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Kapidolo Farms

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You want to think back to the leg you spent about 45 minutes on a couple week-ends ago and say that "pretty simple" comment again?
Four animals. three took about ten minutes one took much longer. The procedure was the same for each animal. One simply was better at alluding my leg hold. All the while my assistant was capping and uncapping sharps, using two hands. That's a crazy distraction. Those needles are very sharp and skin offers little resistance to penetration from the needle.

The procedure is simple. Changing a tire is more complicated. But if you change a tire in the rain or a snow storm it becomes more challenging yet the actual procedure is the same.
 

Kapidolo Farms

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These are both dry and hydrated Bermuda grass pellets. It took about 1/2 hour to rehydrate with cool tap water. That amount that was rehydrated was mixed in with one bunch of black Kale, two heads of escarole, 3 pounds of spring mix, a half pound of arugula, a grated cactus pad and a grated sweet potato that was about the size of an orange.

Today was a no Vionate or extra calcium day, just produce. So that at least 7 kinds of greens, grass, cactus, and some root vegetables. Very good variety and nutrient rich.

1490911188817.jpg
 

Kapidolo Farms

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Today's base salad. Two heads of escarole, two heads of romaine, one bunch of black kale, 1.5 pounds of spring mix, and 1 pound of 'baby' kale. One cactus pad grated along with two deep green zucchini, and about half the sweet potato in volume (about the size of half an orange) as yesterday.

Today's dry fiber rich addition is dry mulberry leaf. That is about one cup's worth in the image. Today they got a teaspoon of vionate and a small cuttle bone scraped into a powder.

As you can see from the salad as fed, it is pretty diverse for content. The hingebacks and planicauda get chopped mushrooms added and the planicauda get hibiscus blossoms mixed in, I was lazy to go harvest cape honeysuckle blossoms today. The Egyptians got many dandelion mixed in. The Egyptians will go to great lengths to get the dandelion right away, so I quarter them and mix them in to the base salad.
 

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Kapidolo Farms

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Stocked for about one week. 24 heads of escarole, 24 heads of romaine, two 3 pound bags of spring mix, one 2.5 pound bag of baby kale, one 2 pound bag of arugula, one remaing bunch of black Kale, 22 pounds of zucchini, one two pound flat of mushrooms (in the door out of sight), and grated cactus pad in the white tub. Sweet Potato, winter squashes are next to the frig.

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Anyfoot

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@Will. Hoping you can help me out.
Where do I find out what the past and present import quotas for wild tortoises where/are into the UK?
 

eec0354

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Hi Will, I was wondering if any of your m.e.p were still available? Thanks.
 

Kapidolo Farms

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@Will. Hoping you can help me out.
Where do I find out what the past and present import quotas for wild tortoises where/are into the UK?

EEU and all I may be incorrect, but I think as all tortoises are CITES II or I, with in the EU I don't think you need permits or quotas, but then again I recall England having rules more restrictive than CITES. There is no doubt a CITES office in London and they should have online resources. Lets see??

First hit with the search "England CITES office"
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/cites-imports-and-exports

second hit
https://cites.org/eng/cms/index.php/component/cp/country/GB

So outside the EU may be more about export quotas and the UK authority CITES office just accepts the export countries 'experts".
 

Kapidolo Farms

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The cement tub neonate grow out tubs. First image is looking at the bottom inside so you can see the bulk head fitting. The second image is the outside bottom showing the fitting ready to relieve hose. The third image is straight onto one end of what is the top tub. That piece cut out is the access. The fourth image is four units on shelves holding small tortoises.

Two way to deal with that bulk head as it sits for use. You can buy a plastic cone shaped fitting that keeps large particles out. I use a piece of that coco mat stuff used in hanging baskets and put the feed tile over it. I put a 24 watt T5 HO inside on the lid tub. Now I've added 25 watt nano CHE's to a few of them (on a thermostat) to keep a slightly higher overnight temp.)

I use painters masking tape to seal top and bottom together. Makes it easy to pull off and open the whole thing up. I use the spring mix bags over the access as they have many small holes so the greens can breath. That also allows air exchange but not so much humidity gets too low.

The first one took a few hours to make. This one took 20 minutes. All the figuring has been done and trial (no error) has lead to very simple refinements.

1491184147601.jpg 1491184158190.jpg 1491184178341.jpg 1491184191637.jpg
 

Anyfoot

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EEU and all I may be incorrect, but I think as all tortoises are CITES II or I, with in the EU I don't think you need permits or quotas, but then again I recall England having rules more restrictive than CITES. There is no doubt a CITES office in London and they should have online resources. Lets see??

First hit with the search "England CITES office"
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/cites-imports-and-exports

second hit
https://cites.org/eng/cms/index.php/component/cp/country/GB

So outside the EU may be more about export quotas and the UK authority CITES office just accepts the export countries 'experts".
Yep on my first and second hit I got those. After endless hits and a bold head because of the pulling of my hair out of frustration I thought I'd ask you.
Thanks anyway, it's not what I'm looking for, not sure what I'm looking for exists.
Basically I was trying to find out if there is a list of all tortoises imported into the UK for lest say the last 3 decades.
So what what the import quota for redfoots in 2016, 2015........1987...... (For example)

I'll contact the gov UK site and see if they can help.

Cheers
 

Kapidolo Farms

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I see I answered the wrong question. Traffic an IUCN monitoring entity based in Switzerland and has offices in different parts of the world tracks actual imports of animals. To me a quota is an allowed amount. Traffic monitors actual import and export.
 

