took it on the snout. North Carolina can't have any laws against primitive animals in general, otherwise Jesse Helms would be in trouble.

 

[Laurel]

Here they are!

My digital camera sucks, and it's hard to take pics of the little buggers 'cause they're so damn fast... I'll post more later, but I didn't want to wear them out on their first day...

 

[Sonora]

They're beautiful!!

And so small. Did you say how big they'll get? How do you tell them apart? I see some slight differences in the pattern of their shells, but I've got to look at them side by side.

 

[Laurel]

Lasher - did you know Male Tortoises have much longer tails than females?

Jade - wow, you're a fount of tortoise knowledge! You're totally right (again)... Because they were so cheap to export, dealers & pet stores sold them for a nickel or a quarter a piece in some cases, which cheapens the animal in the minds of owners. Tortoises are amazingly complex animals that live long, long lives if treated well. What makes me sad is they just lifted the ban on Russian tortoises, so once again you're seeing those everywhere in every shop for dirt cheap - a recipe for disaster.

No one should EVER buy an imported tortoise, as it only promotes the theft of animals from their natural environment. Plus, captive-bred animals more easily adapt to their environment, are more friendly, and love longer, happier lives if taken care of properly. Tortoises, unlike cats or dogs, don't need a lot of constant handling and attention, but they do need to be watched carefully.

SimplySouthern - I am SO with ya! I used to scoff at "animal people", and get so annoyed when my coworkers would put up those damn puppy&kitty calendars on their desks (I still think that's silly, but now I'll look through them & ooh & ahh). I've always been interested in nature & natural things, but it hasn't been till recently that I've becone infatuated with little living things.

Ever since I got my cat, I've seen that animals are so unique and special, so full of personality and with amazing little lives of their own that I cannot possibly begin to understand. Unlike the PETA freak at my old job, I'm not going to say they're better than people 'cause they're not. In many ways they're like us, and in other ways they're different. But my playing with animals brings out feelings in me that nothing else touches. It's crazy.

RonG - yeah, turtles & tortoises can spread diseases to both humans and other pets like cats and dogs. They can also spread disease to each other. My tortoises are the smallest of the Mediterranean type, and are so sensitive that everything I've read says DO NOT mix them with other species of tortoise. So when (er...if) I get another pair, I'll have to put them in their own enclosure, lol...

 

[Laurel]

Sonora - it's a boy/girl pair. The boy's tail is longer than the girl's. Also, one of them is really rowdy, while the other one hardly moves at all. They were born in California on August 11, 1999, so they're not even a year old yet. They won't get more than 4-5 inches. The girl will be noticeably bigger than the boy, but right now they're very similar in size. They're so funny!

 

[dee_cole]

keep em warm

Those little babies are cute. How much do they cost? And can you feed them bologna?

 

[Laurel]

They each cost less than my cat but more than my keyboard. And no bologna - they're vegetarians (though I've heard of clueless people feeding them dog food, which makes their bones deformed and their shells lumpy).

 

[Jade]

Laurel!!!!

OH the precious BABIES!!!!
(almost crying)
I just want to hold one SO badly!

I am filled with happiness for you and Manu; you are all going to be so happy together!

They are just completely ADORABLE!!!
(off to cuddle one of my RESs now....)

 

[Patryn]

Isnt't it illegal to sell any pet turtle that's under 4"? Or is that just in my state? I suppose it's also possible that it applies to only turtles and not tortoises.

 

[Jade]

Isnt't it illegal to sell any pet turtle that's under 4"? Or is that just in my state? I suppose it's also possible that it applies to only turtles and not tortoises.

Patryn good question... and good point.

It applies to both (turts and torts) but it means in pet stores and specifically it means you can't sell them as "pets" but only for scientific/research purposes.

L and M did not buy their babies from a pet store.
Does that answer?


