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Ledroc567 04alexmom Reptilefreak23 Ledroc567 Reptilefreak23 Reptilefreak23 Amphibiandude RepticTay Ledroc567 RepticTay |
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Ledroc567 View Profile |
Tortoise Life or death
then they also told him to feed them pellets, lettuce, tomatoes and sometimes grapes the humidity is 70% half of the 40 breeder( he was told he could keep baby torts on in it) is moist reptile bark for the red foot and the other half is reptile carpet with a small pile of orchard grass(my idea) for the leo the bad part is he is building a 4x4 tortoise table And he is getting a bunch more torts of different speceis to keep in it Please post people to tell him wrong(please once per person so I can tally it up to show Him any other things should be Pm’ed to me) |
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| 08/29/08 12:18am |
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04alexmom View Profile |
Message To: Ledroc567 In reference to Message Id: 1845805
Tell your friend that the people he got the tortoise from dont know what they are talking about. The food is wrong and different spieces of tortoise should NEVER be kept together no matter what. What he is doing is considered animal cruelty and he shouldnt be allowed to keep animals if he cant care for them properly. |
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| 08/29/08 05:26am |
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Reptilefreak23 View Profile |
Message To: 04alexmom In reference to Message Id: 1845870 Tortoise Life or death
People who mix species do not care about the welfare of their pets, and I have learned that most people who mix species...Will never put down their pride to exept what they are doing is wrong and inhumane. HE KNOWS that he is torturing is pets and this could easily be an act of animal cruelity. If someone finds out they may call their local SPCA or Humane society for a arrest. If he wants tortoises so much he might as well be killing them than putting them through this kind of pain. He doesnt need us to tell him, His pets will be dead, only then he will learn that he just sacrificed 2 inocent animals just cause he doesnt want to spend a couple more bucks. |
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| 08/29/08 12:25pm |
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Ledroc567 View Profile |
Message To: Reptilefreak23 In reference to Message Id: 1846057 Tortoise Life or death
He thinks that it is completely fine and won’t listen to me because They have been breeding torts for decades don’t blame him blame the Captive bred wildlife foundation |
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| 08/29/08 12:40pm |
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Reptilefreak23 View Profile |
Message To: 04alexmom In reference to Message Id: 1845870 Tortoise Life or death
Red Foots Red foots are a breed of tortoise that come from south America. But one kind of Red Foot isn’t like the other. It is called the Cherry Headed Red Foot. That is a dwarf breed of the Red Foot , and is found in Brazilian rain forests. The only noticeable difference between the two is that the Cherry Head has a red head (if you already didn’t figure that out) and it is smaller hence the lable ‘dwarf’. This tortoise is a close relative of the Yellow Foot Tortoise. Here is the care sheet for Red foot Tortoises. Sexingand Characteristics: In males the tail is always longer (can only tell when when tortoise is truly matured). Males also have a habit to fold there tails under their shells, where females usually will not. A females tail will often have a bulge at the base of it. This bulge quickly becomes a skinny tip. This aids them with egg-laying ability. In males there is no bulge or bump, and the size of the tip is not very much smaller than the size at the top. The tip of the males tail tends to be slightly rounded, however the females tail ends in more of a point. Females have a circular or semi-circular vent. Males vent tends to be a vertical slit. Males often have concave plastrons(bottom shell), but some females can also be slightly concave. If the plastron is very concave, the animal is more than likely male. If it is only slightly concave, it is hard to tell. The most obvious one, look for a penis. Look at the animals tail right after you soak them, or when they are urinating. If you see the tip of a pink penis the animal is 99.9% male. There has been cases of tortoises with a penis who have laid viable eggs. Lighting/heating: They require 5.0 UVB 12 hour cycle and a basking spot of around 95 degrease (F) with a cool damper side at 75 degrease (F). At night temps should remain around 70 degrease (F) with the help of a Under Tank Heater or night heat lamp (usually purplish blue). Water Needs: REQUIRES A water bowl at all times. large and shallow enough for soaking. Replace water every day to prevent spread of bacteria Humidity: Humidity should remain around 70-80 Substrate: A good substrate for these Tortoises, is ‘Zoo-med Forest Floor’, Coconut Husk, or coconut Fiber substrates. HOUSING RED-FOOTS INDOORS HOUSING RED-FOOTS INDOORS: The best form of indoor housing for small or medium sized red-foot Tortoises is a “tortoise table’ To all appearances it looks like a bookshelf unit or two turned onto its back. A good size for a hatchling is 2 feet by 3 feet as the tortoise grows the size of his habitat should increase. For an adult red-foot tortoise the indoor housing should be at least 8 feet by 6 feet at the bottom of its “tortoise table” holes can be cut to allow for the sinking of food, water and eventually nesting containers flush with the surface for easier animal access. Large Rubbermaid Containers are also a good way to hold humidity and still get good ventilation. Diet: Red Foot tortoises are omnivorous. Precise tastes and requirements may vary seasonally. Attempting to sustain a Red-foot tortoise on a diet of mixed grasses would not be advisable; this species is ill