COLD DARK ROOM

Lyn W

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
Messages
23,497
Location (City and/or State)
UK
I'm in similar situation. I'm tryingbto sell my home and might go back to Pretoria. 2 dogs and my older cat cat would be all I can take. Fortunately the torts have a home to go back to as I'm just nursing them back to health till I manage to sell up. So I have to find her a good home preferably while she is still young. Fortunately property isn't selling easily. Market should recover soon..
I had a trip to Pretoria when I was spending Xmas in Boksburg many years ago.
Saw the impressive government buildings and went to the zoo - where we had a very nice cable car ride over some of the enclosures.
I hope you are able to sell soon and find a new home you'll be happy in.
 

Lyn W

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
Messages
23,497
Location (City and/or State)
UK

Lyn W

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
Messages
23,497
Location (City and/or State)
UK
Interesting factoid. The other day I found a whole pile of very old very dried out oyster shells that were full encrusted with all kinds of encrusted worm tubes/shells/barnacles. I picked up a handful, brought them home, soaked them & scrubbed them off thinking that hey….this is just a wild natural source of calcium. I tossed them in with our Sully’s food stuff & today I see that they have been fully destroyed, eaten & smashed up. Good for beak filing & calcium intake.

Thoughts?
I found Lola in the garden having a good nibble on an old oyster shell once, I thought he was probably after the calcium but I was worried he would cut his mouth so I moved it and gave him his cuttlebone - which he ignored. :rolleyes:
 

Lyn W

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
Messages
23,497
Location (City and/or State)
UK
I've been thinking and wondering about that same subject with my Russian. Calcium and the source and also even for myself. Since Sullys eat a bit of animal it's more than likely ok for them. But I'm not an expert. But I was thinking that possibly I could find a plant based calcium for Sapphire that I wouldn't have to hide in his food. I've been reading that certain types of algae are good sources of calcium. They are selling capsules of it for vegetarians.
Tom says opuntia pads are rich in calcium - as well as other things.
If Sapphire is anything like Lola he'll love it!
I ration it though or messy poops will follow!
 

Cathie G

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 9, 2018
Messages
14,908
Location (City and/or State)
Lancaster
Tom says opuntia pads are rich in calcium - as well as other things.
If Sapphire is anything like Lola he'll love it!
I ration it though or messy poops will follow!
Sapphire is a picky little person. He'll eat okra but won't touch the opuntia even if I cut it up into little buttheaded teeny tiny pieces 🤪 and work my fingers to the bone trying to please him.
 

Lyn W

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
Messages
23,497
Location (City and/or State)
UK
Sapphire is a picky little person. He'll eat okra but won't touch the opuntia even if I cut it up into little buttheaded teeny tiny pieces 🤪 and work my fingers to the bone trying to please him.
Maybe he doesn't like chunks - even tiny ones.
I use a vegetable peeler and give Lola very thin slices - I have a fear of him choking.
I feed them when he's in his soak.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,390
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA

Maro2Bear

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
May 29, 2014
Messages
14,712
Location (City and/or State)
Glenn Dale, Maryland, USA
I've never seen a buzzard up close. A couple years ago there was a whole flock (20 or 30) of them flying around our neighborhood and roosting in nearby eucalyptus trees, but I never saw one up close. And after about an hour they were gone never to return.
I just put three new chicken legs out. I think one Vulture does an afternoon recce over our garden checking for new tidbits. I have a BLINK webcam set up so i can easily check for activity every 10 mins or so. It’s easier to quickly check for animal activity. Vultures & fox.
 

Maro2Bear

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
May 29, 2014
Messages
14,712
Location (City and/or State)
Glenn Dale, Maryland, USA
Interesting factoid. The other day I found a whole pile of very old very dried out oyster shells that were full encrusted with all kinds of encrusted worm tubes/shells/barnacles. I picked up a handful, brought them home, soaked them & scrubbed them off thinking that hey….this is just a wild natural source of calcium. I tossed them in with our Sully’s food stuff & today I see that they have been fully destroyed, eaten & smashed up. Good for beak filing & calcium intake.

Thoughts?

I found one of the oyster shells that was still mostly intact. Two others smashed & eaten.

