Researching Tortoises
- Thread starter Itort
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do you mean research on individuals (like when and where they hatched)? or research on how to care for a species?
Online research, mostly!!! I find that when you join the groups you get put in touch with people who REALLY do know what they're talking about. I listen closely and go from there!!!
Well Itort I seem to delve pretty deep. I have read just about everything I can find on the web about them some more than once. I have bought a few books. Borrowed a couple of tapes on them from the CTTC library and bought an anatomy poster (though it’s a turtle but the structures are similar). I even looked into a vet book on Reptiles but the cost was $300+ so that will just have to wait. People who REALLY know what they're talking about I liten closely too Like Danny and Chris. I have had long talks with my vet and vet techs re my type of tort. My friends think I’m nuts or obsessed. But it was the same with my dogs. Friends have said when I go into something I go all the way. I seem to want to know everything I can about them. If I could I would gladly become one for a time just to learn, wouldn’t that be great to be able to change places with an animal to see what their life is really like. Right now I am starting to research where my torts came from- The type of habitat, humidity even the living conditions of the people from the region. Maybe just slighly OBSESSIVE
Robyn, you're not the only one. You should see the library I'm developing and the one I lost in my fire. I watched show about golden tamarins this morning and found myself examining the flora, climate, and topography and relating to my RFs.
Nice to see I'm in good company, and not the only one slightly obsessive.
I have learned most of what I know on-line. I have read many articles, etc at different sites. I have read a handful of books, however, I have found alot of things inaccurate. I would rather talk with knowledgeable people. They have the most experience and you can learn from their mistakes.
We're all in good company!
I get links from many concerned, potential new or current owners quite often asking me.. "Does this info line-up"? So I questioned a particular "distributor/wholesaler" who had obviously just "copied & pasted" their caresheet from old-outdated/wrong info. Their response was..... "Don't you have anything better to do..."?
Be encouraged to question those that make claims as to how to "care" for our special friends! Find out where our torts live in the wild.. what the flora is really like.. what parameters do we need to stay within to care for them ------- absolutely!!!
(Question) everyone who has acquired a tortoise 3 months ago or has just had the first egg or the first [ or 100th ] hatchling...... who suddenly claims to be a "keeper" or "breeder". And be ready.. because they won't like it.. in many cases!
I have/had a mentor who has been breeding tortoises for 25+ years.. who once said.. "We all have much to learn".
Read and research on...
Terry
I get links from many concerned, potential new or current owners quite often asking me.. "Does this info line-up"? So I questioned a particular "distributor/wholesaler" who had obviously just "copied & pasted" their caresheet from old-outdated/wrong info. Their response was..... "Don't you have anything better to do..."?
Be encouraged to question those that make claims as to how to "care" for our special friends! Find out where our torts live in the wild.. what the flora is really like.. what parameters do we need to stay within to care for them ------- absolutely!!!
(Question) everyone who has acquired a tortoise 3 months ago or has just had the first egg or the first [ or 100th ] hatchling...... who suddenly claims to be a "keeper" or "breeder". And be ready.. because they won't like it.. in many cases!
I have/had a mentor who has been breeding tortoises for 25+ years.. who once said.. "We all have much to learn".
Read and research on...
Terry
I research online websites about the different species I have, plus others. I also have different books and books on cds that I have purchased over the years. I want to know as much as possible so that I can give the turts and torts in my care the best life they can have. If I have questions that I can not find the answer on then I will ask someone who I feel is very knowledgable. Robyn where did you find your poster at? I have been looking for different posters, I have seen a few that I liked that other people have, but would like to find some of my own.
Before I decided on my Hermann's tort I was online day and night researching. My husband thought I was nuts! But, after I knew what I was getting I talked to other turtle/tort people and found a really great breeder. We emailed back and forth for a while before I finally said, "Send me my baby!" He also recommended a great book for Mediterraneans called, Chelonian Library Volume 2: Hermann's Tortoise Boettger's and Dalmatian Tortoises, by Holger Vetter. I look at it a lot - along with close to 10 other books I bought just in case . I wanted to know everything. The more you know, the more you can relax and enjoy.
. I wanted to know everything. The more you know, the more you can relax and enjoy.
