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UPDATED with OUTDOOR Pics...Tortoise or Turtles...

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~Colleen~ my loves... Member since 5/05 9129 total posts Name: guess	UPDATED with OUTDOOR Pics...Tortoise or Turtles... Brought them outside this week and snapped some pics... Nadine eats dandelion Boris is shy My niece goes for a walk with Nadine Boris climbs Boris escapes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Does anyone have a tortoise or turtle? We have 2 Russian Tortoises - Boris & Nadine - and are thinking about building an outdoor enclosure for them for the summer. Just looking to see if anyone has built one (or bought one) and what your experience has been. TIA! Message edited 5/30/2007 10:38:33 AM.
	Posted 5/14/07 4:16 PM
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MsMBV :P Member since 5/05 28602 total posts Name: Me	Re: Tortoise or Turtles... My brother had a Chinese Box Turtle. He kept in inside in a very large but shallow terrarium.
MsMBV :P Member since 5/05 28602 total posts Name: Me	Posted 5/14/07 5:21 PM
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karacg Babygirl is 4! Member since 5/05 17076 total posts Name: Kara®	Re: Tortoise or Turtles... No but I love the names!! My niece is dating a Russian guy - named Boris. So now we call her Natasha...
	Posted 5/14/07 5:22 PM
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MsMBV :P Member since 5/05 28602 total posts Name: Me	Re: Tortoise or Turtles... Posted by karacg No but I love the names!! My niece is dating a Russian guy - named Boris. So now we call her Natasha... <in heavy accent> Quick...we must get moose & squirrel.......
MsMBV :P Member since 5/05 28602 total posts Name: Me	Posted 5/14/07 5:27 PM
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~Colleen~ my loves... Member since 5/05 9129 total posts Name: guess	Re: Tortoise or Turtles... Boris was originally Natasha...until we found out she was a he It seems Russian's are great escape artists - they will dig until they get out of their habitat. A part of me wants them outdoors in the sunlight and a huge part of me is afraid of nature hurting them, ie. racoons, weather, etc. What to do, what to do...
	Posted 5/15/07 11:07 AM
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Ophelia she's baaccckkkk ;) Member since 5/06 23378 total posts Name: remember, when Gulliver traveled....	Re: Tortoise or Turtles... I love turtles. I am planning on getting one for my godson. I'd love to hear more about what you will do. Good luck.
	Posted 5/15/07 11:17 AM
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CaseyGirl Mommy to 3 Boys :) Member since 5/05 19978 total posts Name: Jen - counting my blessings...	Re: Tortoise or Turtles... Colleen!!! I love tortoises - can you please post pics?! Are they hard to care for? Where do you keep them in the house?
	Posted 5/15/07 1:45 PM
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~Colleen~ my loves... Member since 5/05 9129 total posts Name: guess	Re: Tortoise or Turtles... I'll take some pics of them tonight...I don't have any scanned. We keep them in a breeding tank - not the most ideal habitat but it works b/c it is low & wide as opposed to tall like a fish tank. I'd like something bigger for them and I'd like to add a place for them to climb to give them some exercise as Nadine is a little pudgy (not overweight though). DH brought them to the vet yesterday to have their beaks and nails clipped and they were given a clean bill of health - yay! - except for a common parasite that Nadine has (which is so weird b/c Boris didn't get it ). They are not hard to care it just takes a lot of time - time to educate yourself on what they can and cannot eat, what their habitat temps should be, clipping their nails, etc. It takes time and patience...definitely not a pet for everyone. Message edited 5/15/2007 2:24:43 PM.
	Posted 5/15/07 2:23 PM
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CaseyGirl Mommy to 3 Boys :) Member since 5/05 19978 total posts Name: Jen - counting my blessings...	Re: Tortoise or Turtles... oooh I can't wait to see!!!
