introductions

[Xilonen]

RE: Welcome to TortoiseForum.org !

Hi -

I'm Laura from Bellingham, WA.

Hi Laura:

Welcome to the forum!!

Please read this thread:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-How-To-Raise-Sulcata-Hatchlings-and-Babies

Your sulcatas are already starting to show pyramiding. Tom's thread will help quite a bit. This is cutting edge, brand new information...not what you will read in books or see online.

Very glad to have you here with us and thanks for posting pictures. I love your little box turtle!!

Thanks - the sulcatas spent the last 4 months living with someone inexperienced who had them in a completely dry enclosure with only dried grass for substrate and no water available. She did soak them 3x a week, but its no surprise they started to pyramid during that time. She had one lamp for them (I don't know what kind) but the temps were low as well. They now have a more humid substrate (peat moss and timothy hay - will be stocking up on some coir later this week) with free access to water. I'll try to find a MVB setup as well. I don't think my reptile supply store has them, but hardware stores do, right?

 

[Yvonne G]

RE: Welcome to TortoiseForum.org !

No, its better to buy them for reptiles. Here's what I'm talking about:

http://www.google.com/products/cata...og_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CFgQ8wIwAA#

 

[welshdragon]

RE: Welcome to TortoiseForum.org !

Hope this works! I live in Norfolk uk with 10 sulcatas, 2 aldabs, 15 meds. So huge heating bills. Donna x

 

[Yvonne G]

RE: Welcome to TortoiseForum.org !

Hope this works! I live in Norfolk uk with 10 sulcatas, 2 aldabs, 15 meds. So huge heating bills. Donna x

Hi Donna:

Sounds like you're a glutton for punishment!

Welcome to the forum!! I can't wait to get to know you and see pictures of your brood.

 

[Ninja]

RE: Welcome to TortoiseForum.org !

Hi
My name is Sarah. Ninja is my Sulcata. We adopted her from a veterinary technician I worked with about 3 months ago because she moved and didn't have any grass for her. Ninja has not ever had any hay, etc and won't eat it so she was living on greens only for a month or two (kale, etc) and the girl thought she'd be better off with a lawn. I agreed to take her. We live in Phoenix AZ area. I am a veterinarian but work on dogs and cats only so my Sulcata knowledge is limited. This forum has been very helpful for me already.

Ninja is 6 and 1/2 yrs old, about 25 lb, and I think she's about 20in shell length. I will see if I can post a picture someday after I get used to the forum and how it works.

 

[spikethebest]

RE: Welcome to TortoiseForum.org !

Welcome!!!

 

[Yvonne G]

RE: Welcome to TortoiseForum.org !

Hi Sarah:

Welcome to the forum!! Its great to have another vet here with us. You will find plenty of info on how to do right by your sulcata. Once you've become accustomed to how the forum works, I'd love to see pictures!

And thanks for telling us your name and where you live. Makes it so much nicer for us to know your climate and to be able to personalize our posts to you!!

 

[coreyc]

RE: Welcome to TortoiseForum.org !

Hello Sarah Welcome to the TFO

 

[tinybit92]

RE: Welcome to TortoiseForum.org !

Hello, My name is Britney and I have a Russian tortoise named Jude. I'm almost positive he's male, but he's never been to a vet so I don't know for sure. I've read about how to tell the difference though and that tells me he's male. I have had him for roughly a year and a half and do not know his age because, again, never been to a vet.

 

[Yvonne G]

RE: Welcome to TortoiseForum.org !

Hi Britney:

Welcome to the forum!!

May we know where you are?

 

[tinybit92]

RE: Welcome to TortoiseForum.org !

I live in Washington State, in a little city about twenty minutes from Seattle.

 

[Xilonen]

RE: Welcome to TortoiseForum.org !

Welcome from Bellingham, WA!

 

[Loretta]

RE: Welcome to TortoiseForum.org !

Hi, Of course my name is Loretta. I have become a tort and turtle parent since my children are no longer living at home. I have many many pets. I have an 18 year old dog, a rescue from one of the families that I worked with. I have 3 cats, all rescues. My daughter adopted a rabbit that has become my charge. It free roams with all the other animals. I have geckos, tropical fish, 12 assorted frogs and toads, an African Side neck turtle, an Asian box turtle, 2 rescued Eastern Box Turtles, 3 Russians, 2 of which are rehomed, 1 Sulcata, which is rehomed, 3 Red foots and 1 Yellow foot that is rehomed.

This forum was recommended to me by someone very knowledge about turtles and torts, but unable to answer my question. My Yellow foot has withdrawn. Her skin is very scaly, even though I soak her. She was seen by a vet in this area and he felt she had a bacterial or fungus infection. he did not complete any tests. My question is can I have exposed her to too much light, I use a 60 watt zoo med bulb. Can she actually be suffering from sunburn or is that unlikely. She threw up. Can she also suffer heat stroke and what do I do now. I have taken the light out and am only using heat lights for now. She does get some rays from the tanks around her. He skin is very flaky and dry. I made and appt. for a second opinion, but we her hit by another big snow storm and needed to cancel. Getting her to eat is a problem as well. Any ideas, please?

