Compiling Answers For The FAQ section

[Yvonne G]

Thought I'd let you all know what I've been trying to accomplish. Been working on it for a while now, but it's taking me a long time.

I want our FAQ section eventually to be closed, but the most frequently asked questions will be answered there. Then we all will be able to just 'link' our topic from that section in our answering post on the newbie's thread question. I've been trying to compile the best answers. Sometimes I use multiple members' responses, sometimes the best answer came from only one member.

I'm willing to accept any help you want to give me. I'd like to get it finished. I think a good one to put up there would be the one where numerous of you members link the different threads you think the newbie should read. Anyone want to put that together for me?

 

[Yvonne G]

"Babies pumping their front legs" would be a good one for you to work on for me.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Only too willing to help, Yvonne.
But I may be being as thick as a whale omelette here, but I don't quite understand.
For your first post you just want a list of links for every newbie ?
Or for newbies with a particular species of tort ?
Or for each common problem ?
And for the second post, the pumping bit, just to write a sort of "sticky" with info gleaned from previous responses (and what i know from my own research) for example ?

 

[Fredkas]

Hell yeah here to help. same here. what you want actually?
Do you mean if i think a thread having a very good advise given to the thread starter, i link it here for you so you can pick the good advise by yourself?

 

[dmmj]

I think she wants one thread explaining why babies twitch their front legs that way people can link to that thread explaining why the baby is moving their front legs and then go on to can I get a friend and so on and so on and so on then the people will just link to that thread to answer the question. If I'm understanding correctly

 

[saginawhxc]

This is amazing.

Its kind of crazy coincidence, but I basically decided to do this with keeping of multiple tortoises earlier today.

I'm sure with how busy I am going to be the next couple of weeks though that somebody else will complete it before I could.

 

[Yvonne G]

Only too willing to help, Yvonne.
But I may be being as thick as a whale omelette here, but I don't quite understand.
For your first post you just want a list of links for every newbie ?
Or for newbies with a particular species of tort ?
Or for each common problem ?
And for the second post, the pumping bit, just to write a sort of "sticky" with info gleaned from previous responses (and what i know from my own research) for example ?

I want to eventually close the FAQ area so no one can make new threads there. I hope to have most of the frequently asked questions answered and stickied there. If you'll take a look at it, you can see that I've got a pretty good start on it. I've taken several member's different answers and compiled them into one answer for each subject. A lot of new members ask about the baby pumping his front legs, so I thought we need to have that answer put up there.

For example, when a new member asks, "Why does my baby move his front legs when he's just sitting there?" One of us, whoever reads the question and wants to answer it, can just copy the link to the answer we have posted on the FAQ section and paste it for the person asking the question.

Each question will have a separate answer in that section, making it easy for us to just copy the link instead of giving the same answer over and over again.

If anyone wants to tackle a subject, any subject that a new member asks over and over again, and write up an answer I'm happy to sticky it in the FAQ section.

 

[Fredkas]

"Babies pumping their front legs" would be a good one for you to work on for me.

Well some of it..
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/why-do-his-hind-legs-go-in-and-out.36587/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/bobbing-its-head.45398/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/front-leg-bobbing-what-is-it.2182/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sulcata-tortoise-pumping-legs.147557/
I remember there is one thread recently and have really good answers, but i can't find it.

 

[Yvonne G]

Yes, but what I want someone to do is write an article about it, using the best answers from those threads, so I don't have to. I want a write-up that I can put in the FAQ section for us to refer to. You might glean bits and pieces from each thread, or you might deicide one thread has it covered and we can use that whole thread. But we have to give credit to the person who originally gave us the info, for instance, "Joe the Plumber let us know that one of the reasons this happens is, blah, blah, blah."

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

A better search option might help if it could be associated with key words. Then the FAQs only need be a key word list.

People who post could use a key word 'space' on their post that would then be sorted by a newbie looking or an oldie looking.

Limit key words to three or four words and it would be lighting fast. That way posters could elect to have there post used or not by using a the key word part of their post. The second search criteria would be age of post.

Key words aka index words https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Index_term

If the FAQs was a list of used key words, then it's all done already and always instantly up to date.

A year from now what you are proposing will be slightly out of date, three years from now even more so. Think about lighting as an example, it is constantly changing in terms of what items may be available. A few years from now there might actually be an all in one fixture using LEDs and a small heat element with a thermostats and day cycle in it. Then a year later we find out they are not good because it causes one problem or another.

Put the key word place for posters by where we can 'like' a post. Maybe a third search would be how many likes the post got, that's already be counted here somehow.

Whatever.