	Posted 5/15/07 6:45 PM
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~Colleen~ my loves... Member since 5/05 9129 total posts Name: guess	Re: Tortoise or Turtles... hehe, they were sleeping when I got home...I'll try to get them awake sometime in the next few days.
	Posted 5/16/07 9:57 AM
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CaseyGirl Mommy to 3 Boys :) Member since 5/05 19978 total posts Name: Jen - counting my blessings...	Re: Tortoise or Turtles... Posted by ~Colleen~ hehe, they were sleeping when I got home...I'll try to get them awake sometime in the next few days. thanks!
	Posted 5/16/07 12:21 PM
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Beth The Key to your new home.... Member since 2/06 24849 total posts Name: Beth	Re: Tortoise or Turtles... I want to see them also- my DH wants a turtle so badly- he got some for him Mom in FL- they live in an outside pond- they are so cute!
	Posted 5/16/07 1:58 PM
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~Colleen~ my loves... Member since 5/05 9129 total posts Name: guess	Re: UPDATED with Pics...Tortoise or Turtles... Pics in 1st post
	Posted 5/17/07 10:09 AM
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Lisa I'm a PANK!!! Member since 5/05 22334 total posts Name: Professional Aunts No Kids	Re: UPDATED with Pics...Tortoise or Turtles... I had turtles when I was young...about 5 or so...100 years ago!! and I loved them!! they were the tiny ones...that I think now are illegal. I used to love to watch them crawl around.
	Posted 5/17/07 10:17 AM
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Christine 2nd verse same as the 1st Member since 5/05 15287 total posts Name:	Re: UPDATED with Pics...Tortoise or Turtles... They are so cool!!!!!!
	Posted 5/17/07 10:27 AM
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~Colleen~ my loves... Member since 5/05 9129 total posts Name: guess	Re: UPDATED with Pics...Tortoise or Turtles... I wanted to take pics of them outside but the minute they hit grass they're off! LOL So much for the belief that tortoises are slow - they are such escape artists!
	Posted 5/17/07 10:44 AM
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CaseyGirl Mommy to 3 Boys :) Member since 5/05 19978 total posts Name: Jen - counting my blessings...	Re: UPDATED with Pics...Tortoise or Turtles... OMG they are amazing!!! I love them. Questions: When you pick them up, do they snap at you? What do they eat? How big is their tank? What is their lifespan? Sorry for so many Q's, I have always wanted one!
	Posted 5/17/07 11:33 AM
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MsMBV :P Member since 5/05 28602 total posts Name: Me	Re: UPDATED with Pics...Tortoise or Turtles... Very cool pics! do you have the special UV light on them? It is hard to tell from the pic, but it looks like there is that blue cast from the life lite....
MsMBV :P Member since 5/05 28602 total posts Name: Me	Posted 5/17/07 11:56 AM
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~Colleen~ my loves... Member since 5/05 9129 total posts Name: guess	Re: UPDATED with Pics...Tortoise or Turtles... When you pick them up, do they snap at you? No...they usually will pull their head into their shell. They will eventually pop out if you coax them. Nadine has "snapped" at me when I put food down or when I go to hand feed her...but I think it's more b/c she's a beast than anything else. LOL What do they eat? Lots of greens - collards, mesculin, dandelion, chard...they love green squash and carrots too. On occassion they will get some tomato or apple - their diet should be less than 10% fruit b/c the sugar is not good for them. How big is their tank? I forget the size - it's a breeder tank and was the largest one we could find at the time. I really want to get them a new one...I would prefer non-glass but they do like it warm and the glass definitely helps there. What is their lifespan? They could outlive us! I think it's something like 80 years... Yes, we have the UVB/UVA full spectrum light...could probably get them a new one but the Dr didn't have any issues with their shell growth. They are a lot of work...I really don't recommend them to everyone. They aren't cute & cuddly (well, they are adorable but they won't let you hold and coddle them) - they aren't your average pet. Getting started is expensive - tank, heat lamp, uvb/uva light, bedding...vet bills (it was about $240 for the both of them this week) - they should see the vet yearly to confirm good shell growth, have their beaks trimmed/clipped along with their nails. Beak trimming is not something you can do on your own...but the nails are doable. You need to educate yourself on what they can and cannot eat - ie, tomatoes are good for them but the foilage is poisonous...temperature is important, will they hibernate (ous do not). DO NOT purchase wild caught torts - they should be bred. I'm a little rusty on the do's & don'ts - it's all habit now - but ask away, I'll be hapy to answer what I can. Message edited 5/17/2007 12:35:06 PM.
