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  1. animateash

    Growths on chin --Desert Tortoise

    Ok thank you for confirming! Im glad this is not something to worry about. Spiders often like his house and i was worried this was a bite or something. I guess he's just got his summer mojo going.
  2. animateash

    Growths on chin --Desert Tortoise

    Ok..if we're talking blocked on infected gland, is there anything I can do for him or is this a vet appt. situation? We've only had him 2 yrs and haven't had to field this before. Can probably get an appointment with my reptile vet this week if he needs it.
  3. animateash

    Growths on chin --Desert Tortoise

    Noticed these growths on my male desert tortoise's jaw today. Symmetrically placed, though one is larger than the other. Where the skin is bulging the scales are parted away. Not sure how long they've been there exactly because we open his house and leave straight for work, and he often puts...
  4. animateash

    Lower beak injury?

    Noticed today that Bobo has a light spot on his lower beak. At first we thought it was a light colored piece of food left from a meal, but upon closer inspection it seems like his skin is missing here and we might be looking at exposed flesh or bone. It does not appear that it is painful for him...
  5. animateash

    This will be my first season for My Gopher Tortoise for Hyberntion

    Mine did very well! He emerged on Easter and started eating right away, as if the last few months were just a 10 minute nap. He's already back to his regular routine.
  6. animateash

    SoCal Gopherus first hibernation questions

    Interesting about the pumpkin. I offer squash leaves and zucchini, but haven't tried regular pumpkin yet. He definitely has access to all the weeds and grass he wants, we've just noticed he doesn't really want as much as he did this summer (when he would just destroy entire branches of...
  7. animateash

    SoCal Gopherus first hibernation questions

    We adopted our 30yr old CA desert tortoise in May, so his first hibernation with us is coming up. He's 30-something years old, so one might argue HE knows what he's doing, but I just want to make sure everything is a go. He have noted that as the weather is getting cooler, he is slower to come...
  8. animateash

    This will be my first season for My Gopher Tortoise for Hyberntion

    I am also curious about the main topic posted here. I am in Los Angeles and recently adopted my CA desert tortoise through a rescue. This will be my first winter with him. I can tell he's slowing down, but want to make sure he's got enough meat on him to sustain himself during hibernation...
  9. animateash

    What's the word on tomatoes, once and for all?

    Sound advice, I hear ya. Btw...when I say he gets "a strawberry" I mean he gets the top with just a tiny bit of fruit after I've eaten the main berry--not the whole dang thing. Fortunately he does get lots of healthy grazing in throughout the week. Grass, weeds, baby tears, squash leaves and...
  10. animateash

    What's the word on tomatoes, once and for all?

    Great! Thanks for clarifying. He gets strawberry once on the weekend as a treat, so I'll just stick with that in terms of fruit intake.
  11. animateash

    I slept with my tortoise...

    I second the suggestion to use a towel or ground cover to disperse the heat of the hand warmers. Not only will it give you more coverage, but those things can get HOT to the point where it could burn a little guy (like those plug in heat rocks everyone used to use for reptiles that are now...
  12. animateash

    What's the word on tomatoes, once and for all?

    I've read a number of different things here and elsewhere on the internet regarding whether tomatoes and tomato plants are ok for tortoises. So, for gopherus specifically, what's the real deal? Are tomato plant leaves ok --yes or no? Is the fruit itself ok--yes or no? I have a large plant...
  13. animateash

    Is breeding gopherus in CA legal?

    Thanks for confirming, Yvonne. That's what I thought I remembered, but I wanted to make sure before I gave this guy a sermon.
  14. animateash

    Is breeding gopherus in CA legal?

    To be clear, I am NOT interested in trying to do this or seeking to do this. I ask because as soon as I announced having adopted a male gopherus, a guy I know through work connections posted on my Facebook saying his family has a female "if i ever wanted to breed them". I kinda wanted to slap...
  15. animateash

    Bobo is here!

    Last month I made my first intro post as I prepared to welcome our first tortoise, a CA desert tortoise adopted through the CTTC and the state. Well, he's here and did wonderfully his first week in his new yard. No digging, finding his way into his enclosure all by himself at night, and...
  16. animateash

    How much will a gopherus eat in a day?

    Still preparing to receive our adopted adult desert tortoise from the tortoise club. I have versed myself in WHAT they can/ should eat, but nobody has ever really told me HOW MUCH one should eat in a day. Our back yard has already been visited and approved. It is not huge and the lawn is...
  17. animateash

    corn on the cob?

    I have read other posts here saying that corn can make a nice occasional treat for tortoises. More specifically, I was wondering if the husk from corn on the cob would have any appeal/ nutritional value for a CA desert tortoise. Certainly seems very fibrous, and the fresh stuff is still green...
  18. animateash

    Do Tortoises respond to their names?

    Thanks for the response. Interesting! I had been told they were sensitive to vibrations but didn't realize that could be in place of most sound altogether. I guess I'll have to do some tests in person.
  19. animateash

    Do Tortoises respond to their names?

    Ha! I'm interested to see how food motivated he is. Dogs and cats seem very food motivated, but the way people talk about their tortoises makes the worst beggar of a dog seem like an amateur!
  20. animateash

    Do Tortoises respond to their names?

    New expecting tortoise parent here (we are adopting a CA desert tortoise from the state and he arrives this weekend). Is there solid evidence that tortoises recognize/ respond to the name they've been given? I would think it would make sense from an evolutionary standpoint for creatures with...
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