 

[Fredkas]

Tortoises pumping leg, reason:

Mao senpai:
That's just them breathing. When their lungs expand and contract... their arms and legs and head goes in an out. Its more noticeably on a younger tort as their shell hasn't grown fully yet but can still be seen with older ones as well.

Joes mum:
Worry if it stops! It's definitely breathing!

Madkins007:
Tortoises cannot move their ribcages or diaphragms to breathe, so they 'sag' their limbs in and out. They don't need a lot of air so you don't always notice it.

Another related behavior is throat pumping. If you see it fill and empty its throat with air several times, it is smelling the air. This is how it moves the air past the scent receptors in the nose.
Mark, in Nebraska. Researcher, enthusiast. No current tortoise

GeoTerraTestudo:
We get this question all the time. He's just breathing.

All turtles breathe by moving their throat pouch up and down, because they do not have a flexible rib cage or a diaphragm. By pumping their throat, or buccal pouch, they are forcing air in and out of their lungs, the way our diaphragm does. Turtles also pump their arms or legs for the same reason: to move air, since their rib cage has evolved into a fixed shell. Some turtles, like box turtles and hingeback tortoises, do have a movable shell, and you can watch it move when they breathe, kind of like our rib cage. But they can still use buccal- and limb-pumping to breathe as well.

Actually, you see buccal pumping in most amphibians, reptiles, and birds. Most frogs and salamanders use it to breathe, as do lizards. Even birds pump their throat pouch to cool off, rather like panting in a dog.

The only reason buccal pumping looks funny in turtles, is that they rest their chin on their lower shell (plastron), so when the throat pouch expands and contracts, it makes the head bob up and down, and it makes the turtle look like it has the hiccups. But it doesn't. It's completely normal.

Old4x4:
He's breathing, that's all. They don't have a diaphragm like we do and frequently pump their front legs for breathing.
From the book "Pet owner's guide to the Tortoise" by Dr. Simon Girling, an exotic species vet from Scotland, "They use their head, neck, and limbs as bellows, moving them in and out of the shell, even during sleep, to push air in and out of the lungs."
Mine does it when he sleeps. No stress there unless the little guy is having a nightmare!

Dmmj:
they do not have a diaphragm like mammals they pump their legs like a little Bellows to Aid in breathing

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Fred:

I appreciate your hard work. This isn't exactly what I'm looking for. I want you to choose the best response, the response that answers the question the best. Even if you have to combine several into one. I'll take what you've done above and consolidate it here to show you what type of thread I'm looking for:

We hear from Madkins007 that tortoises cannot move their ribcages or diaphragms to breathe, so they 'sag' their limbs in and out. They don't need a lot of air so you don't always notice it. And from Dr. Simon Girling - Turtles and tortoises use their head, neck and limbs as bellows, moving them in and out of the shell to help push air in and out of the lungs.

This is most noticeable in babies, and is perfectly normal, nothing to be worried about.


Thank you so much, Fred. Your hard work is much appreciated. Now for the next one. What's another frequently asked question that hasn't already been answered on the FAQ section? Anyone want to tackle it?

 

[Fredkas]

Hi Fred:

I appreciate your hard work. This isn't exactly what I'm looking for. I want you to choose the best response, the response that answers the question the best. Even if you have to combine several into one. I'll take what you've done above and consolidate it here to show you what type of thread I'm looking for:

We hear from Madkins007 that tortoises cannot move their ribcages or diaphragms to breathe, so they 'sag' their limbs in and out. They don't need a lot of air so you don't always notice it. And from Dr. Simon Girling - Turtles and tortoises use their head, neck and limbs as bellows, moving them in and out of the shell to help push air in and out of the lungs.

This is most noticeable in babies, and is perfectly normal, nothing to be worried about.


Thank you so much, Fred. Your hard work is much appreciated. Now for the next one. What's another frequently asked question that hasn't already been answered on the FAQ section? Anyone want to tackle it?

Lol i'm sorry. got it now. so keep it simple and to the point.

I haven't read FAQ, but maybe if this haven't been there, i think we need to sum up all the cause of eye problem in very detail. Start from
What is the most causes of eye problem:
1. if only one eye affected
2. if both eyes affected

What is the solving problem:
1.if only one eye affected
2. if both eyes affected

I am sorry i make it hard. but if this answered completely, it will be so nice

Ps. oops make it simple, 2 threads, one is for "the causes and cures of eye problem if only one eye affected.", the other one is "the causes and cures of eye problem if both eyes affected."

 

[Yvonne G]

Yes, we do get that question a lot. Do you want to tackle making a thread about eye problems?

 

[Fredkas]

Nope. i am newbie enough to stay out of that. but i do want someone make a nice complete answers on that subject.