- Joined
- Nov 7, 2012
- Messages
- 5,173
- Location (City and/or State)
- South of Southern California, but not Mexico
Hi all you of the Manuoria Peoples' Movement. The MPM, yeah, what those sulcata owners wish their larger tortoise was...
Anyhow, Vic Morgan, I believe, called the condition with the scales on the front legs 'pine cone-ing' and attributed it to to low a humidity. I don't know one way or the other that is THE cause. Other Manoruia mysteries as Yvonne G eluded to are the beaks. For whatever reason I have dodged those issue with the 2016 cohort, I kept three back, NFS, now about two years old. The best perspective I have on their development was from a recent Kapidolo Farms visitor (who worked at the Behler Center) who ask with incredulity for me to restate their age along with a remark how great their shells looked. They are all huge now, and growing much with a constant ashy gray growth seam at the junction of all their scutes.
I sometimes, about a cup per tortoise over the two years, have fed the old Mazuri, it all was eaten. But in the grand scheme of things it is a very minor component of the diet. Again, I'll mention Layena as the food supplement of choice that I use, click on the word in green to see the webpage. I had used the regular, then they had vegan (no animal sources of ingredients), now they have the organic - that's what I use now, it wasn't available many years ago.
I mix it in with their regular food items. I also soak and mix in alfalfa cubes. They do all eat a great deal, and as they are only somewhat into grazing grass, that means a great deal of other broadleaf tree leaves and whole heads on greens are required. I guess the sulcata people with a large lawn got something there.
BTW, this Friday I will be the speaker at the San Diego Turtle and Tortoise Society meeting talking about why Manoria rule and sulcata drool. Ha!
Anyhow, Vic Morgan, I believe, called the condition with the scales on the front legs 'pine cone-ing' and attributed it to to low a humidity. I don't know one way or the other that is THE cause. Other Manoruia mysteries as Yvonne G eluded to are the beaks. For whatever reason I have dodged those issue with the 2016 cohort, I kept three back, NFS, now about two years old. The best perspective I have on their development was from a recent Kapidolo Farms visitor (who worked at the Behler Center) who ask with incredulity for me to restate their age along with a remark how great their shells looked. They are all huge now, and growing much with a constant ashy gray growth seam at the junction of all their scutes.
I sometimes, about a cup per tortoise over the two years, have fed the old Mazuri, it all was eaten. But in the grand scheme of things it is a very minor component of the diet. Again, I'll mention Layena as the food supplement of choice that I use, click on the word in green to see the webpage. I had used the regular, then they had vegan (no animal sources of ingredients), now they have the organic - that's what I use now, it wasn't available many years ago.
I mix it in with their regular food items. I also soak and mix in alfalfa cubes. They do all eat a great deal, and as they are only somewhat into grazing grass, that means a great deal of other broadleaf tree leaves and whole heads on greens are required. I guess the sulcata people with a large lawn got something there.
BTW, this Friday I will be the speaker at the San Diego Turtle and Tortoise Society meeting talking about why Manoria rule and sulcata drool. Ha!
