# Vancouver WA/ Portland OR tortoise and turtle club meeting!



## biochemnerd808 (Oct 1, 2013)

I am excited to announce that a few local tortoise and turtle keepers are starting a tortoise and turtle club here in Vancouver, Washington. 

We are having our first meeting this coming Saturday, October 5, 2013 at 3:15pm at the Vancouver Mall Best Western (9420 NE Vancouver Mall Drive
Vancouver, Washington, 98662). They are graciously allowing us to use the conference room after the International Reptile Rescue's Meet-n-Greet adoption event. 

All are welcome, from near or far. Bring your questions, your tortoise or turtle, or any supplies you might not need any more. Several of us are also happy to trim beaks and nails for free. 

Feel free to PM me with any questions you might have.


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## Sulcata_Sandy (Oct 1, 2013)

I will try to make it. Short notice, but I can juggle things.


I have a 36" T8 zoo med ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescencet UVB lamp that I will give to someone who can use it. I don't have a fixture for it, so I can't use it.

And I'm looking for a hood for my incandescent heat lamp. Preferably a zoo med combo, but any hood/shroud will do. I can offer you a few bucks for it.

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Sandy
Oregon/Washington Tortoise Rescue


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## biochemnerd808 (Oct 4, 2013)

Awesome, I look forward to seeing you there! 

If you come a little early, International Reptile Rescue usually has some used but functioning heat lamp fixtures for sale for very reasonable prices.  



SenjiSandy said:


> I will try to make it. Short notice, but I can juggle things.
> 
> 
> I have a 36" T8 zoo med ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescencet UVB lamp that I will give to someone who can use it. I don't have a fixture for it, so I can't use it.
> ...


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## LisaTurtle (Oct 4, 2013)

Hi I live in Seattle and would love to come to a future meeting but I cannot make it this Saturday. Is there an email distribution list or something I can be added to for upcoming info?

Lisa


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## Sulcata_Sandy (Oct 4, 2013)

Thanks, Katie!!

I was planning to come early anyway and hope to meet new species of tortoises...or maybe see Crusty? I love him!!

I'm bringing Larry this time. He is well over his sniffles and tearing his enclosure apart...so time out will be good for him.


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## biochemnerd808 (Oct 4, 2013)

@Lisa, that would be so awesome if you can come in the future! 

Probably the best way to keep track of when the next meeting will be if you 'like' my friend's rescue organization's FB page. Just search Facebook for "International Reptile Rescue" - the meetings will be included in her 'events' calendar. I'm trying to keep things as uncomplicated as possible in order to be sustainable. I'll also post it on here. 



LisaTurtle said:


> Hi I live in Seattle and would love to come to a future meeting but I cannot make it this Saturday. Is there an email distribution list or something I can be added to for upcoming info?
> 
> Lisa


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## LisaTurtle (Oct 5, 2013)

I will be sure to do that. Thanks Katie!


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## Sulcata_Sandy (Oct 8, 2013)

Next meeting??? Curly the Hermanni says he wants to come this time,

I am not going to any dog shows in November...traded my usual Roseberg shows for a new baby Sulcata from Tom in CA. It comes Thursday!!

What we all need to do next is promote the club, and a meeting date so more people know about it.
Facebook page perhaps?


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Sandy
Oregon-Washington Tortoise Rescue

Mo the Sulcata
Larry the Jordanian Greek
Curly the Eastern Hermanni
....baby Sulcata on the way!
Lola the Basenji
Dexter the Basenji
John the boyfriend stuck in Kansas...so I get more tortoises!




LisaTurtle said:


> Hi I live in Seattle and would love to come to a future meeting but I cannot make it this Saturday. Is there an email distribution list or something I can be added to for upcoming info?
> 
> Lisa



Lisa, I'm moving to Olympia area in January/February. Maybe we can carpool. 2-3 hours talking about torts and turtles works fine for me!! [GRINNING FACE WITH SMILING EYES][TURTLE]


-------
Sandy
Oregon-Washington Tortoise Rescue

Mo the Sulcata
Larry the Jordanian Greek
Curly the Eastern Hermanni
....baby Sulcata on the way!
Lola the Basenji
Dexter the Basenji
John the boyfriend stuck in Kansas...so I get more tortoises!


