Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I don't think I've seen a post like thins in a while, and it seems like every few months the crowd rotates in new people and others stop posting.

Thought I'd make conversation.

I'm in Austin, TX and have a sub-adult male sulcata named Rosco I got a few months ago. I got into tortoises about 10 years ago and used to have a nice "herd" of 5 leopard tortoises.

Who's next?

Northwest Connecticut where we have to bring in our torts for the winter. Like you I am back into tortoises. Grew up with a redfoot which died about 20 years ago at about age 25. Now I started again with torts about 2 years ago.

I am from upstate NY

I'm in Missouri.

I recently reduced my tortoises to just 2 hatchling russians from my last batch this summer. I also have a 3-toed box turtle, a frog, a lizard, and a small snake wandering somewhere in the basement :->

My Kleinmanni and I are on Long Island, NY.

Birmingham, AL & I've got 4 Hermanns, 3 Russians, 1 redfoot & 1 Egyptian.
.

I'm from Oxford, England. I've got one five-year old horsfield about to go into hibernation and a two-year old ibera (who escaped from his outdoor enclosure in September and who, I hope, has burrowed down in the garden and will reappear in the Spring - fingers crossed).

Nina

I'm from Rochester NY. This year has been very mild, but usually it's snowing by mid october, and sometimes as late as april (that's usually when the ice storms hit). Not an ideal climate for tortoises, which is why I've been doing so much experimenting with indoor habitat ideas. I get a good couple of months in each year that are actually warm enough to let the tortoises go outside.

I've only been keeping tortoises for a little over a year now, but I've wanted to get involved with russians since I was eleven. I remember going to this one pet shop and staring at a pair of russian torts that were at that time only 4-5" shell length. I'm now eighteen, and I went to the same pet store over the summer when I found that they were shutting down and purchased their largest female (One of the little torts that I used to watch when I was little...all grown up now though), and added her to my breeding group. She was a great investment. I knew she had been in captivity for a long time, because I had pretty much watched her grow up, and I knew she was taken care of, because she wasn't for sale (owner's pet). Also, she had been with a male, so I ended up with a couple of eggs from her this year, and one of them hatched successfully. She is large though... three pounds last time we checked.

Now tortoises are my favorite reptiles. I love all the other reptiles I keep as well, but it's hard to beat a nice summer day watching the tortoises graze in the sunlight.

>>>I'm from Rochester NY. This year has been very mild, but usually it's snowing by mid october, and sometimes as late as april (that's usually when the ice storms hit).> I went to the same pet store over the summer when I found that they were shutting down and purchased their largest female (One of the little torts that I used to watch when I was little...all grown up now though),

desmoines, iowa

Hi All. Like Dr. Tom, I USED to live in the northwest corner of CT, one mile from the NY border and 12 miles from the MA border. Fantastic and beautiful country there, but it is a bit cool for tortoises much of the year. In 2002, I moved to GA, and live roughly halfway between Atlanta and Athens. Here, it is often extremely hot, and I have had newly arrived tortoises which were not accustomed to the intense sun get overheated before being able to locate the shaded areas of their pens. It seems incredible, but it is true. The animals need time to get the "lay of the land" and learn where to go when they become hot. I never leave newly arrived tortoises outside unattended until I have observed them for days or even weeks to be sure they are learning how to thermoregulate adequately in their new surroundings.

Is that a Plowshare tort? How U get that? Hope you're breeding it! How much do those go for anyhow?

Hi, I'm the newbie here. We are from Pleasanton, TX. I got my first tortoise last week which is a male Russian. As far as reptiles I also have 2 chuckwallas, 1 bearded dragon, 5 collared lizards and 3 uromastyx.

