Re: Many questions on turtles and torts.

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Posted by Terry on May 26, 2000 at 11:43:00:

In Reply to: Many questions on turtles and torts. posted by Christine on May 26, 2000 at 10:14:12:

Hi Christine.
I will try and help with some of your questions!

: 1. Is there anything I can do to promote breeding? I am guessing this is the time of the year and I have put lot of fresh dirt in the rock garden to promote digging.>>>>>>

Providing nesting areas is a very good idea, have the tortoises been mating?
If not you could try seperating them for a few weeks,this often works.
Absense makes the heart grow fonder it seems!

: 2. Is their an age when a female yellow foot is sexually mature. My male is very ready, but the female does not show any interest. The male is 31 years old and the female is slightly smaller than he is, but don't know her age.>>>>>

At 31 the male is most definately sexualy mature, if the female is over 10 years old then she should be too.

: 3. The female yellow foot loves the chicken, hamburger meat, dog food that I put down for the turtles. I have been reading alot of pyramiding on this forum and think she already tends to have this condition. The male has a perfectly smooth shell, where hers is more pointed on each section of shell. I assumed it was a difference between the sexes. But I guess not.>>>>>>>

One of the causes of pyramiding and probably the single most common cause is a diet too high in protein. Although Yellow foots should be provided with a small amount of animal protein. The key word here is small.
Dog food and especially hamburger meat are both very high in protein and fat. Neither is recommended for tortoises or turtles of any species, especioally the hamburger meat, not even for box turtles.
Feeding a diet both high in protein and fat can cause all sorts of health problems. Pyramiding is one, but high blood urea levels, kidney disease and renal failure are others.
I wouldn't feed animal protein to your yellowfoots more than once every 10 days or so, and only a very small amount. A bit of boiled chicken maybe or a very small amount of rehydrated, low fat cat chow.Not a whole platefull , just a small amount. Yellowfoots can be fed a bit more fruit than redfoots and of course leafy greens , hibiscus flowers and leaves , mulberry leaves , opuntia and other edible weeds and plants. No fertilizer or pestisides should be used.
I would discontinue feeding the dog food and hamburger to the box turtles to, for the same reasons as the torts.Boxies are omnivores, a bit of boiled chicken is fine mixed in with there fruits and veggies.

4 Love hibiscus. Will fertilizing the plants, if they are not kept in the rock garden, cause any harmful effect if the flowers are eaten?>>>>>

Unless the fertilizer is totaly free of chemicals, then yes it could cause problems.

: 5. With so many box turtles, is their a good way to "mark" them so that I can identify them? Thought about writing a small number on their shell, but worry about it being toxic and absorbing into their system.>>>>>>>

A tiny dot of nail polish can be used, you can use a different color for each turtle, but just a tiny drop.

: 6. I have noticed a good amount of sites and information on Red footed tortoises, but very few on yellows. Is their a reason for this? Are Red's just more common, or easier or prefered?>>>>>>>

Red foots are more common it seems, the care is similar . Although yellowfoots require higher levels of humidity than redfoots. Providing soaking areas and misting the enclosure will keep the humidity up. So will adding plants such as large ferns to the enclosure.
Yellowfoots should also be fed a diet slightly higher in fruit content than redfoots.

Hope this helps you out a bit.
Terry.

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: Hi Christine. : I will try and help with some of your questions! : : 1. Is there anything I can do to promote breeding? I am guessing this is the time of the year and I have put lot of fresh dirt in the rock garden to promote digging.>>>>>> : Providing nesting areas is a very good idea, have the tortoises been mating? : If not you could try seperating them for a few weeks,this often works. : Absense makes the heart grow fonder it seems! : : 2. Is their an age when a female yellow foot is sexually mature. My male is very ready, but the female does not show any interest. The male is 31 years old and the female is slightly smaller than he is, but don't know her age.>>>>> : At 31 the male is most definately sexualy mature, if the female is over 10 years old then she should be too. : : : 3. The female yellow foot loves the chicken, hamburger meat, dog food that I put down for the turtles. I have been reading alot of pyramiding on this forum and think she already tends to have this condition. The male has a perfectly smooth shell, where hers is more pointed on each section of shell. I assumed it was a difference between the sexes. But I guess not.>>>>>>> : One of the causes of pyramiding and probably the single most common cause is a diet too high in protein. Although Yellow foots should be provided with a small amount of animal protein. The key word here is small. : Dog food and especially hamburger meat are both very high in protein and fat. Neither is recommended for tortoises or turtles of any species, especioally the hamburger meat, not even for box turtles. : Feeding a diet both high in protein and fat can cause all sorts of health problems. Pyramiding is one, but high blood urea levels, kidney disease and renal failure are others. : I wouldn't feed animal protein to your yellowfoots more than once every 10 days or so, and only a very small amount. A bit of boiled chicken maybe or a very small amount of rehydrated, low fat cat chow.Not a whole platefull , just a small amount. Yellowfoots can be fed a bit more fruit than redfoots and of course leafy greens , hibiscus flowers and leaves , mulberry leaves , opuntia and other edible weeds and plants. No fertilizer or pestisides should be used. : I would discontinue feeding the dog food and hamburger to the box turtles to, for the same reasons as the torts.Boxies are omnivores, a bit of boiled chicken is fine mixed in with there fruits and veggies. : : 4 Love hibiscus. Will fertilizing the plants, if they are not kept in the rock garden, cause any harmful effect if the flowers are eaten?>>>>> : Unless the fertilizer is totaly free of chemicals, then yes it could cause problems. : : : 5. With so many box turtles, is their a good way to "mark" them so that I can identify them? Thought about writing a small number on their shell, but worry about it being toxic and absorbing into their system.>>>>>>> : A tiny dot of nail polish can be used, you can use a different color for each turtle, but just a tiny drop. : : : 6. I have noticed a good amount of sites and information on Red footed tortoises, but very few on yellows. Is their a reason for this? Are Red's just more common, or easier or prefered?>>>>>>> : Red foots are more common it seems, the care is similar . Although yellowfoots require higher levels of humidity than redfoots. Providing soaking areas and misting the enclosure will keep the humidity up. So will adding plants such as large ferns to the enclosure. : Yellowfoots should also be fed a diet slightly higher in fruit content than redfoots. : : Hope this helps you out a bit. : Terry.

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