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## LisaTurtle (Oct 8, 2013)

How did the meeting go??

Sandi- yes carpooling might work out well! That's cool you're moving to Olympia!


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## Sulcata_Sandy (Oct 9, 2013)

We had an enjoyable time. Talked about our own rescues, enclosures, who's in the area that wants to or might want to be involved, enjoyed a few torts that came along.




-------
Sandy
Oregon-Washington Tortoise Rescue

Mo the Sulcata
Larry the Jordanian Greek
Curly the Eastern Hermanni
....baby Sulcata on the way!
Lola the Basenji
Dexter the Basenji
John the boyfriend stuck in Kansas...so I get more tortoises!


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## biochemnerd808 (Oct 12, 2013)

The next club meeting will be November 2, at 3pm at the Best Wester near the Vancouver Mall, @Lisa. Then we won't meet again until January.


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## pugsandkids (Oct 12, 2013)

I'm up that way sometimes, if I get the chance I'll join you!


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## biochemnerd808 (Oct 12, 2013)

Awesome, we'd love to have you. 



pugsandkids said:


> I'm up that way sometimes, if I get the chance I'll join you!


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## Sulcata_Sandy (Oct 12, 2013)

pugsandkids said:


> I'm up that way sometimes, if I get the chance I'll join you!



Let us know if you are, I'm sure we can do an impromptue event. I've been promising a tour of the veterinary hospital, potluck, and do some focused teaching. Like radiography, or bandage technics, maybe blood draws. My boss is open to it as well. Maybe we can offer $10 X-rays so everyone can screen their torts for eggs/stones/foreign bodies. How fun!!!

Just ask, I can make it happen pretty short notice.


-------
Sandy
Oregon-Washington Tortoise Rescue

Mo the Sulcata (4.8 lbs)
Oliver the Sulcata (50 lbs)
Larry the Jordanian Greek
Curly the Eastern Hermanni
....baby Sulcata Franklin on the way!
Lola the Basenji
Dexter the Basenji
John the boyfriend stuck in Kansas...so I get more tortoises!


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## LisaTurtle (Oct 14, 2013)

Sweet!! I should be able to make it Nov 2nd! I will confirm it works with the hubby & daughter. I'm sure my daughter will come with me, she's 14. 

Sandy that would be awesome to do at your vet office I would definitely come for that too!


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## Sulcata_Sandy (Oct 15, 2013)

I'm going to talk to my boss and see if we can have a Christmas party at the hospital.

I'm thinking December 14th, a Sunday, mid afternoon so people have time to drive home.
We are in McMinnville, so can be 45+ minutes from I-5.
Anyone think that's a bad idea?

I can push it to a weekend in January and call it a New Years celebration.


-------
Sandy
Oregon-Washington Tortoise Rescue

Mo the Sulcata (4.8 lbs)
Oliver the Sulcata (50 lbs)
Larry the Jordanian Greek
Curly the Eastern Hermanni
....baby Sulcata Franklin on the way!
Lola the Basenji
Dexter the Basenji
John the boyfriend stuck in Kansas...so I get more tortoises!


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## LisaTurtle (Nov 2, 2013)

It was great to meet you ladies today!!! Here are some pics from today...

Gary enjoying the road trip on the way to the meet up


Sandy's Starvin Marvin


Rescues available for adoption





My daughter Brooklyn holding a rescue ball python



I don't get any pics of mad Max running around


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## Sulcata_Sandy (Nov 2, 2013)

Thanks for posting those! It was great to meet you in person. I'm starting to meet all sorts of TFO folks.

I picked up that Redfoot female in Albany. Disaster. In need to contact Katie for help. I'm glad I got her. She's not healthy at all. Then, I hit a deer on I5. New car smashed. Uh.

But I had a blast today at meet n greet.


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## LisaTurtle (Nov 2, 2013)

OMG Sandy that is awful!!!!! Are u ok? Was the deer ok? That is really terrible I'm so sorry!


