Dirty Mountain

[tortadise]

Darth is a turd butt sand which. He's a male that loves to make nests. Which within Manouria males will help build nests, but females primarily will do the nest building. So anyways darth the black mountain just loves to crap his nest debris in his water. He does this outside, inside and anywhere he is. The only thing that sucks is that he's in his new big building where he has a 4'x5' pond. So it's a much larger mess to clean up. He cracks me up.

Before being a turd butt sand which


And after. Even drug his apple treat in the pond. Hah you can see the browns pond is only water stained from a few leaves being drug in. But nothing like the big boy. Need to get him a female to occupy his motives.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I see a drain in the pool. Is that also a filler of sorts above it? Nice. My pool is much larger and I made a 20" cement apron that goes around it to keep out most debris. However, I have no drain and must bucket clean it out each week.

 

[tortadise]

I see a drain in the pool. Is that also a filler of sorts above it? Nice. My pool is much larger and I made a 20" cement apron that goes around it to keep out most debris. However, I have no drain and must bucket clean it out each week.

Just a drain. I fill it up with a hose. While he was in a temporary enclosure while I was finishing this building, he did the same thing in that pond. It has 8" tall walls for keeping debris out. Didn't stop him. He flung dirt, mulch and leaves into it with his front arms. He loves doing it.

 

[wellington]

Maybe he's trying to tell you he wants a mud pit, not a nice clean fancy pool. Animals, they can really get under your skin, but the whole time, you gotta laugh.

 

[Yvonne G]

When I had the 4 intergrades here (all male), they pushed and shoved the leaf litter into their house, not to help build a nest, but because they like having leaf litter to rest in. Thankfully they've never dirtied their water, just pushed it into their house.

 

[tortadise]

When I had the 4 intergrades here (all male), they pushed and shoved the leaf litter into their house, not to help build a nest, but because they like having leaf litter to rest in. Thankfully they've never dirtied their water, just pushed it into their house.

It's weird. I've never had any browns do it. A few ground scrapers. But never in the water like him.

 

[tortdad]

Darth is literally the coolest tortoise I've ever met. I've had 2 or 3 dreams where I talked you out of him, lol.

 

[tortadise]

Darth is literally the coolest tortoise I've ever met. I've had 2 or 3 dreams where I talked you out of him, lol.

Lol. Well yeah a dream for sure. Haha.

 

[Yvonne G]

I find it very interesting that both you and Will have named their male Manouria emys phayrei Darth. But, I think he used it first. His Darth is 29 years old, 60lbs. They do sort of look like Darth Vader, huh?

If you could ever find him some females to play with he'll leave the leaves alone. Have you contacted Vic to see if he has any older females for sale?

 

[tortadise]

I find it very interesting that both you and Will have named their male Manouria emys phayrei Darth. But, I think he used it first. His Darth is 29 years old, 60lbs. They do sort of look like Darth Vader, huh?

If you could ever find him some females to play with he'll leave the leaves alone. Have you contacted Vic to see if he has any older females for sale?

Yeah Will for sure wins the cake. My darth hisses big time when you get near him. So my cousins daughter said he sounds like darth vadar. So it stuck. Not to mention he was purchased site unseen as female, and turned male, so the name didn't work out anyways. He is a Vic Morgan line animal. And not having a good record of which parents he came from the chances would be getting a possible clutch mate. I'm talking with a guy now about a 60 pound female for a pretty good price too. Fingers crossed. But I think the adult impressa will be before a female phayrei

 

[Yvonne G]

Poor Darth. I hope no one tells him that his keeper thinks more of getting other species before finding him a play mate.

 

[tortadise]

Poor Darth. I hope no one tells him that his keeper thinks more of getting other species before finding him a play mate.

Hehe shhhh. He won't know. I bribe him with treats and food. It's funny my mom calls him the bad kid, because all the ruckus he makes. When he has food he calms down. Reminds me of an older brother I have.

 

[tortdad]

Lol. Well yeah a dream for sure. Haha.

I completely forgot about that dream until this thread. I Dreamt that I drug my wife up there to see him hiss and talked you into letting me have him. Hahahahahahahahaha

 

[tortadise]

I completely forgot about that dream until this thread. I Dreamt that I drug my wife up there to see him hiss and talked you into letting me have him. Hahahahahahahahaha

Hahaha that's funny.

 

[tortdad]

Hahaha that's funny.

It won't be funny (for you) when you wake up and find a new thread started by me with pics of him in my yard

You've got to post a video of him hissing every time you touch him so people can see just how cool this guy is.

 

[harris]

My big male Mee does that exact same thing in the indoor enclosure. He only started doing it this year. I come home from work and there is a 2 ft mound built on top of his watering hole with him relaxing on the top of it. But here's what's interesting, and just another example of how crafty these guys are...... His basking light is (was) directly over his water. A few weeks ago I decided to move the light to another spot in the enclosure. Wouldn't you know it that when I came home after work that day his great big mound was built directly under the basking light again? None of the others have exhibited this behavior yet, but, he is by far my most outgoing and personable of the bunch.

 

[tortadise]

My big male Mee does that exact same thing in the indoor enclosure. He only started doing it this year. I come home from work and there is a 2 ft mound built on top of his watering hole with him relaxing on the top of it. But here's what's interesting, and just another example of how crafty these guys are...... His basking light is (was) directly over his water. A few weeks ago I decided to move the light to another spot in the enclosure. Wouldn't you know it that when I came home after work that day his great big mound was built directly under the basking light again? None of the others have exhibited this behavior yet, but, he is by far my most outgoing and personable of the bunch.

Haha fantastic. Don't yah just love this taxa?

 

[emysbreeder]

Yeah Will for sure wins the cake. My darth hisses big time when you get near him. So my cousins daughter said he sounds like darth vadar. So it stuck. Not to mention he was purchased site unseen as female, and turned male, so the name didn't work out anyways. He is a Vic Morgan line animal. And not having a good record of which parents he came from the chances would be getting a possible clutch mate. I'm talking with a guy now about a 60 pound female for a pretty good price too. Fingers crossed. But I think the adult impressa will be before a female phayrei

 

[emysbreeder]

The parents of the older Black Mt.Torts in the US are from Big Mama and the old man. I'm pleased to say there are many still around 20 yrs old or so. Big Mama and the old man are still here and still reproducing. They were both wild captured and shipped out of Thailand in 1988. I have offspring from them that have been reproducing for 6 years. Their eggs are bigger as are the hatchings and are born and grow faster than any other breeders here. Their offspring are all over the USA Europe Japan and most recently China. (as Pets, not food and they pay a bunch for them too.) Vic Morgan Defying Destiny Mt.Tortoise reserve.