Pearly’s RF -not „Babies” anymore! in 2019

Pearly

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Hi there to All you Shell-baby parents! I am still here, still busy with my human, fur and shelled family. Shellie and Tucker have already turned 4 yrs old and they are big heavy monsters! I still bring them inside every night because their outdoor house still needs a proper door and insulation needs to be installed, all the electricals wired in, but their garden has grown into a bush making them really happy. They love to hide under the plants. For those of you who have read my threads and know how cute and colorful Tucker was (marbling) he is no more.IMG_9800.jpg he still grows some white but that quickly gets covered with dark color so one has to look closely and under good light to see all that white that there is- WAS. He was also always smaller than Shellie, well, no so much any more! He is an eating machine and almost matching Shellie’s size and weight (both almost 10lbs and around 11” SCL)IMG_9797.jpg I don’t bathe them daily anymore, only about 2-3x wk and every time I have a reason to think that they need extra warmth and hydration (they got stressed with something, didn’t eat too well that day, etc) Maxi (my cat) still watches over them while in their bath tub. IMG_9804.jpg Shellie is almost certainly a girlIMG_9299.jpg. Tucker??? I am not sure quite yet. Any quesses?IMG_9314.jpg agh!!!! Need better picture!IMG_9315.jpg All feedback is welcome! Hope all Forum Friends- old and new and their torts are doing well[emoji217][emoji173]️[emoji217]
 

Toddrickfl1

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Great job Pearly, they look fantastic. I'm guessing both female.
 

Pearly

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Your cat is beautiful! Is it a maine coon?

Yes, Maxi i a pure bred Maine Coon, got him off Craigslist. Hi first family paid 850$ for him as kitten only to realize in few months that “white hair would be EVERYWHERE!”. I was looking for a mostly white young cat at that time and thus was a match made in heaven! I love him so much!
 

Pearly

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Tucker SURE looks female.
But my guessing record is well known...

You think???? That would be great- no “sex fighting displays” and stuff. The only thing I worry about is them getting eggbound. I mean, I don’t need those eggs for anything but just worry about facing a potential medical emergency
 

ZEROPILOT

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You think???? That would be great- no “sex fighting displays” and stuff. The only thing I worry about is them getting eggbound. I mean, I don’t need those eggs for anything but just worry about facing a potential medical emergency
I've had REDFOOT for a very long time.
And I've experienced very little (Few) unfertilized eggs being deposited.
I wouldn't give it much worry.
 

Redfoot NERD

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Definitely both female! You don't see any 'concave' plastron on them... which you would @ 11".

You followed a good "balanced" Caresheet didn't you .

The breeder didn't know what they were talking about if they told you Tucker was "bred" to be a male. Incubated maybe... but not "bred".

And Ed was right - IF they make eggs.. and the calcium is right in their diet - no concern about egg-bound.
 

Pearly

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Definitely both female! You don't see any 'concave' plastron on them... which you would @ 11".

You followed a good "balanced" Caresheet didn't you .

The breeder didn't know what they were talking about if they told you Tucker was "bred" to be a male. Incubated maybe... but not "bred".

And Ed was right - IF they make eggs.. and the calcium is right in their diet - no concern about egg-bound.

I meant „incubated”, ofcourse. And yes, I did follow your Tortoise Library care sheets for RF. Heck, they were my „tort bible” the first year or so. Thank you for sharing your expertise with all of us amateur hobby keepers. It’s important to me to know that what I do for my shelled babies is backed up by years of experience and in depth knowledge from people like you guys on this Forum[emoji217]
 

Pearly

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Also @Redfoot NERD Tucker’s plastron is straight as a board, no concavity, but Shellie does have a “dip” in it. I’ll try to get a better pic of it with next bath. Though her tail opening area is very much “girl-like” so she must be one of those RF with concave bellies. I do see some either territorial or dominance displays at times though when I happen to feed them together now and then. Example: one will just sit on top of the food as though claiming it as her own. At least that’s how I would interpret this behavior. Or, in their outside garden (it’s big, the length of my house, with good width about ⅓ into my backyard, it’s also very well planted, literally jungle in there, 2 wading pools with plants around so plenty of room where they never have to feel exposed, so Shellie has dug up a nice deep hole for herself and last few evenings when picking them up for the night I found Tucker sitting there! They also get their bath together in human bath tub, in the tub it’s probably the only time when they ignore each other and just chill, until they get bored at which point they just start climbing up the walls[emoji23].
 