I hope you guys can get the new redfoot back to health. Did you get it from the previous owners?


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## Sulcata_Sandy (Nov 2, 2013)

Thank you,..I'm fine, deer ran off, car a wreck. $1k deductible so I'm screwed.
I've already soaked her and everyone else. Owner bought her 3 years ago. Kept her with his Boxies. Definitely not correct habitat for Redfoots.


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## Cowboy_Ken (Nov 2, 2013)

Wait a minute. Is that a boxie with a russian?


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## LisaTurtle (Nov 2, 2013)

Yes Ken


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## Sulcata_Sandy (Nov 2, 2013)

Ken, check out my plea for help in the Redfoot forum. I posted pix.

Katie! Please take a look at her. I forgot to weigh her, but she's hiding for the night, so I will weigh her tomorrow morning and report.


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## LisaTurtle (Nov 2, 2013)

I almost asked about this but decided not to. I assume they are not usually housed together and it was just for today when on display. They didn't get packed up together.


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## Skymall007 (Jan 18, 2014)

I just logged back on after a long time and was wondering if this event shall happen again? I would LOVE to go! I volunteer with the IRR also =)


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## Cowboy_Ken (Jan 18, 2014)

I'm glad you're back.


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## biochemnerd808 (Jan 18, 2014)

I think the next turtle/tortoise club meeting will be the first weekend in February. I kind of got swamped with stuff, so I haven't officially scheduled it yet. It will be the same day as the IRR meet-n-greet. 



Skymall007 said:


> I just logged back on after a long time and was wondering if this event shall happen again? I would LOVE to go! I volunteer with the IRR also =)


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## lynnedit (Jan 18, 2014)

Oh good!


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## Cowboy_Ken (Jan 18, 2014)

But the first Sunday of February is Super Bowl Sunday!!!!!!


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## lynnedit (Jan 18, 2014)

No worries, the club will meet on Saturday! Reptiles and football


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## Jacqui (Jan 19, 2014)

Cowboy_Ken said:


> But the first Sunday of February is Super Bowl Sunday!!!!!!



Ken even if it were on Sunday, who in their right minds would pass up spending time with turtle and tortoise folks for just a football game?


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## biochemnerd808 (Jan 28, 2014)

Alright, the next Vancouver WA/ Portland OR Tortoise and Turtle Club meeting will be this Saturday, Feb 1 from 2pm - 3pm in the conference room of the Vancouver Mall Best Western.  

Here is a link to more info: 
https://www.facebook.com/events/398386876963841/?source=1

Well-behaved, healthy tortoises and turtles are welcome. We'll also offer free beak and toenail trims. Donations will be given to International Reptile Rescue, which is having their Meet-n-Greet adoption event from 10am - 3pm in the same location. 

I hope to see as many of you there as possible!


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## lynnedit (Jan 29, 2014)

See ya there!


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## LisaTurtle (Jan 29, 2014)

I cannot make it down Saturday. I wish i was just a little bit closer to you all. Too much to do in preparation for the Super Bowl party at our house  

See ya next time hopefully!


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## Cowboy_Ken (Jan 29, 2014)

I, too, will be unable to attend this meeting. I've had every intention of going but I must take it under the advisement received and remain at the ranch. 
I fully intend on attending the next one. T


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## lynnedit (Jan 29, 2014)

We hope so! But you MUST get better, that's most important.


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## Cowboy_Ken (Jan 30, 2014)

Lynnedit,
Would you please email when the next date and location has been determined? Thanks.


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## lynnedit (Jan 30, 2014)

Sure!.............

......wait, what did you say?


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## Cowboy_Ken (Jan 30, 2014)

Email when the next meeting place and time has been determinedâ€¦I think.


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## T33's Torts (Jan 31, 2014)

He thinks.


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## lynnedit (Jan 31, 2014)

I'll be OK if I put it in my iPhone, as long as I remember to....


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## Cowboy_Ken (Jan 31, 2014)

Waitâ€¦what were we talking aboutâ€¦?


