OK - for those that know me not well… I am the proud owner of 4 Redfoot Tortoises and a Russian Tortoise. Today is World Turtle Day! And I shall be in my World Turtle Day T-shirt at work! I am an avid supporter of the Turtle Rescue of Long Island : http://www.turtlerescues.com/index.htm Who places unwanted turtles and tortoises and helps the sick and injured recover.
Some Pics of my Torts…
Sunny, My Russian Tortoise:
http://www.americanheraldry.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1112&stc=1&d=1337768821
Peanut and Pebbles, Two of my Redfoot Tortoises:
http://www.americanheraldry.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1113&stc=1&d=1337768838
Have and Excellent World Turtle Day!
Just had a rather strange thought… maybe my badge should be a Tortoise head with Blue Dragon Wings… LOL
That’s okay, Kathy. We all have our "special" days.
I’m going to be carrying a towel around with me all day on Friday.
Very cool Kathy. Red foots can live at least 50 years, and I don’t think most people realize how big of a commitment it is to purchase one. Yesterday I had a gentleman purchasing a russian tortoise for his eleven year old son, and he was explaining to him that he could potentially still have this animal when he’s 61 haha.
J. Stolarz;93656 wrote:
Very cool Kathy. Red foots can live at least 50 years, and I don’t think most people realize how big of a commitment it is to purchase one. Yesterday I had a gentleman purchasing a russian tortoise for his eleven year old son, and he was explaining to him that he could potentially still have this animal when he’s 61 haha.
Very true - Russians are a great starter Tortoise - Sunny was my first Tort and after I got hooked into the tort world, All 3 Redfoots are rescues.
What’s really criminal is people knowing so little and pet store giving out completely wrong information. The best information on Russians can be found at: http://www.russiantortoise.org/
I’m unsure where you work, Jesse, and this may be a bit risky - but pet stores generally carry wild caught torts which have a myriad of health problems and have been incredibly cruelly treated on their trip to the US. I only advocate the purchase of captive bred torts or acquisition of rescues through a sound organization like Turtle Rescue of Long Island (TRLI).
I have a codicil in my will with instructions for tort care and a provision that if Caitlin can’t or won’t care for the torts when I pass that they be adopted out via TRLI.
Sulcattas and Read Eared Sliders should be taken off the market now - there are FAR too many of them without good homes…
Red Foots - again, only captive bred or rescues… They are slightly more difficult to care for than Russians, slightly less hardy and you have to watch their humidity and temps a little closer.
OK - off soap box…
"maybe my badge should be a Tortoise head with Blue Dragon Wings".
Personally, Kathy, I think ‘a tortoise with dragon wings’ would look better than just the head with dragon wings.
Out of interest, do you have to take special precautions with your tortoises during winter?
Regards,
Iain Boyd
Iain Boyd;93663 wrote:
"maybe my badge should be a Tortoise head with Blue Dragon Wings".
Personally, Kathy, I think ‘a tortoise with dragon wings’ would look better than just the head with dragon wings.
Out of interest, do you have to take special precautions with your tortoises during winter?
Regards,
Iain Boyd
he Tort with dragon wings would depend on perspective/angle… either walking or from the top, I’m not seeing it…
Yes, my torts come into their winter quarters when the evening temps are about 55 degrees F. Their winter quarters consist of very large rubbermaid tubs which occupy my whole master bathroom (two closed doors between them and the dog). they have a basking light at one end (on a timer 12 hrs per day) and water at the other and their substrate is coconut coir… and I must feed/water and check temps daily… Generally this goes from late Aug/early Sept until mid to late May…
Ah, the a Tortasus!—nice badge concept!
(I suspect that suggesting an alternate—two tortoisii pierced & supported raven-style, might be in questionable taste?)
I’ll pull back into my shell before someone throws me into the soup-pot…
michael f. Mccartney;93671 wrote:
i’ll pull back into my shell before someone throws me into the soup-pot…
splash
Thanks for taking it in good humor. My kids had a turtle once, but it escaped from my sister-in-law’s decorative pond and (hopefully still) is making its way in the big wide world.
They did a study and found that turtles which are wild caught then released elsewhere (like someones back yard or a different area) will actually try to get back to the area they were found originally… Just think, "homing turtles" for "book rate" messages…