 

[Xilonen]

RE: Welcome to TortoiseForum.org !

Welcome, Loretta - I'm sorry to hear about your tort. I hope that others here can be of help to you. Good luck!

 

[Yvonne G]

RE: Welcome to TortoiseForum.org !

Hi, Of course my name is Loretta. I have become a tort and turtle parent since my children are no longer living at home. I have many many pets. I have an 18 year old dog, a rescue from one of the families that I worked with. I have 3 cats, all rescues. My daughter adopted a rabbit that has become my charge. It free roams with all the other animals. I have geckos, tropical fish, 12 assorted frogs and toads, an African Side neck turtle, an Asian box turtle, 2 rescued Eastern Box Turtles, 3 Russians, 2 of which are rehomed, 1 Sulcata, which is rehomed, 3 Red foots and 1 Yellow foot that is rehomed.

This forum was recommended to me by someone very knowledge about turtles and torts, but unable to answer my question. My Yellow foot has withdrawn. Her skin is very scaly, even though I soak her. She was seen by a vet in this area and he felt she had a bacterial or fungus infection. he did not complete any tests. My question is can I have exposed her to too much light, I use a 60 watt zoo med bulb. Can she actually be suffering from sunburn or is that unlikely. She threw up. Can she also suffer heat stroke and what do I do now. I have taken the light out and am only using heat lights for now. She does get some rays from the tanks around her. He skin is very flaky and dry. I made and appt. for a second opinion, but we her hit by another big snow storm and needed to cancel. Getting her to eat is a problem as well. Any ideas, please?

Hi Loretta:

Welcome to the forum!!

Where are you located?

I've copy/pasted your post into the redfoot/yellofoot section so more people might be inclined to see it and give you an answer.

 

[coreyc]

RE: Welcome to TortoiseForum.org !

Welcome to the forum Loretta

 

[Loretta]

RE: Welcome to TortoiseForum.org !

Hi, Of course my name is Loretta. I have become a tort and turtle parent since my children are no longer living at home. I have many many pets. I have an 18 year old dog, a rescue from one of the families that I worked with. I have 3 cats, all rescues. My daughter adopted a rabbit that has become my charge. It free roams with all the other animals. I have geckos, tropical fish, 12 assorted frogs and toads, an African Side neck turtle, an Asian box turtle, 2 rescued Eastern Box Turtles, 3 Russians, 2 of which are rehomed, 1 Sulcata, which is rehomed, 3 Red foots and 1 Yellow foot that is rehomed.

This forum was recommended to me by someone very knowledge about turtles and torts, but unable to answer my question. My Yellow foot has withdrawn. Her skin is very scaly, even though I soak her. She was seen by a vet in this area and he felt she had a bacterial or fungus infection. he did not complete any tests. My question is can I have exposed her to too much light, I use a 60 watt zoo med bulb. Can she actually be suffering from sunburn or is that unlikely. She threw up. Can she also suffer heat stroke and what do I do now. I have taken the light out and am only using heat lights for now. She does get some rays from the tanks around her. He skin is very flaky and dry. I made and appt. for a second opinion, but we her hit by another big snow storm and needed to cancel. Getting her to eat is a problem as well. Any ideas, please?

Hi Loretta:

Welcome to the forum!!

Where are you located?

I've copy/pasted your post into the redfoot/yellofoot section so more people might be inclined to see it and give you an answer.

Hi, I live in the mountains just over an hour northwest of Washington D.C. It may sound funny to those of you in the west, but in perspective, my husband works in Northern Virginia. He left work at approximately 3:00 pm today and is yet to get home. It is 10:00 pm now. On a very good day, his commute is less than an hour. No vet are in my community who see reptiles. We are relatively rural. I actually live in a Civil War log house. I have been traveling an hour away so that they can get care. I will try to have her seen again, by this weekend. any ideas are helpful

 

[MaggieL]

RE: Welcome to TortoiseForum.org !

Hi! I'm Maggie. My husband and I just adopted Niko, our Russian Tortoise. We are in love!!

 

[Tort14U]

RE: Welcome to TortoiseForum.org !

Welcome to the group. I myself love the RTs as I have 4, one of them is MIA. They each have their own personalities and are just a shellfull of love each of them are.

 

[Yvonne G]

RE: Welcome to TortoiseForum.org !

Hi! I'm Maggie. My husband and I just adopted Niko, our Russian Tortoise. We are in love!!

Hi MaggieL: Welcome to the forum!! If you don't mind, I'm going to always refer to you as "MaggieL" because my sister is also Maggie and she's here on the forum too. You've taken a beautiful picture of Niko. I wish I could take good pictures.