WHY THIS FORUM IS IMPORTANT-THE SHOW TODAY

[N2TORTS]

Maybe we need a Tortoise Forum booth or cards to pass out,

I plan to be just this!

I am setting up a booth at the Chino show and have a whole bunch of info to present the "humid way". I'm promoting TFO and want to make an impact!

Fellow members still use alfalfa pellet substrate, red basking lights, no uv bulbs, mixing species, housing sulcata pairs, etc...some things I hear shock me.

But I keep there to take a stand for a different and better way!

Don't lose hope!

I plan to post all my info/pictures here after my show. you will notice it is direct than what you experienced.

Heather
sent while on my purple android TFOapp

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"it is different, not direct"

Heather
sent while on my purple android TFOapp

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Heather for President ......you go girl!

 

[Yvonne G]

Heather:

Why don't you contact Josh and see if he has any Forum stuff that you can have on your display table at the Chino show? He may even join you, who knows.

 

[wellington]

What Yvonne said would be a fantastic idea. I also agree with Jeff, you go girl. I'm hoping to join the reptile club in my area this fall just to change their minds on the old ways and all the other bad things they do. Can't wait to hear about your show. Good luck.

 

[Jd3]

The risk for disease transfer is grossly overstated. Tortoises that are kept by the same keeper in the same building, yard, etc are just as likely to transfer disease as those in the same enclosure. Unless you change your clothes, disinfect, and use a sterile air handler, the risks are all still there.

Keeping otherwise healthy animals together poses very little risk. I've tried to find some instances where it could be linked and found none. The worst thing is usually that the husbandry requirements do not match up. Thus stressing one or both due to the inappropriate environment.

It is silly to me to keep harping on that point when there is so little to back it up. Why not focus on the parts we know: environment, diet, aggression, etc.

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Otherwise healthy animals that have been quarantined are little risk for disease outbreak.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Contacting josh it is!

Heather
sent while on my purple android TFOapp

 

[Tom]

The risk for disease transfer is grossly overstated. Tortoises that are kept by the same keeper in the same building, yard, etc are just as likely to transfer disease as those in the same enclosure. Unless you change your clothes, disinfect, and use a sterile air handler, the risks are all still there.

Keeping otherwise healthy animals together poses very little risk. I've tried to find some instances where it could be linked and found none. The worst thing is usually that the husbandry requirements do not match up. Thus stressing one or both due to the inappropriate environment.

It is silly to me to keep harping on that point when there is so little to back it up. Why not focus on the parts we know: environment, diet, aggression, etc.

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Otherwise healthy animals that have been quarantined are little risk for disease outbreak.

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You come back and tell me how overstated it is when you have a diseases common to one species run through your entire collection of a different species, shut down your operation, and kill some of your favorite animals. Ask any number of old timers who have had entire collections wiped out what they think about mixing species.

And before you even get into it, there are no studies and citations for this. It's all anecdotal, since no multi-million dollar company is going to invest lots of money onto a lab grade study that would take years and require the necropsy of a whole lot of heathy animals as well as ones that were intentionally infected with all sorts of pathogens. Sorry. You can take the word of those who came before you, or you can keep flirting with danger, and advocating flirting with danger, until you learn for yourself first hand, as so many others already have.

 

[Yvonne G]

The risk for disease transfer is grossly overstated. Tortoises that are kept by the same keeper in the same building, yard, etc are just as likely to transfer disease as those in the same enclosure. Unless you change your clothes, disinfect, and use a sterile air handler, the risks are all still there.

Keeping otherwise healthy animals together poses very little risk. I've tried to find some instances where it could be linked and found none. The worst thing is usually that the husbandry requirements do not match up. Thus stressing one or both due to the inappropriate environment.

It is silly to me to keep harping on that point when there is so little to back it up. Why not focus on the parts we know: environment, diet, aggression, etc.

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Otherwise healthy animals that have been quarantined are little risk for disease outbreak.

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This is getting off the track a bit, but I wanted to post another anecdote:

I have operated a turtle and tortoise rescue for many years and over the years I've taken in several sick tortoises...mainly desert tortoises and sometimes sulcatas. The main reason the people were giving up their tortoise was because -

-with a desert tortoise they thought he was lonely, so they got a sulcata. They can't imagine why the desert tortoise is so sick, with a runny nose and not eating.

-with a sulcata they thought he was lonely and the chance came up to adopt a desert tortoise from a club. They can't imagine why the sulcata is so sick with a runny nose and not eating.

I know for a fact that wc Russian tortoises are terribly "dirty." They are stored and shipped in appalling conditions.

Now-a-days, with more and more captive bred tortoises, the risk of contamination is not nearly as great, however, I still keep the species separate.

 

[Tom]

Okay folks. Lets try to turn this frown upside down. Here we have an organization that supposedly specializes in tortoises and their care. People contact these guys for info. These guys give out info in public, just like the event posted in this thread. Same thing in all the other CTTC chapters I've seen. How do we fix this? What steps can we take to improve things? I do my work here on the forum and on an individual basis out in public. I have talked to some individual CTTC members and most of them are pretty entrenched in their decades old methodology. How do we get through to them? One of these chapters talked someone out of donating their old adult male Galopagos tortoise to an active breeding program because they didn't feel that the Galops should be "exploited" so people could have "pets", raise them all wrong, and end up killing them. They talked a donor out of giving their male to a professional breeder and instead gave it to an AZA facility where he will live alone, and never breed until he dies of old age. Apparently their "don't breed anything" attitude even extends to very rare, very endangered species.

