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  1. Toons1978

    Minimal Growth Mystery

    Well, It's been about two years and two months since I made this post. Earlier this month the non-growing tortoise Valentine finally died after only ever achieving a maximum weight of 76 grams in her 3 years, 3 month life. The other slow grower, Eclipse has reached 165 grams; still puny...
  2. Toons1978

    My Pyxis AA.

    The Nov/Dec 2018 issue of Reptiles Magazine featured spiders on the cover with a 10 page article. I can't seem to find this newer article online but here is a previous article by a different author, http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Turtles-Tortoises/Captive-Bred-Spider-Tortoise-Care/
  3. Toons1978

    Dude looks like a lady (actually the opposite)

    I am equally fascinated and horrified all at once. Thank you.
  4. Toons1978

    Dude looks like a lady (actually the opposite)

    Toddrickfl1 to answer your questions, generally speaking, yes. Less generally, could this be "intersex" as described by Kutchling and company in 2011 when endoscoping Burmese Stars, Radiateds, & Aldabras, and Plowshares back in in 2000? While his research was looking at juveniles, his paper...
  5. Toons1978

    New Spider Tortoise ID

    No blotching on the belly suggests it is the nominate spider subspecies P.a.arachnoides or the northern subspecies P.a.bryoogi. If there is no movement of the front part of the plastron, similar to a box turtle, you are looking at a northern, if it flexes easily, the main species. I have an...
  6. Toons1978

    Ferguson zone

    Will, The value lies primarily in situations where people are trying to recreate natural conditions. Your researchgate link is the academic version, with far more info, to Frances Baines's article in "Reptiles" on the same subject, UV lighting. At the end of the paper is a listing of the...
  7. Toons1978

    Owning a Galapagos

    The makers of hemp substrates do not recommend it for tortoises, "Although, hemp substrate is safe for the vast majority of reptiles including snake, lizards and amphisbaenids, we recommend tortoises, due to their fragile digestive system, avoid hemp as a substrate."...
  8. Toons1978

    Owning a Galapagos

    By temporary enclosure, how temporary are you talking. I was at that show and having seen the ones being sold by Mr Fife, a ten gallon tank is barely suitable for transporting it. Have you figured out what your next enclosure is going to be. I’d say your permanent enclosure but for young...
  9. Toons1978

    Amazing Galapagos hatchling growth

    Their ability to grow is astounding. I acquired my two galaps back in Nov of '17. They weighed 1952 & 1862 grams. Ten months later and they are currently 7450 & 7650. These guys very quickly outgrew my kitchen scale that I use on most of my other tortoises so I had to find a better one on...
  10. Toons1978

    My First Radiated :)

    I believe when you have that many, you've gone from owning a mere group, to looking after an entire herd. They're quite a fine looking herd as well.
  11. Toons1978

    Little white dots

    Those white dots are where the new lines are starting. They are born with 3-5 lines on each scute and as they grow, new lines begin at the scute borders. over time those dots will grow into the pattern that defines Star Tortoises. Here is the same tortoise in June, October, and December. You...
  12. Toons1978

    Minimal Growth Mystery

    Tom, thanks for replying and hypothesizing based on your experience The "some" aspect is quite frustrating. What about perlite causes failure? Does it not digest and clog up the system or does it digest and poison them when it breaks down? Your post mentioned Daisy suddenly growing after 2...
  13. Toons1978

    Looking for radiated tortoise in So California

    I applied for my CBW back in April. It went up for public review in August and was finished that step on Sept 11th. In mid November I received a letter in the mail telling me I was denied. Their reasoning was that I hadn't demonstrated expertise since I hadn't successfully bred anything in...
  14. Toons1978

    Baby sulcata attacked by husky

    It seems to be suffering from, quite literally, shell shock. While the physical damage from the husky was only superficial the psychological damage was clearly more significant. The only useful thing you can give your tortoise is time. Tortoises have great memories, especially when it comes...
  15. Toons1978

    Minimal Growth Mystery

    On 15 December 2016, I received 4 hatchling Spb Leopard tortoise hatchlings. Here they are in the box in which they were shipped (I took them out of their individual deli cups). Their shared enclosure was set up in the enclosed chamber style. Low temp end is 82F, higher temp end is 96F...
  16. Toons1978

    Knucklehead move

    Many of us have, I currently have a very healthy cherryhead that was on death's doorstep the day I acquired her. a Month of antibiotics, force feeding, and pedialyte soaks fixed her right up. That sounds normal to me. Pancake tortoise plastrons are not complete/solid shields, as babies the...
  17. Toons1978

    Promising News for Burmese Star Tortoise

    Since I have “insufficent priveleges” to post in the news section I figured I’d share this here with the target audience. The work the TSA has done is truly amazing and admirable! https://nytimes.com/2017/10/04/science/burmese-star-tortoise-myanmar.html With the success of the captive...
  18. Toons1978

    TWINS!

    Sorry Danny & Arnold didn't make it, what about the other one with a partial twin. If it's still kicken, in sticking with big Arnold movies, might I suggest naming it "Kuato" from the original "Total Recall."
  19. Toons1978

    Pancake Batter

    The wife sent me photos of our Pancakes getting down on Thursday. This is the second time we've seen them frolicking so, but the first time that we were sure the male was hitting the spot. In fact there was somewhat of a mess and what appears to be "pancake batter" in several places in their...
  20. Toons1978

    HR 2603

    Here is a good link to see information on 2603's status https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2603/committees . Ideally this will get passed and amend the ESA about 1-5 days after my CBW gets approved. That way my app fee and time waiting won't have been a complete waste...
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