When my son asked me if I could take in his turtles and tortoise because his new Rottweiler pup was chewing on them, it was 30 years ago and there wasn't an "internet" to do research on. I bought every turtle and tortoise book I came across, joined the National Turtle & Tortoise Society, based in Arizona, and several other turtle clubs across the country. One of the things the NTTS stressed in their newsletter was that there isn't much known about turtles and tortoises. It was a little daunting to know that the so-called experts didn't know much. So I've had to learn most of what I know just by keeping the animals and learning from them. I started out with one female gopherus agazzisii and several 3-toed box turtles. I still have that original desert tortoise. She was an adult when I took her in so I figure she's at least 60 years old now. Her name is Mi-shell. Since the advent of internet researching, I have learned a bit more, but my basic husbandry hasn't changed all that much in the past 30+ years. (That doesn't necessarily mean I'm out-dated in my methods...it probably means that I was ahead of my time!) The main differences are a moist substrate for the desert-type tortoises and the use of Mazuri Tortoise Diet.
Yvonne
Yvonne
Lets see
I wanted Aldabras mostly because I dated a girl who's family had a fully grown male. I fell in love with him. Such an amazing animal.
I got as much info from the family then spoke to as many breeders as I could not only of aldabras but of every tort I could find. The biggest problem is there isn't a lot of "care sheets" for aldabras floating around. I also went to the local zoo and spoke to anyone that would stop for a second. I like most of you looked online as well. Going to different trade shows where I was also able to speak with more people about them (like the Daytona Reptile Expo). I have to say that I waited at least a year before I purchased my torts.
Best of all I joined this kick butt online forum for tortoises.
the info is endless here.
thank you to everyone
I wanted Aldabras mostly because I dated a girl who's family had a fully grown male. I fell in love with him. Such an amazing animal.
I got as much info from the family then spoke to as many breeders as I could not only of aldabras but of every tort I could find. The biggest problem is there isn't a lot of "care sheets" for aldabras floating around. I also went to the local zoo and spoke to anyone that would stop for a second. I like most of you looked online as well. Going to different trade shows where I was also able to speak with more people about them (like the Daytona Reptile Expo). I have to say that I waited at least a year before I purchased my torts.
Best of all I joined this kick butt online forum for tortoises.
the info is endless here.
thank you to everyone
Chipdog in time you could be the one that writes that caresheet for Aldabras.
Jen this is the site. Chelonian Anatomy Poster $14.95
Its a pretty great poster but it is not laminated. Be careful where you take it to laminate it the first place ruined mine when they laminated it. Then refused to replace it.
http://exoticdvm.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=books.stdProduct&product_id=3&parentGroup_id=1&
Its a pretty great poster but it is not laminated. Be careful where you take it to laminate it the first place ruined mine when they laminated it. Then refused to replace it.
http://exoticdvm.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=books.stdProduct&product_id=3&parentGroup_id=1&
Before the net there was books and the actual researchers. Connections to these sources started with the library or letter writing. Then there is organizations such as the SSAR and the Herpetologists league in addition to the British Herp Society and the British Chelonian Group. The major US turtle groups have been mentioned but the Chicago Herp society and quite a few others are missing. Then there is the IHS... International Herpetological Symposium...
I've got the luxury of working for the airlines. When I was researching an animal I'd get the few references I could find and go to the references of that. Then I'd hunt down those original references. The best libraries I could find was the Museum of Natural History in NY and the Academy of Science in San Francisco. There are many more. There is a Dr. G. Adler who is a serious herp book collector. I think he is at the University of Michigan... could be wrong... the point is that he opens his library to his students and he's go books hundreds of years old. Then there was the correspondence with the actual people working with a particular animal...
That was actually easier for me than the people who actually wrote the material I was researching.
The internet. I think how many people actually realize how wonderful this medium is... but it's only as good as the information that is printed here.
I've got the luxury of working for the airlines. When I was researching an animal I'd get the few references I could find and go to the references of that. Then I'd hunt down those original references. The best libraries I could find was the Museum of Natural History in NY and the Academy of Science in San Francisco. There are many more. There is a Dr. G. Adler who is a serious herp book collector. I think he is at the University of Michigan... could be wrong... the point is that he opens his library to his students and he's go books hundreds of years old. Then there was the correspondence with the actual people working with a particular animal...
That was actually easier for me than the people who actually wrote the material I was researching.
The internet. I think how many people actually realize how wonderful this medium is... but it's only as good as the information that is printed here.
The internet is a probably best thing to come along for research since the printing press. Before this, I was limited by finances as far as materials available for research (even university libraries had limited info on reptiles let alone torts). I lot of my husbandry was by instinct (i.e. what I saw native animals doing )and National Geagraphic Mags (what the Amazon basin was like) and an all expense paid trip (via Uncle Sam) to Thailand. All I can say is now we have over 40 years of hard earned and often heartbreaking experience to draw on. Thank you longtime stewards of these wonderful creatures.
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