Kapidolo Farms

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Take a close look. This small Pyxis planicauda is sitting on food that is several days old. They try to monopolize the best food of all offered. There are two in this enclosure, just like the one I showed in the most recent previous post, 2 x 3 so six square feet for two tortoise under 100 grams each.

Anyhow, they like the mushy semi decomposed food over the most fresh. Aside from Hibiscus and cape honey suckle flowers which they go for ASAP.

These little guys are hyper vigilant to not do much when I'm looking at then even through the smallest place possible. However I noticed they graze the fruit fly maggots from the decomposed two day old food. Those little dudes are farmers. I have seen gulfcoast box turtles do this. I Am very surprised to see these guys do it. And they get decomposed food too, but they are focused on those fruit fly maggots. Especially the ones from decomposed mushrooms.

My favorite thing about having pets, any pet, is seeing some interesting behavior or adaptation reveal itself. These guys figured this out for themselves.
 

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Anyfoot

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Take a close look. This small Pyxis planicauda is sitting on food that is several days old. They try to monopolize the best food of all offered. There are two in this enclosure, just like the one I showed in the most recent previous post, 2 x 3 so six square feet for two tortoise under 100 grams each.

Anyhow, they like the mushy semi decomposed food over the most fresh. Aside from Hibiscus and cape honey suckle flowers which they go for ASAP.

These little guys are hyper vigilant to not do much when I'm looking at then even through the smallest place possible. However I noticed they graze the fruit fly maggots from the decomposed two day old food. Those little dudes are farmers. I have seen gulfcoast box turtles do this. I Am very surprised to see these guys do it. And they get decomposed food too, but they are focused on those fruit fly maggots. Especially the ones from decomposed mushrooms.

My favorite thing about having pets, any pet, is seeing some interesting behavior or adaptation reveal itself. These guys figured this out for themselves.
Cool Will, you could do with setting up a small camera on these guys, may learn a lot about their habits.
 

Kapidolo Farms

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Cool Will, you could do with setting up a small camera on these guys, may learn a lot about their habits.


I could do with a full time employee. LOL. I'm very fixed on the completion of upgrading everyone's enclosures. I'm coming into a large group of erosa and working a few hours at least every a few days to get that sorted out. I still have some documentation to complete on animals in the farm, with PIT tags and photos.

I keep bouncing back and forth between seeking a property here in So Cal or going to a central American country where the comparative investment is about 1 acres versus a 100 acres. That pesky graft thing and CITES authorities keeps coming up with those central American countries though. I'm not good at that kind of negotiation.

So I take delight in simple observations as I go. This species P. planicauda are a top three most interesting species for me.
 

Anyfoot

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The cement tub neonate grow out tubs. First image is looking at the bottom inside so you can see the bulk head fitting. The second image is the outside bottom showing the fitting ready to relieve hose. The third image is straight onto one end of what is the top tub. That piece cut out is the access. The fourth image is four units on shelves holding small tortoises.

Two way to deal with that bulk head as it sits for use. You can buy a plastic cone shaped fitting that keeps large particles out. I use a piece of that coco mat stuff used in hanging baskets and put the feed tile over it. I put a 24 watt T5 HO inside on the lid tub. Now I've added 25 watt nano CHE's to a few of them (on a thermostat) to keep a slightly higher overnight temp.)

I use painters masking tape to seal top and bottom together. Makes it easy to pull off and open the whole thing up. I use the spring mix bags over the access as they have many small holes so the greens can breath. That also allows air exchange but not so much humidity gets too low.

The first one took a few hours to make. This one took 20 minutes. All the figuring has been done and trial (no error) has lead to very simple refinements.

View attachment 203843 View attachment 203844 View attachment 203845 View attachment 203846
I don't know why I've only just seen this, looks good, simple, inexpensive and works. What size are these cement tubs, this could be a very easy way for new tortoise owners to get going on the correct path(after the pet shops have sold them all the wrong expensive equipment).
 

Kenno

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Take a close look. This small Pyxis planicauda is sitting on food that is several days old. They try to monopolize the best food.

Only one of my three desert torts has figured out how to sit on the food and wait for the others to leave. Then he backs up and eats everything!
 

Kapidolo Farms

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I don't know why I've only just seen this, looks good, simple, inexpensive and works. What size are these cement tubs, this could be a very easy way for new tortoise owners to get going on the correct path(after the pet shops have sold them all the wrong expensive equipment).
There have been a few discussion about these here on TFO, most lost in the haze of active conversations. They are 2 x 3 foot at the edge of the top, so actual usable foot print is slightly smaller, the sides are 8 inches tall.

There are a few manufactures out there, and qualities as well, all that fit this size. I just spent 1/2 an hour trying to find the thread where some of us collaborated in sourceing the 'good ones' and I can't find it now.

One type by MaCourt (sp) is not as good as the other maker whose name I did not find. But both work.

By writing this response enough brain cells were triggered, here it is http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/where-to-find-this-container.149919/#post-1431378
 

Anyfoot

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I'll drop this here .. .. ..

@Anyfoot @cdmay This is her thesis that begat the papers published elsewhere.
@SarahChelonoidis have you read this, I'm still only about a third the way through, not much alone time. But it's a very very good read.

God damn it, the PDF didn't link in on my reply and I don't know how to find out what number post it is in Will's thread. It's on page 16 of this thread.
 

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