HAHA so when we first purchased our babies we told them it was for research and rescued some precious little babies.
They bring us so much joy and happiness it is unreal. LIke SS said, watching them bask it a total delight! (aquatic is what we have obviously.. turtles not tortoises)

 

[Lasher]

Lasher - did you know Male Tortoises have much longer tails than females?

I would hope so, LOL.

Anyway you could change your post so that it reads that they cost 1000s of dollars? My wife is gonna start whining that she wants tortoises as soon as she sees those cute little buggers.

Same thoughts here about being an animal person, btw. It wasn't til I realized that my cats have more personality than 95% of the people I know that I really got hooked.

 

[Jade]

In case anyone wanted to know

Actually their tails ARE longer but more distinctly they are "thicker" especially at the top.

 

[Laurel]

Exactly - that law was to help keep the little darlings out of pet stores, where they were housed fifty to a small pen and sold off to abusive little kids and people with no idea of how to take care of them. I bought mine from a breeder who put me through me the ringer before letting me adopt them - he really wanted to make sure they were going to a home that could take care of them. Kudos to him for caring! I hope he's right in letting us have them, lol...

I've never had a turtle, but after watching red sliders at a reptile place I went to, I think I may want a turtle pond once I get a place where I can have one semi-indoors, covered. They're soo fun to watch swim!

My Egyptians already have distinct personalities. If I handle them daily, they're supposed to become very affectionate. Since they're small and prone to water loss, I'm supposed to soak them for five minutes a day in lukewarm water. Once they're juveniles rather than hatchlings (at around 1 year), I only need to soak them 3-4 times a week.

I have them in a smaller temporary contained outside, about 3'x5', which contains a hidiehole, a shallow rock pond for cooling off, and rabbit pellets as a substrate (except around the pond, which is large aquarium rocks - so they don't get the rabbit pellets wet when they step out of their pool, lol). I bring them inside at night - I have a vivarium set up with a basking light, a hidehole, some hay to dig in, and rabbit pellets as a substrate.

I ordered a large tub (you would not BELIEVE how hard it is to find a thing as simple as a large, shallow tub!) 68"x35"x14". We're going to make a screen lid for it with a hinge in the middle and latches at both ends that we can lock. We'll put soil in most of it, and smooth rocks at one end around the pool. At the other end, we'll put a hidieplace where they can dig and be in the shade. One section of the enclosure will be planted with turtle grazing mix, so they'll have munchies in addition to what I feed them. I have turtle mix planted in a large square planter, and for now I clip a good variety of plant out, rinse them off, mix in some collard greens and vitamin supplements, and feed them that. I bought some cactus paddles, which I can skin & cut up as an occasional treat.

Bored yet? Aren't new pet owners annoying? Ah well, I'l settle down, I'm sure...

 

[Lasher]

Even better...

Actually their tails ARE longer but more distinctly they are "thicker" especially at the top.

From what I hear, thicker is far more important, LOL.

 

[Jade]

Re: Even better...

Actually their tails ARE longer but more distinctly they are "thicker" especially at the top.

From what I hear, thicker is far more important, LOL.

Actually, you are right about that Lasher (but you KNEW that right?) LOL
But seriously it is true... up towards the "top" end of the tail... of the male.... stuff exists in that area but you won't notice it....however you will notice that it looks thicker! (especially now that you know to look right?)

 

[dusk2dawn]

ahh... how adorable

Wow they are so sweet!!
It does sound like you had to do alot of reserch before you got them. I think I learned more reading this then I ever did in biology....this is a good thing.

 

[Firesprite]

awwww

they're soo cute!

with a lifespan like that, you'd have to put em in your Will... hint hint!

 

[Gingersnap]

Laurel they are darling little creatures. I was looking at them and I wondered if you could put a bonsai in the area beside the pool perhaps or would that be bad for them. I would love to get some of these little guys. I also have a bonsai collection that I started. Since I am fascinated by the "forest" presentations I was wondering if they would like it or hate it. The potash and pine bark that I mix for these would it hurt them? Jade would you know?