Tortoise Blog: Thieves dig up hibernating tortoises
read this article yesterday. Zoya and I were in england for almost a year.. why do theives keep going for the little ones!?? Find somewhere else to loot or steal from.
Thieves dig up hibernating tortoises
Three pet tortoises worth £1,000 were stolen from a back garden as the thieves dug one up from under the ground as it hibernated.
Three pet tortoises worth £1,000 were stolen from Bernard Gale’s garden Photo: ALAMY
This video shows us what happens when turtles and tortoises have improper care.
It was created by a turt/tort mailing list member a while back. Its difficult to watch but makes an incredibly important point about caring for our shelled friends. Its vital to do as much research as possible on our little ones and the proper care for their particular breeds. Its also important to spread as much knowledge as possible about the appropriate care to others. There is a ton of miss information out there (especially at pet stores.. but thats a rant for a different day) so it doesn’t hurt to pass along the info we owners have. This video is a sad reminder of what happens far too often when people don’t realize what they are getting into/what is required to care for our turtle and tortoise friends.
On a personal Note:
When Zoya first came into my life, I had no idea how to care for a tortoise. I had a small tank, some pamphlets I found at the pet store and some rabbit pellets for substrate. Also had a small UVB lamp and a small basking lamp. I set it up and hoped I was giving her the best housing possible. Well, after falling instantly in love with her, and being a researcher at the time, I wanted to know everything there was to know about tortoises. I read a million websites with lots of conflicting information, joined some message boards specific to Russian tortoises and turtles and torts in general, and two fantastic Yahoo mailing lists (that I recommend to everyone caring for a tortoises or turtle).
It quickly became clear that I was doing it ALL WRONG. A glass tank isn’t the best for Russian tortoises (and most tortoises really) as they don’t get enough air flow and its hard to keep the proper temperature and humidity gradients. Torties are incredibly smart but they still can’t comprehend the idea of glass and will ram into the sides trying to get out not understanding why the air is hard. Lots of UVB is vital to their growth and metabolizing of calcium. They won’t develop properly without it. A UVB/Heat combo light is 1000 times better than a little UVB lamp and basking light (though this depends on your set up in some ways) having a ton more UVB and making it easier to keep a good gradient of 95 degrees at basking spot and 75 degrees in cool areas.. Pellets aren’t a good substrate since they’ll eat them and it leads to bowel issues and grows mold. Coconut Coir (comes in bricks or bags) is the best substrate and its cheaper and easier to keep moist, mixed with some play sand its perfect.
There is a lot more where this came from. The “Tort Tools” link on the Tort-time site (or click here!) has a list of resources I found invaluable to making sure Zoya has the best care possible. Check them out!
On this #reptileappreciationday I finished making Zoya her new castle. I think its pretty nice!
She is snuggled up in there in a pile of hay right now.
So lets all take a second and appreciate our reptiles. Turtles, tortoises, frogs, snakes, Lizards, and all. We, your humans, love you very much. Thanks for being so much fun to care for and to show off to the our always awed friends and neighbors.
Chinese farmer has dug up a potato shaped like a tortoise in his field! Its the first sign of the #Turtpocalips!
Ma Xiuling, 64, found a tortoise-shaped potato while digging up vegetables in his field near Longshan village in Yanji, north-east China’s Liaoning Province.
The unusual potato, which is about the size of a two-week-old puppy, has four similarly sized round ‘feet’, a ‘body’ and a ‘head’.
And if that didn’t make it lifelike enough, there are even two small indentations on the head, resembling a pair of eyes.
Mr Xiuling said the potato originally also had a tail, but it snapped off when he dug it out of the ground.
The potato has gained plenty of local attention, with neighbors in his village coming to see the peculiar tuberous crop.
‘Neighbours all feel surprised when seeing the weird-shaped potato,’ Mr Xiuling said
Source: http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/878503-chinese-farmer-becomes-minor-celebrity-after-digging-up-tortoise-shaped-potato#ixzz1anMc1MTS
Boston.com caught Zoya munching on a petunia on sunday after the blessing. Despite their claim that she was at a “safe distance” from the dogs, she was really just looking upon her minions from above. I think this attention is going to her head. 🙂
Zoya’s first close up! The camera loves her. See how she’s looking all cute and sweet for the camera (before later pooping on mommy and trying to take down some of the North End’s Petunias). She’s prime political material.
Can we teach him to play fetch too?
Josef and Cruiser 2.AVI (by 00082534)
Koopa the painting Tortoise!!
Koopa’s art is in such high demand that he actually does custom orders. Seen here, the remarkable reptile has almost finished creating a summer-themed painting requested from an Australian buyer. You might expect an artist like Koopa to take his time, but he’s quite prolific. His pieces hang in 35 of the 50 states.
T3 and NJ.
Mom and baby taking a stroll. Good thing T3 isn’t as clumsy as I am. I’d be terrified of stepping on my baby.
So I read the saddest story today on my tortoise mailing list. Tortoise twins! Twin hatchlings, one normal sized & alive and one tiny & deceased, were born to a list member. When torts are born, they hatch with the yolk attached and absorb it for nutrients. Though its sad that one didn’t make it, I am in awe of how small and perfectly formed the little twin is.