http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...psd3527c45.jpg
She doesnt like the snow much
Sorry for the link can't see how to show the picture
She doesnt like the snow much
Sorry for the link can't see how to show the picture
Tortoise has woken up
My mum still has mine from when I was 12.
She had a look in his hibernating box today and no sign yet.
He makes his way to the top and sits once he's awake.
She had a look in his hibernating box today and no sign yet.
He makes his way to the top and sits once he's awake.
We looked at mine yesterday who lives at my mother's house, where he has been since I bought him in 1970. He was awake in his box but not too lively just yet, so we moved him into the back kitchen to allow him to warm up a bit. He will probably have to stay indoors for a week or two as it's too cold for him to be outside but that's not unusual. Last year he was wide awake before the end of February.
That's how old I was when I bought mine!
Originally Posted by scotch:
“My mum still has mine from when I was 12.”
“My mum still has mine from when I was 12.”
That's how old I was when I bought mine!
Probably got a shock waking up to such cold weather,
How old is your tortoise? My friend has a 4 year old who's still really tiny and hasn't had its first hibernation yet. I understand that tortoises need to be 'taught' to hibernate. He (or she - how do you tell the sex?) lives in a flat and doesn't really have outdoor access and I'm considering keeping it in my garden this summer. I'm a bit worried because it's so small and I think it could escape quite easily - it would need some sort of enclosure because I also have a garden pond, not to mention 3 cats. Tortoises can actually move pretty quickly as I have seen. Otherwise, my friend thinks he will need to be re-homed, eventually, to a specialist tortoise centre which is a pity because she is really bonded with it - he's lovely with lots of personality. Her daughter brought him home when he was a tiny baby - I don't know where she got him because I believe young tortoises are rarely available nowadays without proper certification although I know they were kept quite commonly in households years ago.
How old is your tortoise? My friend has a 4 year old who's still really tiny and hasn't had its first hibernation yet. I understand that tortoises need to be 'taught' to hibernate. He (or she - how do you tell the sex?) lives in a flat and doesn't really have outdoor access and I'm considering keeping it in my garden this summer. I'm a bit worried because it's so small and I think it could escape quite easily - it would need some sort of enclosure because I also have a garden pond, not to mention 3 cats. Tortoises can actually move pretty quickly as I have seen. Otherwise, my friend thinks he will need to be re-homed, eventually, to a specialist tortoise centre which is a pity because she is really bonded with it - he's lovely with lots of personality. Her daughter brought him home when he was a tiny baby - I don't know where she got him because I believe young tortoises are rarely available nowadays without proper certification although I know they were kept quite commonly in households years ago.
Originally Posted by andersonsonson:
“what kind of a pet is a tortoise?”
“what kind of a pet is a tortoise?”
Well, my friend's tortoise interacts with her and her family. He comes to her when she calls him and he loves her rubbing his shell. He doesn't know me so retracts under his shell when I approach to touch him. He also became very depressed when my friend's partner died recently - he used to love to snuggle in his slippers, Tortoises make good pets but they need owners who understand their needs and they can live for many years (up to 100, I believe, if properly cared for) so are a life-long commitment.
Originally Posted by MarellaK:
“Well, my friend's tortoise interacts with her and her family. He comes to her when she calls him and he loves her rubbing his shell. He doesn't know me so retracts under his shell when I approach to touch him. He also became very depressed when my friend's partner died recently - he used to love to snuggle in his slippers, Tortoises make good pets but they need owners who understand their needs and they can live for many years (up to 100, I believe, if properly cared for) so are a life-long commitment.”
“Well, my friend's tortoise interacts with her and her family. He comes to her when she calls him and he loves her rubbing his shell. He doesn't know me so retracts under his shell when I approach to touch him. He also became very depressed when my friend's partner died recently - he used to love to snuggle in his slippers, Tortoises make good pets but they need owners who understand their needs and they can live for many years (up to 100, I believe, if properly cared for) so are a life-long commitment.”
sounds more interesting that I thought, the picture has a tortoise with snow! is this the right country for them to be pets? aren't they suited to warmer environments?
Originally Posted by andersonsonson:
“sounds more interesting that I thought, the picture has a tortoise with snow! is this the right country for them to be pets? aren't they suited to warmer environments?”
“sounds more interesting that I thought, the picture has a tortoise with snow! is this the right country for them to be pets? aren't they suited to warmer environments?”
They are not native to this country but are able to hibernate during the winter and can be kept in a box in a suitable cool place.
They could not survive outside in the present weather.
She is 10 now,we let her dig down in the garden then after a few weeks get her out and put her in a box for winter covered in peat.She climbs steps and comes to find you when your in the garden,quite a character and cats are no problem to her she just withdraws into her shell if the get too nosey.
You cant miss an adult male,their sex organ is like a big slug when they are excited its hideous lol,my daughter had a male and gave it away as it was aggressive,imo females are much better.
You cant miss an adult male,their sex organ is like a big slug when they are excited its hideous lol,my daughter had a male and gave it away as it was aggressive,imo females are much better.
The other way to sex tortoises is to look at their underside. Females are flat, males are concave so they don't slip off when getting jiggy with the missus
Marella - yes tortoises are very expensive now. Back in the '70s they were cheap as chips but the downside was lots of people got them and couldn't get them through the winter - I lost two as a kid. My aunt had some for decades though - I think if they get through the first winter they tend to be ok.
There was a big scandal about the condictions tortoises were imported in and it was banned - hence why they are so rare as pets now. I suppose they were so stressed and weakened that they didn't eat enough to get them through their first winter in the UK.
It was a bit of a pyrric victory though as they are seen as pests in Turkey so instead of exporting them to us they simply killed them much as we might rabbits or other pests eating crops.
Marella - yes tortoises are very expensive now. Back in the '70s they were cheap as chips but the downside was lots of people got them and couldn't get them through the winter - I lost two as a kid. My aunt had some for decades though - I think if they get through the first winter they tend to be ok.
There was a big scandal about the condictions tortoises were imported in and it was banned - hence why they are so rare as pets now. I suppose they were so stressed and weakened that they didn't eat enough to get them through their first winter in the UK.
It was a bit of a pyrric victory though as they are seen as pests in Turkey so instead of exporting them to us they simply killed them much as we might rabbits or other pests eating crops.
You used to see them piled up in boxes in pet shops, all crawling over one another and presumably that was how they had been since being captured. Very cruel, and it's quite right that it was stopped. That's how mine arrived and although by purchasing him I was supporting this trade (too young to realise how wrong it was at the time) at least I have kept him for 43 years and will hopefully have him for many more. I wonder how many in the UK now still survive from that era.