	Posted 5/17/07 12:33 PM
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Liz LIF Adolescent Member since 5/05 674 total posts Name: Liz	Re: UPDATED with Pics...Tortoise or Turtles... OMG really cute, I like them.
	Posted 5/17/07 3:00 PM
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Elbee Zanzibar Member since 5/05 10767 total posts Name: Me	Re: UPDATED with Pics...Tortoise or Turtles... I have a tourtoise too. An African Sulcata Tourtoise named Peanut. It was the size of a quarter when we got it and is now about afoot or so long ... I do not have pictures on me right now, I'll have to get them but he/she basically looks like this:
	Posted 5/18/07 3:36 PM
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~Colleen~ my loves... Member since 5/05 9129 total posts Name: guess	Re: UPDATED with Pics...Tortoise or Turtles... Posted by Elbee I have a tourtoise too. An African Sulcata Tourtoise named Peanut. It was the size of a quarter when we got it and is now about afoot or so long ... I do not have pictures on me right now, I'll have to get them but he/she basically looks like this: IMAGE Get out!! So cute - I love Sulcatas! Where do you keep him - what kind of habitat does he have?
	Posted 5/18/07 4:27 PM
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Elbee Zanzibar Member since 5/05 10767 total posts Name: Me	Re: UPDATED with Pics...Tortoise or Turtles... Well his "habitat" is basically my parents kitchen (they have officially adopted him - long story, the turtle was origianlly my brothers) and my old bedroom ... it has free roam of those two rooms during the day. At night it sleeps in a rubbermaid storage container like this - which has very basic bedding --- newspaper, california hay, water bowl, and cuddle bone It sleeps a lot ... eats a lot of romaine lettuce and tomatoes ... and gets nightly swims in the bathroom sink. The only problem with the turtle is, it lives to like 150 years old and eventually grows to 3 feet, 150 lbs or something. Not really sure what we are going to do with it ....
	Posted 5/18/07 5:01 PM
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~Colleen~ my loves... Member since 5/05 9129 total posts Name: guess	Re: UPDATED with Pics...Tortoise or Turtles... You keep referring to Peanut as "it" - do you not know the gender? It's the placement of a slit/hole under the tail...
	Posted 5/18/07 5:06 PM
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Elbee Zanzibar Member since 5/05 10767 total posts Name: Me	Re: UPDATED with Pics...Tortoise or Turtles... Posted by ~Colleen~ You keep referring to Peanut as "it" - do you not know the gender? It's the placement of a slit/hole under the tail... We do not know yet. I think within the next year we will be able to tell. How to Tell the Gender? Geochelone Sulcata is a giant African Spur-thigh tortoise has a flat carapace. The shape of the shell is rectangular. It is hard to tell the sex before 3 years old. Male : Males have a slightly concave plastron, elongated and slightly larger gular scutes (the front part of the plastron). Mature males gular scutes could be strongly and widely recurved and flared at the periphery to lift the rear of the females carapace when mating. Visually, the carapaces of the males tend to become more elongate with growth while those of the females become more rotund. Males have slightly longer thinker tails and the body size is generally larger. Female : Female have a shorter gular scutes at the front carapace. The tails are also shorter compared with the males. Message edited 5/18/2007 5:35:12 PM.
	Posted 5/18/07 5:34 PM
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