I was cleaning up after my Hermann's tortoise tonight and was horrified to find three or four of these tiny worms on the exterior of her feces. I removed the stool from her enclosure and broke it apart a little on a paper plate with some medical scissors. I did not find any more inside the...
Pumpkin turned one just over a month ago, and man, I'm still surprised by how big (s)he has gotten. A lot of people on this forum are surprised to hear that Pumpkin is so young because of how large s(he) is. I'm a bit perplexed myself, since I have provided a very weed rich diet and, as far as I...
This is something I've noticed about Pumpkin's appearance for a while now, and althought I've mentioned it before and people don't seem to think it's a problem, I feel like mentioning it again. It seems as though Pumpkin's fourth vertebral scute is intented, while all of his other scutes are...
Figured I might as well share the recent photos I've taken of Pumpkin's renovated outdoor enclosure with you guys. These pictures are from a week or so ago, and unforunately since then we've had nothing but rainy weather, but Pumpkin and I sure had a blast the last time it was sunny out! Take a...
My little t.h.boettgeri "Pumpkin" is one month away from officially turning one! I'm very excited to have the opportunity to watch him grow and thrive in my care. Today I took some pictures of him during his daily routine and I was wondering what you guys thought of his general appearance. Does...
Pumpkin has always had a voracious appetite, so I wasn't too surprised when I turned him over after his bath to find that his plastron had some mighty fine growth lines! I have a sneaking suspicion that "he" might actually be a "she" and "she" might turn out to be quite a large female...
Ever since I bought my food scale I've been keeping track of Pumpkin's growth by weighing him approximately once a week and recording it. Here is his growth:
6/06/14 - 94g
6/16/14 - 102g
6/23/14 - 106g
6/28/14 - 110g
7/03/14 - 116g
Pumpkin has also grown just shy of a centimeter longer (SCL)...
I've made a lot of progress on Pumpkin's outdoor enclosure, so I figured I'd share some photos with you guys, though the area is not quite complete yet. The space is 8' x 8' with no less than four inches of top soil throughout. The height is 20". We had to order approximately a cubic yard of top...
I've just begun the construction of Pumpkin's 8' x 8' outdoor enclosure and I was wondering if there is a specific type of grass that I should seed in a portion of it. Is any kind of "lawn" grass okay? I know some ornamental grasses should not be eaten, but what about just turf grass? If it...
I'm looking to start buying supplies for my 8' x 8' outdoor enclosure but I'd like to ask for some advice before I start putting a lot of work into the construction.
I plan to use two 8' boards stacked on top of eachother which I believe have a width of at least 10". If I buried the bottom...
Here are just a few pictures of some unknown weeds I've encountered in my yard. Hopefully someone will be able to identify them. The first two pictures are of the same plant, in the first I am simply pointing out the pinprick purple-ish flowers.
Pumpkin's fourth vertebral scute seems to have a slight slope to it, unlike the rest of his scutes. I was wondering if this was a normal feature for Hermann's tortoises or if it could be a sign of a condition such as calcium deficiency or MBD.
I came home from school today to Pumpkin flipped over in the corner of his enclosure! I have no idea how long he was stuck there, but I grabbed him and turned him over so fast (out of panic) that he withdrew and "hissed" at me. I made the fastest warm soak in the history of tortoise keeping and...
I was inspecting Pumpkin's plastron today and I noticed it had a little give to it. It certainly isn't mushy or transparent, and I know that juveniles are supposed to have flexible shells, but I was wondering how much give is considered normal. Also, how long until a tortoise's shell is its most...
Since I've gotten Pumpkin I've taken notice of some of his mannerisms and such and I was wondering if they were normal tortoise behaviors or a means for concern.
Firstly, he sometimes seems to shrug his arms forward and bob his head when he breathes. I notice this behavior most often when I've...
Even though Pumpkin has only been in my home for a few days, I'm already so passionate about watching him explore and express his personality that I thought it was appropriate to make a little thread for him so I can share with you guys all that I witness (Plus I know how much we all like tortie...
Just to let you know, today is only my second day of official tortoise ownership (although I have done extensive research which has included reading all of the wonderful Hermann's tortoise care sheets on TFO), so please excuse me if my questions are silly or I'm overly worried. :p
That being...
Today at approximately 10:15 am, a rattling FedEx truck pulled into my driveway. I bolted outside, shoeless and looking rather foolish, to intercept the undoubtably startled delivery man. In his hands he cradled a darling little box, and, at long last, all of my months of research, pre-planning...
I've been perusing my yard now that everything is starting to bloom, and there were a few weeds that caught my eye. Any clue about what the following could be?
Here's a closeup of the same plant. The actual flowers are those teeny pink petals. The bees seemed pretty interested in this plant...