Hinge-back care sheet feedback

[Madkins007]

I am FINALLY getting around to adding more species pages to the Tortoise Library, and did one for hinge-backs.

This is not a species I have any real familiarity with, so most of what I have so far is based on piecing things together from many sources.

What I would LOVE would be for some feedback on the page. I already know my nice new map is messed up, but how is the rest of it?

Thanks so much for any help- this sort of peer review is really helpful!

https://sites.google.com/site/tortoiselibrary/e-species-information/hinge-back-tortoises--coming

 

[tortadise]

Pretty good. I like it. Now you need some photos. I have some nice spekii specimens I could snap photos of for yah.

 

[Benjamin]

The page looks good.

 

[Madkins007]

I agree photos would be nice. Google Sites does photos a bit oddly and they sometimes get lost but if anyone has some I could use, I would really appreciate it!

FYI- fixed the map.

 

[Jacqui]

Okay, I know this is a personal preference kinda thing, but I really have a negative thought of hingeback being spelled hinge-back. Which sadly does cause me to think less of any information inside. Yeah I do the spell checker likes hinge-back, so that is why I think many places use it. Common folks tend not to.

I did laugh at the "Males often make low groaning hisses during mating" I have yet to house a male hingeback of any type that has not been vocal. They are louder then any of my other tortoises, plus I think every week some male is at it or worse is when you have several males going at it and it's like stereo surround sound.

When talking about the youngsters and their lack of hinge, you might want to add the hinge generally starts appearing around 2 years.

On indoor housing, I think you need to really bring home the fact that these animals (especially the Homes and Erosa, with Erosa being the best I think) are excellent climbers (better then the Russians who are well known escape artists.

I of course disagree on the substrate. I think the coir/sand or earth type substrates are better due to humidity and digging ease. Also I strongly recommend leaf litter, too.

I find the diet percentages to be interesting and not at all along the lines of what most folks feed.

I also find it interesting that so much weight is put on parasite loads. I really don't see that as being as much of a problem as we use to think it was.

... just my humble thoughts

 

[Tillasaurus]

Okay, I know this is a personal preference kinda thing, but I really have a negative thought of hingeback being spelled hinge-back. Which sadly does cause me to think less of any information inside. Yeah I do the spell checker likes hinge-back, so that is why I think many places use it. Common folks tend not to.

B/c they are thinking of it as two distinct adjectives prior to a noun.... Now, for you, I strongly suspect, hingeback is in and of itself a noun ( and rightly so) Going to work on the enclosure...

 

[Madkins007]

In the world of naming animals, the general trend is different than it was when I was growing up. It is no longer considered proper to capitalize animal names unless the word is a proper noun otherwise. The other change is that it is considered proper to hyphenate when the name involves an adjective, so redfoot becomes red-foot. (In that example, it considered even more proper to state it as 'red-footed'.) You see this a lot with birds- black-capped, blue-footed, etc.

There will never be 100% agreement on that sort of thing, so I am following the SSAR's general guidelines (http://www.herplit.com/SSAR/circulars/HC29/Crother.html ). 'Hingeback' is not a proper noun, nor 'real' word, whereas 'hinge-backed' describes that the back is hinged. This is why I use 'red-footed' all the time instead of my preferred 'Redfoot'.


As for the other stuff- I made the other changes, but what would you say for the diet? I cannot find a ton of good care info for these guys, which is why I am asking for this feedback- especially from you.

 

[Tortoise]

looks good-If you want photos of these I have some of mine
K. b. nogueyi, Western Hinge-back Tortoise
Thanks for your time there are not many resources out there for Kinixys at all.
Louise

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

In casual discussion, I always say "redfoot" but whenever I'm making an information ID card or something, I will say "Red-footed Tortoise."

I agree with Jacqui, though. In the tortoise community, it seems "hingeback" is the common way.

 

[Jacqui]

Like I said Mark, it's a personal preference thing with me.

 

[Vishnu2]

Madkins007, may I call you Mark? Can I just say I really appreciate this caresheet right now. I am babysitting a Hingeback for the time being and this isn't a tortoise I would choose for myself (no offense). I am a Star person or Russian. Anyway, I had no idea what I was doing with this poor guy. I knew his diet, bedding, and overall care was wrong when I got him and changed the common sense things but I didn't know things that humidity, proper or preferred diet or temps. Now, I feel like dirt. I had some things wrong and some right. But, at least while I am babysitting for the next few weeks I can get them right and provide the best care. Thank you.

 

[Madkins007]

Vish- you can call me Mark, or, as I prefer, Lord High Master of All, but i would not put 100% trust in that care sheet yet- it is still getting reviewed.

So, Jacqui and Student- on a scale of 1-9, how much does 'hinge-back' bug you? I am not married to it, and it is not quite in the same context as 'red-footed'.

And Jacqui- why are you wasting your valuable time on a hyphen when you SHOULD be helping me get this diet and stuff right?

Tortoise- any photos I can use are welcome.

 

[Jacqui]

ummm cuz it's a pet peeve and really irritates me?

How about it's too hot to sit with a laptop and write stuff?

okay so I am just feeling lazy currently? Yeah the last one, that's my story and I am sticking to it.

plus you can use any of my pictures you want, too.

 

[Madkins007]

Yeesh, Jacqui- I am at least a dozen times lazier than you and you want me to search threads? (But seriously, thanks!)

 

[Jacqui]

Nah, I'll be nice and write you up something. Hopefully will have it done by tonight.... unless the heat gets to me, then it might be tomorrow.

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

The hyphen thing isn't going to make me lose sleep or anything. I was just noting that I see it spelled without it more often than with. Bottom line I suppose...if I was writing the care sheet, I would go with "hingeback."

 

[Jacqui]

The hyphen thing isn't going to make me lose sleep or anything. I was just noting that I see it spelled without it more often than with. Bottom line I suppose...if I was writing the care sheet, I would go with "hingeback."

I knew I liked you!

 

[Vishnu2]

I bought a book regarding "Hingeback's" yesterday to educate myself (Yes, I know all info can be found here) anyway it spelled Hingeback just as Jacqui spells it. "Hingeback". Just thought I would throw that out there.

 

[Madkins007]

Hmmm... I may have to go back and change that then. (But mostly because I have a crush on Jacqui!)

OK, it is done.

 

[Jacqui]

Mark, the second picture showing a rear is not a Bell's, it's Homes(in your article).

---

Mark
Just a few quick pictures from some of my albums in photobucket to give you a hingeback 101 look at some of the things mentioned in the article.

A Bells

another Bells

compared to the flatter spekii

A newly forming hinge..

Shells can be nicely patterned

This guy shows the high walking hingebacks do and the more spindly legs they have.

A young Spekii

Young Bells

Homes hatchlings

Hingeback nursery

Eggs

They do like their mushrooms...lol

This is how tight they close up in front

A male

concaved shell

the tail with the little hook

how can you resist those eyes?

yep we do have gulars