Re: Terry -

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Posted by Terry on February 11, 2002 at 12:09:55:

In Reply to: Re: Terry - posted by Joe(chiro) on February 10, 2002 at 21:34:49:

Joe.
My very first sulcata was a fully grown male. Now that tortoise was truely amazing, he had a perfect carapace, absolutely perfect.Not only was the growth perfect, but there wasn't a single scratch on him.The scutes were perfectly formed, truely amazing.
Being new to sulcata and torts we took him back to the store though.
We paid over a thousand dollars for him and his first vet check revealed that his kidney and liver were failing.
The vet, probably the most respected exotic vet on Oahu, gave him 6 months to live.
Not wishing to pay over a thousand dollars for a tortoise with such a short life expectancy, we took him back.
It caused quite a stir and a big rift between the store and the vet.

I have no idea the diet this tortoise had been on, but do know he had been housed outdoors most, if not all his life.
The vet aid he had never seen such a perfect shell/carapace.

Had we been more experienced at the time, we might have looked for another vet and a second opinion.

The sulcata (and they have a large herd) at the Honolulu Zoo are also very nice looking, with smooth growth.
Makes you wonder if the climate in Hawaii and outdoor living year round played a part.

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: Joe. : My very first sulcata was a fully grown male. Now that tortoise was truely amazing, he had a perfect carapace, absolutely perfect.Not only was the growth perfect, but there wasn't a single scratch on him.The scutes were perfectly formed, truely amazing. : Being new to sulcata and torts we took him back to the store though. : We paid over a thousand dollars for him and his first vet check revealed that his kidney and liver were failing. : The vet, probably the most respected exotic vet on Oahu, gave him 6 months to live. : Not wishing to pay over a thousand dollars for a tortoise with such a short life expectancy, we took him back. : It caused quite a stir and a big rift between the store and the vet. : I have no idea the diet this tortoise had been on, but do know he had been housed outdoors most, if not all his life. : The vet aid he had never seen such a perfect shell/carapace. : Had we been more experienced at the time, we might have looked for another vet and a second opinion. : The sulcata (and they have a large herd) at the Honolulu Zoo are also very nice looking, with smooth growth. : Makes you wonder if the climate in Hawaii and outdoor living year round played a part.

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