4CCD655D-1924-4E3E-9E8E-28AAE8BCAF27.jpeg
 

Cathie G

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 9, 2018
Messages
14,908
Location (City and/or State)
Lancaster
Maybe he doesn't like chunks - even tiny ones.
I use a vegetable peeler and give Lola very thin slices - I have a fear of him choking.
I feed them when he's in his soak.
Oh he'll eat chunks. He'll even chew up a quartered zucchini himself. That's how I have to get his vitamins and such in him and other tricky methods that I use. He doesn't like the opuntia. If I plant my spineless prickly pear in his enclosure he'll probably sleep beside it. I would like to find a supplement for him though through the winter that is more what he would want. I once put a rabbit treat from small pet select on his salad just to see what he would do. It was a dried flower mix. As soon as he smelled it he was chomping down on everything. That's why I'm thinking there might be a plant based calcium and D3 supplement capsule that I can use for him.
 

norma.b

Active Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2021
Messages
81
Location (City and/or State)
St Lucia ESTUARY KZN South Africa
We have white backed Vultures here Cape Vidal Wetland Park and in the Umfolozi Game Reserve nearby. As well as Palm nut Vultures and Bataleurs but I have neveŕ seen them really close up. Do you call Vultures Buzzards ? Or are they different species ? is that a dumb question.! 🤣 Never thought to put out a chicken leg. Must try it !
 

norma.b

Active Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2021
Messages
81
Location (City and/or State)
St Lucia ESTUARY KZN South Africa
We have white backed Vultures here Cape Vidal Wetland Park and in the Umfolozi Game Reserve nearby. As well as Palm nut Vultures and Bataleurs but I have neveŕ seen them really close up. Do you call Vultures Buzzards ? Or are they different species ? is that a dumb question.! 🤣 I should Google it. I Never thought to put out a chicken leg. Must try it !
It is fast approaching midnight here so I'm departing this dark place in exchange for my cosy bed. Nite all . Nice chatting to you.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,390
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
We have white backed Vultures here Cape Vidal Wetland Park and in the Umfolozi Game Reserve nearby. As well as Palm nut Vultures and Bataleurs but I have neveŕ seen them really close up. Do you call Vultures Buzzards ? Or are they different species ? is that a dumb question.! 🤣 Never thought to put out a chicken leg. Must try it !
I think they're actually turkey vultures.
 

Maro2Bear

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
May 29, 2014
Messages
14,712
Location (City and/or State)
Glenn Dale, Maryland, USA
I think they're actually turkey vultures.

Yes, Black Headed Vultures & Turkey Vultures. We have both types visiting.

 

Cathie G

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Aug 9, 2018
Messages
14,908
Location (City and/or State)
Lancaster
I've never seen a buzzard up close. A couple years ago there was a whole flock (20 or 30) of them flying around our neighborhood and roosting in nearby eucalyptus trees, but I never saw one up close. And after about an hour they were gone never to return.
They aren't a bird that's nice to be up close and personable with because of their diet. They are really nasty as far as odor and a lot of other things including infestations of insects. But since they aren't mean to the living like a hawk. At least the one I dealt with personally wasn't I liked him. He sure liked to attack dead stuff though 🤣 while he was recuperating he just danced around but kept his distance and ate what I put out for him.
 

Jan A

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2021
Messages
1,808
Location (City and/or State)
Boulder, CO
Have a good day all!View attachment 343632
It's getting much colder here and our great dane hates it. Autumn/Fall/Herfs is coming quickly, most trees are losing leaves like there's no tomorrow
Some more images from my grandparents vacation
A road blockView attachment 343643
View attachment 343629View attachment 343628View attachment 343631
The last image isn't zoomed in. The lion was that distance from the camera.
Today was a good day. I painted my closet's insides and took it easy. Anyway, have a good day!
It's so strange to hear you talk about the onset of fall when we're talking about spring here in the States. We finally had a day with not much wind in Oklahoma when it's been 2 solid weeks "of they're blowing the air out of Kleenex at the factory" (a late 50's or early 60's ad on tv about how soft Kleenex was when they took the "air" out of the tissue). It's been warm so unless you're trying to go boating, it's ok once you batten down the hatches.

Houdini's like "did you order this wind...I can feel my nasal hairs parting & I don't have nasal hairs."

I'm 50% Danish, LG, but I'm short. Poor puppy. A couple of towels warmed in the dryer for 3 or so minutes are great for puppy dogs & torts, no matter what.
 
Top