Redfoot NERD

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@Pearly - there's a big difference between a 'dip' and concave. Sitting 'on' food can be interpreted as "that's where she was sitting.. until decided to move" - nothing more.
And unless you just want to - no need to give them a bath.. it's just undo stress on them - from how you described their outdoors anyway. ** climbing the walls is the stress I refer to **

Glad you are following the "4 PARAMETERS BALANCED" ( rule )!
 

Pearly

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I also want to share something with the new tort keepers especially. Be careful and remember when raising your pets that they are creatures of habit! Watch out for what kinds of habits you help them develop. I’ll explain: over the past year my torts have reached about their adult size (I think that at least). They have had their big fenced in garden in my backyard and their outside house has been put together but still needs work (insulation, line the bottom with something waterproof, electrical and still need to buy the thermostat for their heaters. Also considering a fan for the summer months. All that plus I have to get a door made. @ZEROPILOT Ed, how I wish you lived closer to lend me your helping hand (handy skills/advice)[emoji17] I sooooo NOT technical/mechanical, it’s pitiful! Anyway, over the past couple yrs the torts have been spending daytime outside and I’d bring them in for the night, give them a nice warm bath, they’d pee and poo in bath and then eat. Well, now with this “perfect tort weather” they spend much more time outside (still bring them in to sleep) and I’m skipping bath days to 2-3 wk. would you believe that those rascals almost never poo on their off bath days?! They also don’t eat that much on those days! Both have lost few ounces over past 2 months! I suspect it’s due to the change in their routine, which makes me think of how careful we must be with the things we do with them over and over and to be sure that those routines are something that will work in long term. In my case now I’ll be working towards undoing this bcs they will start living outside full time as soon as their house is finished up and I want them to pee/poo outside and not wait till bath time. My family wants to reclaim that bathroom upstairs and I don’t blame them, that tub has been only used by our torts for 4 yrs[emoji38] but it’s been worth it. They have grown and developed beautifully.
 

ZEROPILOT

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I also want to share something with the new tort keepers especially. Be careful and remember when raising your pets that they are creatures of habit! Watch out for what kinds of habits you help them develop. I’ll explain: over the past year my torts have reached about their adult size (I think that at least). They have had their big fenced in garden in my backyard and their outside house has been put together but still needs work (insulation, line the bottom with something waterproof, electrical and still need to buy the thermostat for their heaters. Also considering a fan for the summer months. All that plus I have to get a door made. @ZEROPILOT Ed, how I wish you lived closer to lend me your helping hand (handy skills/advice)[emoji17] I sooooo NOT technical/mechanical, it’s pitiful! Anyway, over the past couple yrs the torts have been spending daytime outside and I’d bring them in for the night, give them a nice warm bath, they’d pee and poo in bath and then eat. Well, now with this “perfect tort weather” they spend much more time outside (still bring them in to sleep) and I’m skipping bath days to 2-3 wk. would you believe that those rascals almost never poo on their off bath days?! They also don’t eat that much on those days! Both have lost few ounces over past 2 months! I suspect it’s due to the change in their routine, which makes me think of how careful we must be with the things we do with them over and over and to be sure that those routines are something that will work in long term. In my case now I’ll be working towards undoing this bcs they will start living outside full time as soon as their house is finished up and I want them to pee/poo outside and not wait till bath time. My family wants to reclaim that bathroom upstairs and I don’t blame them, that tub has been only used by our torts for 4 yrs[emoji38] but it’s been worth it. They have grown and developed beautifully.
I appreciate the thought.
 

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