Im from Long Island NY but go to school in Columbus Ohio. Its my senior year and I am waiting to get accepted to vet school somewhere warm for the torts sake.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Very hot and humid in the summer. Can be too cool and wet in winter!!! Mainly a snake guy. I bought a russian at a local pet shop for the kids about a year ago. We love him and got him a girlfriend a couple of months ago. Looking into redfoots which should do better outside more year round here, or other humid loving species. Would love to get a sulcatta, but I am a realist on space/outdoor housing issues LOL!!

My posting name speaks for itself. Because of weather in MA, I must keep my torts inside for most of the year. That's why I stick to smaller species. I have spider torts and Indian stars.

Lake Worth, Florida. Born in Miami (3rd generation) Florida.
Got my first tortoise, a redfoot, in 1973 for $5.00 from Phillippe de Vosjoli who had a small aquarium/pet store here in those days.

Interesting... I've read his books.

Philippe's store was called 'Natural Systems' and it was WAY ahead of it's time. I think it was opened from about 1972 to maybe 1975. He had unique tropical fish, reptiles, amphibians and even some weird mammals. His store was the meeting place for all of the south Florida herpers. Guys like Bill Love, Steve Hill, Ted Tuchak, Fred Grunwald and many, many other folks would show up to talk snakes or turtles.
Philippe was into naturalistic setups too and he influenced me in that direction. In addition, he would explain things to budding herpers and patiently answer our endless questions.
He was then and still is a great guy.
BTW, he had a wild head of black hair and a big beard then...looked like Rasputin, the Mad Monk!

Indiana

Gawgia, East of Atlanta... Formally, Ny,NY, DFW,TX, Biloxi,MS and San Diego,CA.

>>I don't think I've seen a post like thins in a while, and it seems like every few months the crowd rotates in new people and others stop posting.
>>
>>Thought I'd make conversation.
>>
>>I'm in Austin, TX and have a sub-adult male sulcata named Rosco I got a few months ago. I got into tortoises about 10 years ago and used to have a nice "herd" of 5 leopard tortoises.
>>
>>Who's next?
>>
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

Jersey Shore over here

I have been keeping and breeding Meditteranean tortoises for more than 13 years. I also maintain groups of North American Emydids.

I just wanted to say thanks for all your help with the tortoise advice. You had sent me info almost a year ago for my Leopard and wanted to say- Leonardo is the bomb and doing well! Have a great Holiday and Leo says Happy New Year too!

I am also in Georgia - Coastal Georgia - Savannah area.

Currently NE Florida

Before that:

Born in Allentown, PA
Newark, DE
Hazleton, PA
West Palm Beach, FL

The Boss and I are maintaining our herds in SE Georgia.
We have been keeping tortoises for a bit over 10 years now.
It just keeps getting more and more interesting.
Karl

Im from Muskegon Mi I have two sullcattas 7 and 4 years old. Also breed water turtles

Im From North Charleston SC and here is my Sulcata Family, and my Eastern Boxs... They have seperate pens of course, but we are all one big happy family, along with a pac-man frog, 3 dogs, and 30 fish.

West TX at the point that's called the gateway to Big Bend & where they say this sub-desert is very similar to the land where sulcata come from.
How lucky for our big girl who came to us after being dumped in the middle of nowhere.

Here she is in her winter wonderland from last January.

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PHRatz

Where haven't I lived ? Datz da question !! Lived from
Timbuktoo to Fargo , Denpasar to Nanital , Latoka to Kona , Frisco to Toledo , Briton to Hamburg , Singapura to
Kaohsiung , Goa to Hikadua !! Where have I left out ? Pacific Nort-Worst Rain Forest currently .

Hi Karl (Buzztail), still going strong I see.
Hi Ed, are you coming to the UK this yr?

Merry Christmas to all "oldies" of the forum who remember me from yrs past.
My collection of Sulcata's, Leopards, Russians & USA Boxies are doing great. Currently at over 50 adults (mixed) with over 50 babies awaiting sale in the next few months.