equipped to effectively metabolize large quantities of silica-rich grass. One consequence of the higher protein, higher purine content diet of Red-foot and Yellow-foot tortoises is that they must always have access to fresh drinking and soaking water, and must be provided with adequately humid enclosures or terrariums. Dehydration is a very serious hazard to any tortoise consuming higher protein and purine content foods (mushrooms, for example). It is no coincidence that all species with this class of dietary preference occur in high rainfall, high humidity ecosystems with regular access to free water. In practical terms, both species require high humidity maintenance. As with all tortoises, they also require a high ratio of calcium to phosphorus, additional trace elements and vitamin D3. Sprinkle the food every seven to ten days with Rep-Cal Calcium supplement or Miner-All. Use without vitamin d3 for outdoor specimens and with vitamin d3 for indoor specimens. Red-foot and Yellow-foot tortoises do not bask to the same extent as arid-habitat species, and therefore obtain much of their D3 needs in nature from the animal component of their diet. The Red-Footed Tortoise has excellent color vision. They need dark leafy greens such as dandelions, turnip greens, mustard greens, romaine lettuce, collard and beet greens. Toppings such as alfalfa hay, timothy grass, ryegrass and oats are good for fiber in the Red Foot’s diet. Their diet should be supplemented with protein such as crickets, worms, cooked egg and low calorie cat food or dog food and occasional portions of commercial tortoise foods. These should only be as supplements and not with every feeding. Limit the intake of meats to about once every week. Rinse all grocery store greens and fruits to remove pesticide residues. Mader’s ’Reptile Medicine and Surgery’ (1996), recommends 75% vegetables and greens, 20% fruit, and 5% high-protein-content foods. As with any turtle or tortoise variety is key. Feed your Red-Foot a mix of chopped greens such as romaine lettuce, dandelion, mustard and collard greens sprinkled with fibrous toppings such as alfalfa hay, timothy grass and oats. On every second to third feeding, along with the chopped greens and grasses add some chopped papaya, mango, prickly pair or similar fruits. Fruits are normally consumed in a very ripe state after they have fallen from the tree. Once every 7 days, along with the chopped greens and grasses, add small portions of protein such as chopped worms, crickets, chopped cooked egg or possibly even a commercial tortoise food. The greens, grasses and fruits mentioned above are just examples of a wide variety of foods that your Red-Foot can and will eat. You can substitute comparable foods in most cases. Some suggestions are mushrooms, sow thistle, summer squash, green beans, yams, hibiscus and dandelion flowers and leaves, plumbs, grapes and cantaloupe and berries such as blackberries, strawberries and mulberries. Do not feed bananas. Hatchling tortoises should be fed daily. A diet of chopped greens (kale, endive, mustard leaves, dandelions, etc.) and (once a week) a commercial tortoise diet (15% to 18% protein) should be fed to the tortoises. They should be soaked in shallow lukewarm water every day. Do not keep them on sand. Slightly moist peat moss or moist coconut husk is an ideal substrate that will help elevate humidity. It must be changed regularly to prevent bacteria and mold build up. It is best not to feed the tortoises on the peat moss. They seem to be able to pass the peat moss safely however if eaten in small quantities. If your tortoise is kept warm, fed and watered regularly, and given adequate room it should live for years. Small tortoises can grow about 2 inches per year. Supplements: should dust food in calcium suplement 1-2 times a week. now a CARE SHEET FOR A SULCATA LET HIM SEE THE DIFFERENCE (OR THE FACT THAT THEY ARE TOTALLY OPPOSITE) LIGHTING AND HEATING: Requires 10.0 UVB lighting across cage. Indoor housing needs to have a warmer side and a cooler side (cooler at 70-75 degrease and warmer at around or above 80 degrease....... also need to have dark hiding spot on cool side) So you will need Under tank heaters and Heat lamps to control these temps. DIET: - 75 percent grasses and weeds.... (Orchard grass or hay:Timothy or Bermuda grass or hay: Leafy greens : (dandelions, clover, endive, grape leaves, mulberry leaves, weeds etc.) Cactus pads ,not alfalfa... to much protien).... High fiber low protien diet - Romain lettuce green leaf and red leaf lettuce may be given as a treat (accasionally) - Things to avoid .All fruit (although fruit is often recommended, its sugar content can lead to parasite blooms....just not worth it) the exception is apples due to the high quantity of pectin....but still not frequently. Iceberg lettuce Bok Choy All grains (including bread, pasta etc) Dog and cat food Meat Pellet type foods (An often overlooked factor of pyramiding is grain based diets. These are the pellet food that some claim to be essential to health. They typically contain soy, wheat and or rice. These are high in omega 6 fatty acids which has a negative effect on health. They also have an acidifying effect which causes a leaching of bone. They are high in phytate which binds calcium and other minerals. They also have an unfavorable ca/ph ratio and a low ca/mg ratio which has a negative impact on calcium metabolism. Grains alter Vit D metabolism. Diets high in grains can have a negative impact on bone growth in spite of adequate exposure to sunshine. The water dish in the habitat should be large enough to allow the tortoise to soak in if it wishes, it must also be shallow enough to allow easy exit to protect from drowning. For larger tortoises photographic developing trays work well for this purpose. - sulcata fed on cat or dog foods frequently die from renal failure or from impacted bladder stones of solidified urates. Avoid over reliance upon ’supermarket’ greens and fruits, which typically contain inadequate fiber levels, excessive pesticide residues and are too rich in sugar and should be avoided. African Spurred tortoises are a grazing species; every effort should be made to duplicate this diet in captivity. Fruit should be offered very rarely or not at all as the Spurred Tortoise’s digestive system is not equipped to handle high sugar content foods. - Dust food in Repcal calcium d3 supplement on tortoises food 3 times a week WATER: The water dish in the habitat should be large enough to allow the tortoise to soak in if it wishes, it must also be shallow enough to allow easy exit to protect from drowning. For larger tortoises photographic developing trays work well for this purpose. It needs to be cleaned out every day. Adults Only need to be soaked Once or Twice a week.