My 3 baby tortoises

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Old 01-09-2011, 10:10 AM
  #21  
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HI Melinda, I've 2 red-earred sliders & I got them from the pet store when they were a quarter size last Nov. 23 rd for my birthday. Now, a yr later, on my birthday this yr. I measured the female and she is 8 1/2" long and the male is 6 1/2" long.

She grew 8" in 1 yr. I feed them goldfish, guppies, waxworms, mealworms, nightcrawlers, and dried shrimp.

I just love watching them swim and now, the babies movements. I keep saying, ooh, they are moving around.

Id love to get a Sulcata someday.
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Old 01-09-2011, 10:18 AM
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How large did she grow in that size tank? Man, my Cecil would be a HUGE monster in there.
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Old 01-09-2011, 10:30 AM
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Wow! Your's is much bigger than mine! I just feed her turtle bites. Maybe I need to get her some live food. Her shell is maybe 6 inches long, front to rear, at almost 4 years old.

Here in Oklahoma, every spring, they are just everywhere! I live on the Arkansas River, so that may have something to do with it. You see them crossing the road frequently that time of year. I can't save them all tho!

She started out in a 20 gallon tank with just a little water in it, and in the summer I moved her to an outdoor 90 gallon fish pond. When the 20 gallon got a little small for winter time use, I moved her to the 125 gallon tank in the house where she now lives year round. I would really prefer she not get huge! Yes, she has a wonderfully big tank but I don't dare put tropical fish in it anymore, I'm afraid she would eat them, :lol:
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Old 01-09-2011, 11:48 AM
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Originally Posted by turtlerouge
These little ones survived almost instant hibernation, shock, and me learning how to care for them.
these are called Marginated tortoises. They're land turtles.

The biggest one is called, " Centi" (my dh said it looks like it has a centipede shape on its back)

The 2 biggest one is called, "Bless" (for they're blessed to survived the trip.

The smallest one is called, "Ari" for my friend Aristotle.
They are so cute and sweet!!
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Old 01-09-2011, 12:09 PM
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i would love to have one, have wanted one for a long time, but my husband said they would dig up the drip system lines, i hope you have them for a long time.
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Old 01-09-2011, 12:33 PM
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Cute
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Old 01-09-2011, 01:30 PM
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Originally Posted by leatheflea
I was expecting a quilt....LOL I got a good chuckle.
Me too, I made a child's quilt top with turtles and just assumed your's was a quilt. lol
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Old 01-09-2011, 02:26 PM
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Originally Posted by turtlerouge
Oh man, do I have questions of how to care for these little ones. The breeder shipped them from Va to me Dec. 30, when the temps were freezing, she didn't put on the outside of the box, "Live animals" via Fedex, so when they reached Pitts Airport, they were delayed by freezing rain for 8 hrs. By the time I picked them up and they were pretty cold, so i soaked them in lukewarm water on a lid, they showed signs of life by opening their tiny mouths.
I took them home, soaked them again, and again they were opening their mouths. I thought they were hungry, I put some marzuri mush on my finger & they wouldn't eat it, I put them under a heat lamp, but not directly over top of them and again, they opened their mouths. I emailed the breeder and told her what I did, but she said that I was killing them. She told me that I was worse than Fedex and it any care instructions before I got them nor after. She demanded me not to contact her again, she blackballed me as a person who is cruel to animals and that I should seek med. attention for mental disease. I was fuming. I'm doing the best that I know how to care for them from reading the internet.
You don't have to feel bad about what you did. You cared for them as any knowledgeable person would. Soaking and light is the best you could have done for them. As any animal in a new environment, eating is not a priority. Turtles can go for months without food. My Jose Feliciano was blinded by his cage mates and he lasted a year. I managed him to drink from time to time but he would not eat.

The breeder is the one who abused the animals. First, you don't ship during the winter when the weather is so bad. This animal are sensitive to temperature. They are cold blooded and need warm environment to regulate their body temperature. She should have labeled the box. The reason she didn't is because FeDex will not ship live animals knowingly, and that is breaking their rules. DHL would have been the right way to ship them, but again, in the spring. She shipped them because she just wanted the money and was not interested in the well being of the little guys. When I got my Sulcatas I paid half the money in February and he held them for me until May, when he was coming to the area. We met in Albany and he delivered them. He would not ship them in February. If he had hibernated them prior to sending them, they could have died because of the temperature fluctuations in the truck.

You did the right thing. Have that peace of mind. She did wrong.
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Old 01-09-2011, 04:47 PM
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Originally Posted by Maride
Originally Posted by geckogirl
How sweet!! Those are a great species of tortoise because full grown they only get 10-12 inches long compared to the several hundred pounds other species get ... But this species can live for 80+ years so I would definitely prepare for that :)

I have seven African spur-thigh tortoises and absolutely LOVE them!!!
I have one and 2 Russians, 2 Razor Backs, 1 Painted and 1 Aligator Snapper. Can we see pics of your 7?
When it warms up (we are having unusual weather right now for Louisiana) and we all go back outside then I will gladly take an updated picture :) The ones I have now are of them from last spring ....
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Old 01-09-2011, 04:48 PM
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Originally Posted by turtlerouge
Really? boy, would I love to have 1 or 2 of the Sulcatas. but, my dg asked what would happen to them after we die?
Ours are going to be handed down to our children or someone that we feel would take proper care of them and if we can't find anyone then we will donate them to a zoo that needs them :)
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