Despite yrs ago showing a pic of my Sulcata tramping around in the snow, he's gone on to father over 150 babies so far.....
Best wishes to all.
graham (tortusjack)

Hi Graham,

Glad you're doing well.

You gotta do something about that problem with the Sulcatas...

I was thinking about coming over in the spring. It's easier now that I'm in Atlanta.

I've got a couple of friends coming over this way from the UK in a week or so and I'm thinking of joining them for a few days in Tortola to look for some Redfoots.

Don't be a stranger all around.

Cheers.

>>Hi Karl (Buzztail), still going strong I see.
>>Hi Ed, are you coming to the UK this yr?
>>
>>Merry Christmas to all "oldies" of the forum who remember me from yrs past.
>>My collection of Sulcata's, Leopards, Russians & USA Boxies are doing great. Currently at over 50 adults (mixed) with over 50 babies awaiting sale in the next few months.
>>
>>Despite yrs ago showing a pic of my Sulcata tramping around in the snow, he's gone on to father over 150 babies so far.....
>>Best wishes to all.
>>graham (tortusjack)
>>
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

Hello EJ,

I read your post regarding tort hunting on Tortola. Is this one of the many caribbean island that have their own redfoot population? Very cool. I know that on some of the smaller islands, the old sailors would bring the torts on their ships as "food". And then some got loose and stayed on the islands. When you find them, can you import them to the US? Are they considered native to Tortola? It would just be cool to see them in a "wild" setting. Thanks.

Allegra

yup, they do occur on Tortola and it seems they occur on most of the Islands. Tortola is a British Virgin Island so I'll be willing to be that getting them off the island into the states would be a problem.

I'd like to see them in the wild myself.

>>Hello EJ,
>>
>>I read your post regarding tort hunting on Tortola. Is this one of the many caribbean island that have their own redfoot population? Very cool. I know that on some of the smaller islands, the old sailors would bring the torts on their ships as "food". And then some got loose and stayed on the islands. When you find them, can you import them to the US? Are they considered native to Tortola? It would just be cool to see them in a "wild" setting. Thanks.
>>
>>Allegra
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

Hey Graham!
It is great to see you posting again.
Your "tortoise in the snow" posts were an inspiration in spite of all the controversy.
My wife's sulcatas are wintering outside this year for the first time.
It will be interesting to see if they finally accept the heated "house" that they have been provided. Currently they are spending each night in a burrow that they dug themselves.
Karl

Do you mind if I ask how you have your heated house set up? Maybe a couple of pictures?

Rosco's a little big to be taking inside and out based on what the weather's supposed to be like daily and I want to set something up that I know works well. I know he'd like to burrow but there's a layer of granite about 4" from the topsoil in our part of Austin.

These pics were taken some time ago, when the "Hilton" had just been finished.

Basically the house is double glazed, with full wall/floor insulation.
Heating is by 4 x 250w ceramic spot bulbs which reside inside the plastic flap area.
During the winter nights (8pm - 7am), & only at the height of the cold weather (UK-Dec-Feb) do I run a small thermostatically controlled electric fire which is on a timer switch set at 15mins on every 1 hr. This just ensures that the room is above freezing & usually hovers around 5c - 10c. The area which the torts sleep in has no overnight heating of any sort.

It works for me, not to say this would work for you, but for ~8yrs the Sulcatas have had this regime.

graham

That's a great design for keeping sulcatas in cooler areas. I hope to build something similar someday.

That is amazing.

Living in Texas, my dream is to be able to buy a small horse or cattle ranch and have a few acres for tortoises. But then I have to get the chickens and maybe a cow and a few goats.

By that time I'd be too busy tending to animals that I wouldn't be able to work to afford it all.

Denver, Colorado
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www.rubiosreptiles.com
"There is an albino at the end of the rainbow"

Im in Massachusetts. I have a sri lankan and a leopard. I've had them for over two years now. They are my helpers for pet therapy, teaching adolescent and latency kids many lessons in life! Happy Holidays to All!