(So water bowl is not required) MEDICAL INFORMATION: While in general, individuals of this species are extremely healthy, there is a wide array of medical conditions that can arise. First and foremost, proper husbandry is a must with the species. Moderate to severe shell pyramiding from an improper diet is seen in a large majority of juvenile sulcata. While it may not "feel" right to feed items such as grass hays and weeds, this is what thousands of years of evolution have designed the gastrointestinal tracts of these animals to do. A second dietary problem that is often seen is diarrhea. With bulky, high fiber, low "quality" feeds, solid GI health can be maintained and healthy, bulky stools formed. Easily digestible foods can lead to diarrhea, dehydration, weight loss, and even intestinal prolapse . SUBSTRATE: A good substrate for these tortoises is a 50/50 mix of pot soil (no pesticides, magic grow etc...) and play sand with a light layer of tomothy hay over it. African Spurred tortoise cannot tolerate wet conditions. If sand is used in the substrate this area should also not have food placed directly upon it as the sand can build up in the tortoises GI tract leading to possible impaction and even death. A completely separate sand-free area in the habitat should be utilized to feed. Outdour grazing is required and a outdoor cage as well (4 hours of natural sunlight is worth about 7-9 hours on your 10.0) OUTDOOR HOUSING: Predator proof outdoor habitats offer many advantages over indoor accommodations and should seriously be considered as an option during warm weather. In particular because of their large size and grazing habits African Spurred tortoises should be kept out of doors when the climate allows if at all possible. INDOOR HOUSING: do not use glass tanks.. this will result in stress and poor ventalation, the best thing for babies is a “tortoise table” To all appearances it looks like a bookshelf unit or two turned onto its back. A good size for a hatchling is 2 feet by 3 feet as the tortoise grows the size of his habitat should increase. Indoor housing needs to have a warmer side and a cooler side (cooler at 70-75 degrease and warmer at around or above 80 degrease....... also need to have dark hiding spot on cool side) On warm side... make sure there is nothing that it can flip over on. If it does she will bake and have SEVERE burns if under basking lamp. Maintenance: Enclosure should be spot cleaned weekly. A thorough cleaning should be performed on a regular basis. A 5% bleach solution is an excellent disinfectant. Be sure to thoroughly rinse the enclosure before replacing the substrate and placing the tortoise back in the enclosure. It is always recommended to wash your hands thoroughly after handling the tortoise or cleaning the cage or cage accessories. Also use products like “Wipe Out 2” and “Mite Off” from Zoo med for accessories (or substrate). “Mite Off” should be used every 3 weeks to prevent mites. On warm side... make sure there is nothing that it can flip over on. If it does she will bake and have SEVERE burns if under basking lamp. Thankyou for caring about these tortoises im glad that there are people like you willing to stand up to his friend to do whats right. Hope this helps him see the major differences... Good Luck! |
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| 08/29/08 12:41pm |
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Reptilefreak23 View Profile |
Message To: Reptilefreak23 In reference to Message Id: 1846068 Tortoise Life or death
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| 08/29/08 12:42pm |
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Amphibiandude View Profile |
Message To: Reptilefreak23 In reference to Message Id: 1846069 Tortoise Life or death
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| 08/29/08 01:36pm |
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RepticTay View Profile |
Message To: Amphibiandude In reference to Message Id: 1846124 Tortoise Life or death
http://www.repticzone.com/forums/Tortoises/messages/1842738.html Anyway! you cannot force your friend to anything you want him to. Seperating them would be best option, and studying their care aswell as that they need a better diet and care. Anywho the only way i can think is call the local animal police (RSPCA, ASPCA, SPCA of some sort.) |
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| 08/29/08 06:20pm |
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Ledroc567 View Profile |
Message To: RepticTay In reference to Message Id: 1846368 Tortoise Life or death
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| 08/29/08 09:33pm |
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RepticTay View Profile |
Message To: Ledroc567 In reference to Message Id: 1846560 Tortoise Life or death
In a way i trusted 2 strangers, my petstore keeper and a bad vet. I never took anyones word for it...and i ended up with 2 dead tortoises because of my selfish ways and the fact i didnt listen. When i did listen ive been doing great ever since! owning 2 beautiful hermanns and planning on a russian or another hermanns. |
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| 08/30/08 03:18pm |
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Tortoise Life or death