I never seen it in that much detail. Pretty nifty!
Oh Bob. I feel like my Dex is going to have a personAlity like his. Good read!
M
Maggie Cummings
Guest
This is my thinking...and I mean NO disrespect to anyone. I have a sister who is an expert in the world of chelonia...she has been involved in turtle and tortoise rescue for around 35 yrs, she's helped a lot of newbies. She has prolly 75 to 100 tortoises at any given time. Some are VERY exotic. I have a friend in SoCal who is an ultimate Sulcata expert. I respect him too. I have another friend, (you're surprised I actually have friends, aren't you?) he has 8 I think,Sulcata. I recently within the last 6 months have seen 2 of them and their torts, my other friend, not so much...BUT to try and make my point, when I visited their tortoises there was no response to me. Most were large sleeping rocks. Beautiful, healthy tortoises who didn't show any interest in me or their other visitors at all. Or to their keepers.
My sister says tortoises are wild animals, not pets. Bob is my pet. I spend time with him every day, I used to take him places and I have always socialized him. He's been turned loose in the Petco, or on the OSU campus or walked in downtown Corvallis. He's been put in situations where he has to stop and think...It's amazing to see. He was taken to an event once where an Airdale jumped on his back and rode him around for about 1/2 an hour. He's never still. When the carpenter was building his fence Bob was right there trying to keep his eye on things and totally getting in the way. I did a thread on it, but I guess when Josh changed the TFO format most of my Bob stories got lost. Bob os not a wild animal to me, he's very smart and very social and I have played on that and brought it out in him more. And that's my point, Bob didn't just 'happen', I worked hard to teach him stuff and bring out his best qualities. Spend time with Dex, teach him stuff, take him places, socialize him, and get rid of his natural shyness. I can't ever go into the yard without Bob coming to me, he sees me on the deck and just watches me, and if he catches me in my bedroom window, he tries to climb the fence to get to me. I know it's not because he loves me, it's because I am the Food Goddess...
My sister says tortoises are wild animals, not pets. Bob is my pet. I spend time with him every day, I used to take him places and I have always socialized him. He's been turned loose in the Petco, or on the OSU campus or walked in downtown Corvallis. He's been put in situations where he has to stop and think...It's amazing to see. He was taken to an event once where an Airdale jumped on his back and rode him around for about 1/2 an hour. He's never still. When the carpenter was building his fence Bob was right there trying to keep his eye on things and totally getting in the way. I did a thread on it, but I guess when Josh changed the TFO format most of my Bob stories got lost. Bob os not a wild animal to me, he's very smart and very social and I have played on that and brought it out in him more. And that's my point, Bob didn't just 'happen', I worked hard to teach him stuff and bring out his best qualities. Spend time with Dex, teach him stuff, take him places, socialize him, and get rid of his natural shyness. I can't ever go into the yard without Bob coming to me, he sees me on the deck and just watches me, and if he catches me in my bedroom window, he tries to climb the fence to get to me. I know it's not because he loves me, it's because I am the Food Goddess...
I love your last post about making Bob who he is. I have spent lots of time and hands on with my first leopard Tatum. Now, he is not a Bob, that's for sure, but he is more then a wild animal, if nothing else, if I ever had to take him to a vet or man handle him myself to medicate or tend to an injury, I would have no problems. He doesn't care what I do to him. This I think is a good thing, as they may be considered wild, but they are not kept in the wild and we, as their keepers, need to be able to do handle them, inspect them and possibly treat them should something come up and "taming" your tortoise makes all this much easier and safer for both.
Tatum like Bob, loves to know what's going on and get in the way. If I want him to come out of his hide, all I have to do is start pounding or run the drill and he comes out to see what I am doing. If it's anything that he can get too, oh yes, he will be there to inspect. My husband too has had many projects stalled becuase Tatum had to come inspect. I just laugh, my hub gets a little irritated, which makes me laugh more
Tatum like Bob, loves to know what's going on and get in the way. If I want him to come out of his hide, all I have to do is start pounding or run the drill and he comes out to see what I am doing. If it's anything that he can get too, oh yes, he will be there to inspect. My husband too has had many projects stalled becuase Tatum had to come inspect. I just laugh, my hub gets a little irritated, which makes me laugh more
They're not lost Maggie! You just need to do a search and they should show up! If you remember the exact titles...all the better! That's how I've found a lot of stuff that I also thought was lost! No disrespect to Yvonne or Kelly or any of the GREAT rescues...nor the breeders with so much stock...they don't realize the one on one attachments the tortoises form with us! This is...I have to take this one step further! I don't believe any tortoise is capable of the bonding process quite like the big three...Aldabras, Galapagos and sulcata are like NO other tortoises on earth...wild or captive.
Is this because they are larger, and possibly have larger brains? Or they are larger, stand out and are forced to encounter other animals that may not necessarily be predators?
Just curious.
M
Maggie Cummings
Guest
I love your last post about making Bob who he is. I have spent lots of time and hands on with my first leopard Tatum. Now, he is not a Bob, that's for sure, but he is more then a wild animal, if nothing else, if I ever had to take him to a vet or man handle him myself to medicate or tend to an injury, I would have no problems. He doesn't care what I do to him. This I think is a good thing, as they may be considered wild, but they are not kept in the wild and we, as their keepers, need to be able to do handle them, inspect them and possibly treat them should something come up and "taming" your tortoise makes all this much easier and safer for both.
Tatum like Bob, loves to know what's going on and get in the way. If I want him to come out of his hide, all I have to do is start pounding or run the drill and he comes out to see what I am doing. If it's anything that he can get too, oh yes, he will be there to inspect. My husband too has had many projects stalled becuase Tatum had to come inspect. I just laugh, my hub gets a little irritated, which makes me laugh more
I am trying to rehab a tortoise who has abscessed sinus, he is 4 or 5 yrs old and I have handled him so much he lets me stick a toothpick in his nares to clean out the dirt. He doesn't even move his head. Handling their heads is so darned important, you are very right about an easier exam at the vet...
Some of them just have that extra personality about them. My Scooter is that way. Always was. That's what made me pick him as a hatchling. He still behaves that way even at 16 years old. By contrast, his brother, Bert, is just a "normal" sulcata. I find it is usually the males that are this way, but I have seen exception. RV in AZ is 100% female but has every bit as much personality as Bob or Scooter. I still hope she comes to live with me some day.
Handling and interaction certainly help, but I've seen several examples that were just super outgoing, curious, and interactive without any extra help or attention.
Handling and interaction certainly help, but I've seen several examples that were just super outgoing, curious, and interactive without any extra help or attention.
Good luck with that! We might have to duel for her
Oh no. I've already called dibs.
And dueling? Really? You wanna shoot it out with me? I think you know how that will end...
So did you ever get to keep this monster?
How far had he traveled? How long had he been missing?
awesome, as ever Maggie.
RV in AZ is 100% female but has every bit as much personality as Bob or Scooter. I still hope she comes to live with me some day.
It's in the will, Tom. We're taking good care of her for you....
It's in the will, Tom. We're taking good care of her for you....
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