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## T33's Torts (Jan 31, 2014)

Ken, I think y'all were talking about cats.


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## lynnedit (Jan 31, 2014)

Well, I won't forget now, lol


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## Cowboy_Ken (Jan 31, 2014)

That's right! Cute baby kittens!


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## T33's Torts (Jan 31, 2014)

Awwwwww.......! I need to go get me some cats.


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## Cowboy_Ken (Jan 31, 2014)

Tiffany,
That's little Marky Mark our â€œbaby" of the house. Don't let that cute picture fool you, he's planning mayhem!!!! If ever he spy's a foot without a sock covering, (doesn't happen much up here) he says, â€œChallenge excepted!" And attacks with gusto. While he is eating, if you attempt to put your hand near his dish, he doesn't stop eating or move his head. He simply strikes out with the closest paw, claws fully out, and plants it in the back of your hand while growling. Mind you, he doesn't stop eating to do this, it's one fluid movement. All that said, we love him and couldn't/wouldn't replace him for anything.


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## T33's Torts (Jan 31, 2014)

Sounds like my sister..


Oh, and have you seen the thread Amy and I created? Its your name in the title, jnder off topic chit chat.


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## Cowboy_Ken (Jan 31, 2014)

I'll look, thanks goof!


Yup. I was right. Goof. And I mean that from the bottom of my Bacon like heart.


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## T33's Torts (Jan 31, 2014)

You're welcome! 
I'm pretty sure THIS is your heart..


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## biochemnerd808 (Feb 1, 2014)

Ha. I'm gone for a few days, and then my thread mutates to bacon hearts and kitties?! 

Hope to see some of you at the next tortoise club meeting! It will most likely be the first Saturday in May, but I need to confirm the date. 



tffnytorts said:


> You're welcome!
> I'm pretty sure THIS is your heart..


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## T33's Torts (Feb 1, 2014)

Lol! Sorry about that! Its hard not to when High Holy Bacon Sunday AND Super bowl are tomorrow


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## lynnedit (Feb 1, 2014)

tffnytorts said:


> Lol! Sorry about that! Its hard not to when High Holy Bacon Sunday AND Super bowl are tomorrow



Ha! How true. I'll have bacon in honor of Superbowl. Heck, I'll have it in honor of anything.


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## Cowboy_Ken (Feb 1, 2014)

Have Bacon in the morning for the most simple fact it will be, The High Holy Day of Bacon Sunday. Spread the wordâ€¦!


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## T33's Torts (Feb 1, 2014)

*yells at random person walking dog*
*gets weird look*
*rolls eyes*


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## Cowboy_Ken (Feb 1, 2014)

Lol. I love America!!


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## Jacqui (Feb 2, 2014)

So how many folks showed up? What sorts of things did you talk about?


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## biochemnerd808 (Feb 3, 2014)

Heheh, Jacqui, well, this particular meeting was... errrr.... snug.  The 3 of us had a nice chat about our tortoises and turtles. There were a few other people present, but not specifically for the club meeting, more to see the other reptiles (since it was at the same time as the IRR meet-n-greet). 

The meeting at the end of last year was actually nice and busy, there were somewhere between 12 and 15 people, not counting kids. Some came down from Seattle or up from Salem. It wasn't formal though, people just kind of mingled, showed of their tortoises etc. 

We'll have the next one in May. I'll try to get the date out there ASAP. 



Jacqui said:


> So how many folks showed up? What sorts of things did you talk about?


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## Jacqui (Feb 4, 2014)

Sorry for the low turnout. Still you atleast still got to talk with turtle/tortoise folks.


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## lynnedit (Feb 4, 2014)

It was really fun because the tortoise/turtle folks were QUALITY.


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## Jacqui (Feb 4, 2014)

Ahhh so quality over quanity.


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## Cowboy_Ken (Feb 4, 2014)

Wait, quality, and yet I wasn't there?


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## lynnedit (Feb 4, 2014)

I know. We were surprised, and then realized that the quality was still practically perfect in every way.


