Recent content by Markw84

Yesterday we had some visitors over to see our Galapagos tortoises. Brenda and my place here is officially called Rancho Tortuga, Inc. now - and we are a 501c3 public benefit non-profit. The day before - we had the representative for the local school district tour our facility to approve and...

I do keep a tub or two of water in the incubator to keep the humidity up in the incubator itself. That also keeps the egg containers from drying out as quickly.

I mix the vermiculite and peat most thoroughly into a uniform medium. I add water (when I used to measure) in equal weight to the mixture. If I have 300g of vermiculite/peat I added 300 g of water. I add the peat moss as I believe the vermiculite is too high a pH for the developing egg. A...

There are lots of folks using the SIM incubation technique. I feel it is more popular with other reptiles, but has become used by many tortoise breeders now. The benefit was to eliminate problems with too wet or too dry, mold, egg suffocating, high visibility to monitor eggs, and keeping the...

Both @Tom and I sell Burmese Stars for $600 ea and discount 3 or more.

The one on right is definitely not a yellow belly. Can't see any carapace markings, but from head and neck it does look like a peninsula cooter.

Great to hear! Pictures of how the pattern is developing would be fun to see. I love watching how radiated develop their beautiful shell patterns as they grow.

Last night on owl watch, Brenda and I saw the babies out of the nest box for the first time - at least 2 of them. It was getting pretty dark - 9:10 PM - so pictures not the best. You can see one of the parents came back and looks like is giving a rodent to one of the babies that came out of...

My grandson and I also put up 4 bluebird nest boxes. Here's one in the large Galapagos pen on the Mulberry Tree. I checked the end of April and did have a clutch of eggs in it. Should be ready to fledge as well.

In areas that are very hot like we have, the heat sheilds are to keep the top and south facing back a bit cooler. So the door faces north. The partition is shown if you look carefully on the blow up picture. you can see the top of it next to the door opening. It goes next to the door opening...

Brenda and I will sit overlooking the Burmese enclosure with the Galapagos pasture and the the owl nest box in the distance. We would go out about 29 min after sundown and like clockwork the male would come from his daytime roost to what seemed like, relieve the female to go hunt a bit...

@Tom Your owl is looking great. I love the face of the barn owl! I remeber seeing this guy in November when just a baby. Here's the plans I used for my nest box. I did add a few branches I cut for an entrance perch instead of an entrance platform.

We've been overrun with gophers and field mice here at our tortoise ranch - officially Rancho Tortuga now. In keeping the pastures going and planting trees and plants for tortoise food, it often is only to see it die with all roots eaten away just as it was getting started. My grandson, when...

I'm interested in the liver issue relating to overgrown beaks. Would love to look into that more. Never heard that and wonder if any liver issue has been diagnosed in a tortoise with overgrown beak? @mark1 I have issue with your relating aquatic turtle experience so liberally to tortoises...

Tortoises have been around a long, long time. Millions of years. The climate of any area goes through a tremendous change in 20,000 to 40,000 years. Animals in any area, adapt, migrate, or decline/go extinct. Look at the sulcata. Just 4000 years ago the area that is now the Sahel was a...