I think Heather is off to a great start and I'm curious to see how well he "new and improved" info will be received by the long established people who run the club.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Re: RE: WHY THIS FORUM IS IMPORTANT-THE SHOW TODAY

I think Heather is off to a great start and I'm curious to see how well he "new and improved" info will be received by the long established people who run the club.

Thank you.

I am curious too. :/

I can't wait to report back here with how it goes

Heather
sent while on my purple android TFOapp

 

[SpdTrtl]

Re: Tortoise vs. turtle
Members in previous threads have pointed out that calling tortoises "turtles" can lead to dangerously poor care, as in thinking that a sulcata belongs in a pond! Obviously, in that sense, distinguishing between tortoises and other turtles (including box turtles) is very important. However, all chelonians are commonly known as turtles. Therefore, tortoises are turtles ... they just happen to be the ones that are the most terrestrial and herbivorous. I call my Russian tortoises my turtles all the time because it saves me one syllable.

My 6 year old gets so mad when anyone calls a Tortoise a Turtle. I taught him well. lol
The problem is, I do this myself, just so much easier to say!

 

[N2TORTS]

Tom and Yvonne........ I couldn’t agree with you more!
and Tom..... ya hit a home run on that one ...to the point
and a BIG difference from a 1-2 animal to a 20-40 collection that with " safe mixing " in some folks eyes is ok ... they really have no clue nor the investment and time. Needless to say I didn’t want to pick on the chapter event , but being the first time I have ever attended one here in OC/LA area , honest I was blown away at the poorly kept specimens they had on display....and as one responder to this post ...maybe they were more aimed at the general public ... but why give out bad information?.....plus the fact when questioning about their animals act like you know what you talking about and the evidence is sitting right in front of you ?
Again .... why I believe this forum is a great resource , not biased nor sugar coated answer, but some serious folks with extreme first hand knowledge .... I have plenty of folks who don't like what I say , and funny thing is , they are the ones who never post any pics of their animals ..... I wonder why? I learn and share info from my mistakes and success....not 3rd party info. Sorta reminds me of going to Home Depot and talking to the guy in the garden department....
I think to work there you just to now how to spell the word " garden"

and Heather ... send me an E mail about your event ... I might be able to help out with some stuff.... *if ya need it *


JD~

 

[Levi the Leopard]

@ jeff, sending email!

 

[Yvonne G]

Sorta reminds me of going to Home Depot and talking to the guy in the garden department....
I think to work there you just to now how to spell the word " garden"

Uh oh...Will used to work at Home Depot, and in the garden department, to boot!

 

[N2TORTS]

Sorta reminds me of going to Home Depot and talking to the guy in the garden department....
I think to work there you just to now how to spell the word " garden"

Uh oh...Will used to work at Home Depot, and in the garden department, to boot!

LOL...... Don’t even get me started on horticulture….

I'm sure Will knows his stuff ..... and if he does he will be laughing at my "quote"...
BTW Who's Will?

 

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

Wow, those pictures made me faint. That they are from a CTTC show bums me out big time. Education is the order of the day, week, year. Promote TFO more, we all need to do this for the safety of many a turtle/tortoise. This TFO community of tortoise/turtle lovers, doers, sharers is even more valuable now that I have seen those pics. Thank goodness for this forum. Share-share-share!

 

[TommyZ]

Well this convo is a bit advanced for me, but what i can contribute is saying that literally ALL ive learned in my short time as a tort wrangler, i learned right here from all you folks. Care, nutrition, husbandry, all of it, right here from you all, so keep up the good work, you DO make a difference....knowledge is power my friends.. B-)

Sent from my SCH-I535 using TortForum mobile app

 

[Shelly]

I adopted 2 DTs from the CTTC. The first was near death when I got it, despite having been "checked out by our vet". I eventually had to have her euthanized after trying for over a year to nurse her back to health. When I complained I was given a second one. She is fabulous and I still have her.
The woman I got them from was "In charge of adoptions". She can only be described as a hoarder. She had tortoises roaming freely in her house. There was tortoise and dog feces everywhere in the house.
When I went to the Ventura county fair in 2011 they had a tent. Different tortoises each displayed in 5 gallon aquariums on paper towels, each with half an ear of corn to keep them company. Several mis-labeled species, and no information anywhere on proper care.

 

[ascott]

Shelly, that tort vid in your posts absolutely kills me----love it

 

[ulkal]

I cannot join in an expert discussion either, but I really do not understand why people
who go as far and engage in a tortoise and turtle club do not attempt to stay on top of
things. IMO, you should not stop trying to learn and find new info, especially regarding
that there is little info on, for example, the secret life of hatchlings/babies in the wild. I totally understand that not everyone has the time/funds/motivation to experiment, but updating yourself, I do not think its asked too much.
I first informed myself outside the forum, and most was the bone-dry method, a few careful considerations on humdity being the exception. If it wasnt for here, my leopard babies would be in a reenacted desert.

Because it fits the topic I want to thank everyone that they are helping newbies like me by sharing their
experience, constantly engaging in self-conducted research to find optimal husbandry conditions and
learn as much as possible(and sharing that ) and also posing questions that help me when I hit the
search button. And respect for the courage to take on self-proclaimed experts by spreading the word.
As TommyZ said, you are making a difference.

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm sure Will knows his stuff ..... and if he does he will be laughing at my "quote"...
BTW Who's Will?

He's a member here, and my partner in the tortoises.