Last Sunday I had a houseguest who unknowingly put one of my tortoises into another tortoise’s enclosure. I only found out after they’d had all day to fight. Poor Diego lost the fight and has several wounds on his front legs and one on his face. They aren't terrible and I know tortoises are...
Hi all! I could use some advice. One of my tortoises has done something to his face. I’m not quite sure if the part in question is his beak or adjacent scale but it has been lifted up. When I push down it doesn’t move back in place. If I lift up a bit it is loose in the upward direction. This...
Someone I know just found a Sulcata and I managed to convince her to take the tortoise and try to find a good home for him. He’s not full grown but nearly so it’s a lot to suddenly have a big Sulcata. We live in Portland, Oregon. Does anyone know of a resource to get some help rehoming him? A...
Hi all! A friend sent me a photo of a wild turtle laying eggs near his local pond in Nevada City, California. Can anyone identify this beauty? Are they native? My friend said the pond is full of them!
Hi all!
Its been a while since I’ve been on the forum. Life has been busy.
Could anyone help me ID this plant? I think I used to feed it to my tortoises and then I didn’t see it around for a couple years. I’ve forgotten the name and I want to make sure that it’s the one I’m thinking of. Thanks!
My Russian, Diego has been looking slightly puffy around his front arms and neck for a couple weeks now. It’s slight so I’ve just been waiting and watching. Not much change. It’s possible it’s mostly in my head but I don’t think so.
So my question is this ; when swelling occurs due to kidney...
I’ve read here many times that Russian tortoises should have a drop in temperature over night and I’ve always had a 10-15 degree drop for my 2 boys but I’ve never heard an explanation as to why. I’m curious now because I just got 4 baby chicks (so so cute) and it seemed logical to put the...
I’m just gonna vent for a moment because I know you guys can relate to this frustration. We had 5 warm sunny days here in the Pacific Northwest and my 2 Russians got to be outside in their outdoor enclosures, basking, roaming, grazing and causing mischief all day. Now it is raining and they...
Lately my Russian, Pops, has watery eyes right after eating. I've been noticing it a lot in the last month or so. I had assumed he was getting poked by his food but now I've been watching him eat and that's not the case. He is precise in biting his food (unlike my other Russian) and nothing is...
Pops usually left bitter cress untouched on his feeding rock but then I started attaching the clumps to this little log and he gobbles them up. It makes us both happy!
I found this website selling bio-active kits for lots of different reptile enclosures. There are kits for many tortoise species. Just wondering if anyone has bought one and what people think. I'm not in the market, just curious. It seems expensive and it doesn't tell you exactly what the...
I just booked a flight to LA. I need a break from the rain and gloom of the Pacific Northwest. Are there any places to see tortoises there? A sanctuary or rescue? I'd really love to see some Aldabras or any Galapagos tortoises. I can't think of a better vacation than one where I sit in the sun...
I just watched my tortoise, Diego put his paw in his mazuri and greens mush and then try to ferociously eat his paw. I eventually intervened because I thought he was going to tear his claw off. What. The. Heck.
I used to think he was smart. Not so sure anymore.
I just went to Christopher Marley's "Exquisite Creatures" exhibit and was blown away at how beautiful it is. He uses insects and animals to create art. All the animals were captive and died naturally. Not true of the bugs though. The tortoise/turtle piece was beautiful but also a little sad...