Hello Everyone
I Live in South Africa more precise Gauteng and even more Pretoria
As a lot of you will know we have quite hot summers up to 38 degrees and our summers are close to 6 months long with not too often rainfalls but sometimes for a few days and cold winters down to 1degree and luckily only for about 3 months now and again rain during winter. Bottom line we have lovely hot long summers. Our tortoises are mainly the padlopertjie... a very small tortoise reaching only a few centimeters in length and then the for ever loved leopard tortoise for its size and colours then the hingeback and african spur thighed.
To me they are all absolutely beautifull and so dependant on us when in captivity. Also we are human and tend to think we have read all, we know all, we have seen all. These little creatures reminded me of how little we actually know about our reptiles and other living life forms.
When i first set eyes on Big Bertha a 28 year old female-I just wanted to protect and study her. Then when Hansie and Grietjie came and i saw the damage due to poor nutrition, rock hard surfaces and damage to the carapace - maybe dropped by children- i fumed -and realised how vulnerable they are - open to all dangers -and that us the uninformed humans do more damage and harm, so i decided to do the best for those i have and still going to get. After all the books we bought and read and internet sites we visited we still know so little about these little heart thieves, and i believe with the help of so many friends and walking rock lovers on this forum we might get to know them and give them the best natural environment we can protect them from ignorance and also a chance on non extinction.
There i have said it all....
Besides my love for Big Bertha Hansie Grietjie and little mussel- we have 2 guinea fowl 2 dogs 2ringnecks 2 rosellas 4 java sparrows 8 gouldians and 6 bengalese finches and also 3 Suzuki jeeps we enjoy every day of our lives. What more do one need?
I Live in South Africa more precise Gauteng and even more Pretoria
As a lot of you will know we have quite hot summers up to 38 degrees and our summers are close to 6 months long with not too often rainfalls but sometimes for a few days and cold winters down to 1degree and luckily only for about 3 months now and again rain during winter. Bottom line we have lovely hot long summers. Our tortoises are mainly the padlopertjie... a very small tortoise reaching only a few centimeters in length and then the for ever loved leopard tortoise for its size and colours then the hingeback and african spur thighed.
To me they are all absolutely beautifull and so dependant on us when in captivity. Also we are human and tend to think we have read all, we know all, we have seen all. These little creatures reminded me of how little we actually know about our reptiles and other living life forms.
When i first set eyes on Big Bertha a 28 year old female-I just wanted to protect and study her. Then when Hansie and Grietjie came and i saw the damage due to poor nutrition, rock hard surfaces and damage to the carapace - maybe dropped by children- i fumed -and realised how vulnerable they are - open to all dangers -and that us the uninformed humans do more damage and harm, so i decided to do the best for those i have and still going to get. After all the books we bought and read and internet sites we visited we still know so little about these little heart thieves, and i believe with the help of so many friends and walking rock lovers on this forum we might get to know them and give them the best natural environment we can protect them from ignorance and also a chance on non extinction.
There i have said it all....
Besides my love for Big Bertha Hansie Grietjie and little mussel- we have 2 guinea fowl 2 dogs 2ringnecks 2 rosellas 4 java sparrows 8 gouldians and 6 bengalese finches and also 3 Suzuki jeeps we enjoy every day of our lives. What more do one need?
do you have any pictures of Big Bertha you can post ?
