Newbie Carolpsalm_91 with Russian tortoise Daisy t

[carolpsalm_91]

Hello, I'm Carol, I live in Fort Mill, SC. My Russian tortoise is approx. 4 to 5 yrs old, & her name is Daisy Maisy. I bought her 2 wks ago from Pet Smart. The only place in SC that allows the selling of tortoises. I owned a 10 lb. tortoise when I was 11, we lived in California and were moving when Uncle Remus decided to hibernate himself in our humongous fenced in yard jungled with every fruit tree imagined. For 3 days I searched with tears and failure & more tears for wks. So after 50 yrs. I've been blest with Miss Daisy Maisy to pass down to my 7 yr old grandson whose daddy nic named Turtle before he died. She seemed to perfect to help keep his daddy's memory with him throughout his life & 1 day passed to his child......she'll probably out live us all!!!! So hopefully me & Turtle can learn together from your website how to make the changes necessary for her. California was no problem, but SC is a new ball game for me & tortoises with winter cold, outside of the common sense care, UVB lighting, diet/supplements required, and her 4X6 outdoor dog pen on sunny days that are going away fast. But I want to build a 2X4 table habitat on wheels and need some imput, I'm a little out of practice lol. BTW she's very healthy, alert, very active and a pig for her variety greens, with shredded sweet potatoes, carrots, chrysanthemums, pansies, 2 grassland pellets moistened and crumbled over her vegges. But I'm hearing no fruits, is that true? Well...that's about it, looking forward to meeting everyone.

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome

 

[dmmj]

Salutations.
A diet change would be advised, less veggies, more weeds , and leaves and flowers of various plants. Give us a good shot of the cloaca, and we will sex it for you. Welcome back to tortoise keeping.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome to TFO!

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Carol welcome to the TFO from AZ . It's nice to meet another person that knows 1955 isn't a tire size . Have a great tort day ! .

 

[pam]

Welcome

 

[bouaboua]

Welcome to the forum. Good to have you here! ! !

 

[carolpsalm_91]

Salutations.
A diet change would be advised, less veggies, more weeds , and leaves and flowers of various plants. Give us a good shot of the cloaca, and we will sex it for you. Welcome back to tortoise keeping.

.


Thank you so much for the info, I have Concord grape leaves drying I can bag and possibility freeze for winter, dandelions, yellow pepper leaves?, but on the weeds I'm fearful I may be feeding her something poisonous, I have rose of Sharon leaves, plenty of grass, or does she have instincts not to eat something I may give her that's harmful? Just any kind of weeds? SC has kudzoo....it's a pesty vine that grows out of control on trees, fences, etc.etc. I do moisten grassland pellets and crumbling over her food with a micro speck of calcium with D3. I have a mixture of coconut shaving with tortoise sand in her habitat. I'll take your advice and start walking around the yard before winter takes everything away. Do they like ivy? I have tons of that that survives the winter. I was told Daisy was female though I wanted a male. Now whether this is true or not, I was told females have short stubby tails, and males tails are longer which seemed out of sorts to me.....one of those brain tweekers that I couldn't wrap my understanding around. But as soon as I figure how to take a pic of her? Cloaca, I would like to know for sure. Does it take a male for them to lay eggs......Uncle Remus in California living outdoors all year is completely different from this. Okay I'll back off the greens. More weeds, what about grass green & dry?

 

[dmmj]

Grass is fine, so are grape leaves, as are rose of sharon ( leaves and flowers). Dandelions are great as should the pepper leaves. Males have long tails, females short. Females can store fertilized ova for a few years, she could also lay duds.

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome to the Forum, Carol!

 

[carolpsalm_91]

Welcome to the forum. Good to have you here! ! !

Thank you for the warm welcome bouaboua, it's good to be here.

 

[carolpsalm_91]

Hello and Welcome

Thank you, appreciate the welcome.....

 

[carolpsalm_91]

Welcome

Thank you......

 

[carolpsalm_91]

Welcome to the Forum, Carol!

Thanks Yvonne! It's great to be here. Glad to meet you......

 

[carolpsalm_91]

Grass is fine, so are grape leaves, as are rose of sharon ( leaves and flowers). Dandelions are great as should the pepper leaves. Males have long tails, females short. Females can store fertilized ova for a few years, she could also lay duds.

Hahahaheha so he did know what he was talking about. I just couldn't believe tail length decided its gender. Boy, pie in my face on that one tehehehe well, she's a stubby!! Hey dmmj is ivy ok for her to eat?

 

[dmmj]

What type of ivy is it?

 

[carolpsalm_91]

Grass is fine, so are grape leaves, as are rose of sharon ( leaves and flowers). Dandelions are great as should the pepper leaves. Males have long tails, females short. Females can store fertilized ova for a few years, she could also lay duds.

Another reason I'm asking about the wandering jew ivy, is that I have a large beautiful bed of two different ivys (it's about the same) as the WJ ivy, partially shaded by a tree that drapes ivy. It's a perfect outdoor area for a tortoise summer habitat once I surround and enclose the area with large stones, clear out some of gone wild ivy so I can provide sand and pine needle areas with flat rocks she can climb on, and solid rock areas for shade with a little sakcrete for reinforcement for her safety. We have copperheads here abundantly....killed about 15 this summer in our yard.....baby ones. Is that something I need to worry about with her when she's outside? I can't see a snake attacking a tortoise, but hey I couldn't wrap my brain around tail length deciding gender either! So what do I know......lol thanks for your insight and sharing the fruits of wisdom, they're greatly appreciated.

 

[carolpsalm_91]

What type of ivy is it?

Known here as wandering jew

 

[carolpsalm_91]

Welcome to TFO!

Thanks for the welcome Aldabraman.....your tortoise is beautiful....nice pic!

 

[carolpsalm_91]

Hello Carol welcome to the TFO from AZ . It's nice to meet another person that knows 1955 isn't a tire size . Have a great tort day ! .

Blahhahehaheha that was a good one grandpa Turtle from AZ....one day years from now my grandson will carry the same name, his nic name from his daddy is turtle, I call him peepers but his name is Jaidyn. But one day he'll be grandpa Turtle, he'll get a kick out of this. But he's going to swear up and down you're his paw paw from your pic. He'll wonder why his paw paw is hiding his face. BTW I love AZ it's so beautiful, and I love Utah. Thanks for the welcome GT and still chuckling over the tire thing.