I'm afraid we're fighting a losing battle. If only we could reach the pet stores and the pet store suppliers. That's where the battle should be fought, not the person that buys this stuff.
Today's rescues came with all the supplies the homeowner had for them. These tortoises lived indoors. There are three sets of lights, so I'm assuming there were three habitats. Today I got my first first-hand look at one of those famous tort tables we're always talking about. Seeing it in person, it's really a pretty good size (for a hatchling to yearling). Here are a couple pictures of the supplies that came with the animals:
You all know how I feel about the double dome light fixtures, the compact fluorescent bulbs and the lizard/snake bowls/waterers.
The substrate was good - coco coir and coco husk pebbles. There's an under-the-tank heater still in the package, and several jars, bottles of calcium, mineral and shell shine. From the looks of all the supplies, this tortoise-keeper really did try to do the right thing by her animals. The trouble is, she was given bad advice.
Rescue #34 - sulcata. Looks to be male because of the tail size. Has a bit of pyramiding, but not terribly bad. Because of his size, this guy was given some outside time, which is probably his saving grace:
Rescue #35 - Male Russian In pretty good shape. Beak is starting to grow long. Probably hasn't been in captivity very long (Pesky Russian tortoises - won't stay still long enough for a good picture):
And last but not least, #36 - a 3 toe box turtle. Because of the MBD I'm not able to tell sex by the size of the tail. MBD box turtles have little stumpy tails that point to the sky. His plastron is terribly misshapen, as you can see in the first picture. The front of the plastron is about an inch thick:
After a two week quarantine period, during which I check them out and make sure they eat, etc. these guys will be ready for anyone in my geographical area to adopt. No fee.
Today's rescues came with all the supplies the homeowner had for them. These tortoises lived indoors. There are three sets of lights, so I'm assuming there were three habitats. Today I got my first first-hand look at one of those famous tort tables we're always talking about. Seeing it in person, it's really a pretty good size (for a hatchling to yearling). Here are a couple pictures of the supplies that came with the animals:
You all know how I feel about the double dome light fixtures, the compact fluorescent bulbs and the lizard/snake bowls/waterers.
The substrate was good - coco coir and coco husk pebbles. There's an under-the-tank heater still in the package, and several jars, bottles of calcium, mineral and shell shine. From the looks of all the supplies, this tortoise-keeper really did try to do the right thing by her animals. The trouble is, she was given bad advice.
Rescue #34 - sulcata. Looks to be male because of the tail size. Has a bit of pyramiding, but not terribly bad. Because of his size, this guy was given some outside time, which is probably his saving grace:
Rescue #35 - Male Russian In pretty good shape. Beak is starting to grow long. Probably hasn't been in captivity very long (Pesky Russian tortoises - won't stay still long enough for a good picture):
And last but not least, #36 - a 3 toe box turtle. Because of the MBD I'm not able to tell sex by the size of the tail. MBD box turtles have little stumpy tails that point to the sky. His plastron is terribly misshapen, as you can see in the first picture. The front of the plastron is about an inch thick:
After a two week quarantine period, during which I check them out and make sure they eat, etc. these guys will be ready for anyone in my geographical area to adopt. No fee.
