Building Project!

[XTreme]

Not for me obviously.....but for the wife! She loves doing all that stuff....so who am I to spoil her enjoyment?

Anyway....we collected two more animals yesterday....a gift from a friend.

First there's Terry....who is about 20.



Then there's Tammy....who is some sort of very rare Asian tortoise....her estimated age is around 80! She's a lot bigger (and less active) than Terry.



And the building project is to build them a run for their Summer house....in the Winter they'll go in the garage.



This is how it looks now.....but the wife has got concrete blocks, cement, and a wooden pallet. I have no idea what she's going to put together....but later on today it will look very different.

Updates to follow!

[Veronica]

Originally Posted by XTreme

Not for me obviously.....but for the wife! She loves doing all that stuff....so who am I to spoil her enjoyment?

Anyway....we collected two more animals yesterday....a gift from a friend.

First there's Terry....who is about 20.



Then there's Tammy....who is some sort of very rare Asian tortoise....her estimated age is around 80! She's a lot bigger (and less active) than Terry.



And the building project is to build them a run for their Summer house....in the Winter they'll go in the garage.



This is how it looks now.....but the wife has got concrete blocks, cement, and a wooden pallet. I have no idea what she's going to put together....but later on today it will look very different.

Updates to follow!

Tery looks to me like a Testudo Graecca. He needs his diet altering as he appears to have been fed food too high in protein in the past thus giving him the humps on his shell I am sure that now he is in your care his diet will be more suitable for his species.

[XTreme]

Originally Posted by Veronica

Tery looks to me like a Testudo Graecca. He needs his diet altering as he appears to have been fed food too high in protein in the past thus giving him the humps on his shell I am sure that now he is in your care his diet will be more suitable for his species.

Hi Veronica! Bit of a long story with these two.....they were rescued from an unscrupulous pet shop in the UK a few years ago by a friend of ours.

He reckoned Terry hadn't had the right diet or enough sunlight for his shell to develop properly in his formative years.

He'd looked after them well for the past few years but with all the other animals he's got, and the time they take up, he let my youngest boy have them as he was quite taken with them.

I'll get a close up shot of the big one later.....apparently she's some rare Asian breed. Maybe you can clearly identify her.....very old apparently.

[Veronica]

Originally Posted by XTreme

Hi Veronica! Bit of a long story with these two.....they were rescued from an unscrupulous pet shop in the UK a few years ago by a friend of ours.

He reckoned Terry hadn't had the right diet or enough sunlight for his shell to develop properly in his formative years.

He'd looked after them well for the past few years but with all the other animals he's got, and the time they take up, he let my youngest boy have them as he was quite taken with them.

I'll get a close up shot of the big one later.....apparently she's some rare Asian breed. Maybe you can clearly identify her.....very old apparently.

I am happy to advise you if I can. I used to breed testudo Graeccas. They need a very bland diet as they are adapted to feeding on spare dry vegetation. If they have food that is high in protein thier shells become deformed with humps. The problem is that the humps will also be inside and if they become too pronounced they squash the internal organs so he must not be allowed to become any more humpy.
A good picture of the other one might help to identify her.
In all probability you may find that the two species need different diets to thrive properly.

Veronica

Veronica

[Veronica]

take a look at this site xtreme

Tortoise Trust Web - Start Page

There is a lot of good information about the husbandry of different species of tortoises.
Most of my babies were given to the trust to put into captive breeding programmes
when I moved to Cyprus.
I just kept my male and my son has the female and the two eldest daughters. (I only bred girls )

[XTreme]

Originally Posted by Veronica

If they have food that is high in protein thier shells become deformed with humps.

Thanks Veronica....as I understand it, prior to our friends having him, Terry was fed with stuff like alfalfa which must have contributed to his condition.

I'll check out that site now, and get some photos of Tammy later so you can ID her!

[XTreme]

Here you go Veronica.....





Quite a size difference between them....

[littleredrooster]

Hope you got all your paperwork in order for such a major project.

Wouldnt be very nice if the bulldozers moved in and demolished the new extension on top of their poor little heads.

[Veronica]

She could be a Manouria emys.
They are asian and looking at her shell she has large scutes (those are the seperate sections of the top carapace. This is typical of that species.
i may be wrong but that is my guess and if she is then she is special.

Oh and my name is NOT Vanessa

[Veronica]

just one more thing. If they have been kept together up to now and nothing sexual has happened between thats fine. But if they have not been together and you want to keep them together keep an eye onthem. If he shows signs of wanting to mate with her you must seperate them.
Breeding is a dangerous time for females and as eggs of mixed species are rarely viable it would be foolish to risk anything.

Veronica