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## T33's Torts (Feb 4, 2014)

*Re: RE: Vancouver WA/ Portland OR tortoise and turtle club meeting!*



lynnedit said:


> perfect in every way.



WITHOUT Ken......


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## Cowboy_Ken (Feb 4, 2014)

tffnytorts said:


> lynnedit said:
> 
> 
> > perfect in every way.
> ...



She pokes fun.


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## T33's Torts (Feb 4, 2014)

Who says I'm kidding.....? 








Hee hee. Yes, I'm kidding


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## lynnedit (Feb 4, 2014)

_practically_ perfect. We had a nagging feeling that we were missing something.


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## T33's Torts (Feb 5, 2014)

Oh. I understand, no sulcata people showed up?


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## Cowboy_Ken (Feb 5, 2014)

Tiffany,
That's just precious. I've got more than just sulcatas.


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## lynnedit (Feb 5, 2014)

That's right, Tiffany! You nailed it.

Ken, glad to know that you've


Cowboy_Ken said:


> got more than just sulcatas.


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## T33's Torts (Feb 5, 2014)

LOL! Thats right! You've got that stash of bacon!


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## Cowboy_Ken (Feb 5, 2014)

And cats and a syko dog and a huge pile of freshwater tropical fish that Karen keeps. I enjoy them without having to mess with them.


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## T33's Torts (Feb 5, 2014)

'a big pile'.... Something tells me you arent the aquatics type.


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## Cowboy_Ken (Feb 5, 2014)

I've got steelhead frozen in my freezer. Personally, I've got a 55 gallon drum full of rain water out back. Last summer it filled with mosquito larva so I bought a feeder goldfish, tossed it in and he's still kicking.


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## T33's Torts (Feb 5, 2014)

Feeder fish. Those live forever. I have one in a little 1/2 gallon tank on a shelf. It was supposed to be big fish food but the big one died. So oh well.


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## Cowboy_Ken (Feb 5, 2014)

We seem to have strayed a little from the original posting. Hell Tiffany, you're not even in the PNW. Lol.


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## tortnmutt (Feb 16, 2014)

I'm on the WA coast in Long Beach and would love to know if there is another planned?! Also is there anyone that builds tort tables in this area? I'm builder challenged.


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## Cowboy_Ken (Feb 16, 2014)

I make closed chambers. And a springtime meet is planned.


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## biochemnerd808 (Feb 16, 2014)

Hi @tortnmutt, the next tortoise club meeting will be the first weekend in May, we're still working on location though. Will update as soon as I know more. 

One of my friends here in town builds beautiful furniture-quality tortoise tables. He made us one out of oak and oak ply with viewing windows and drawers and trim (which he milled himself out of solid oak). It matches our 100-year-old oak furniture.  He is also able to make more purely functional (and less spendy) versions. What kind of tortoise do you want this to be built for?



tortnmutt said:


> I'm on the WA coast in Long Beach and would love to know if there is another planned?! Also is there anyone that builds tort tables in this area? I'm builder challenged.


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## tortnmutt (Feb 16, 2014)

I have a Russian. I want something that's functional too, like bookshelves underneath. On a very limited teachers salary.


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## biochemnerd808 (Feb 16, 2014)

Russian tortoises are wonderful. I have a few. 

One very budget-friendly option would be to hunt for a used bookshelf on Craigslist, and then flip it on its back and take out the shelves, possibly reinforce the back (or replace it) with plywood, and line it with a tarp. I have a tutorial for that on my tortoise blog. You can set it onto milk crates. 

My friend's tortoise tables start at $200 and go up from there. You might inquire from local cabinet makers - they might be able to give you a quote. 





tortnmutt said:


> I have a Russian. I want something that's functional too, like bookshelves underneath. On a very limited teachers salary.


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## tortnmutt (Feb 16, 2014)

Does your friend have a website?


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## biochemnerd808 (Feb 17, 2014)

No, but if you browse my tortoise blog, except for the one in the 'how to build a tortoise table from a bookshelf' all the enclosures in the blog have been built by him.  The link is in my signature... 



tortnmutt said:


> Does your friend have a website?


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