Hello!

[BDugnutt]

Hello, folks of Tortoise Forum!

I have had an account for a short while, but finally wanted to take some time today to formally introduce myself.

Currently, I am a parent of yearling Greek tortoise named Bo. I have found the guides available on this site to be incredibly helpful in getting them started and easily see that how valuable this resource is. I hope that I will continue to find useful information here as Bo grows and get older. In fact, this forum was how I found the tortoise seed mixes from that I now use to grow food as part of their diet at home.

This might be a little bit of a strange question, but I was wondering if anyone happened to know of any turtle and tortoise rescues or rehabilitators that might want some volunteering help in the Los Angeles area?

Also, I was considering attending a CA Turtle and Tortoise Club meeting in the future, if anything, to meet other people with similar interests. Anyone recommend them?

 

[SinLA]

Hello, folks of Tortoise Forum!

I have had an account for a short while, but finally wanted to take some time today to formally introduce myself.

Currently, I am a parent of yearling Greek tortoise named Bo. I have found the guides available on this site to be incredibly helpful in getting them started and easily see that how valuable this resource is. I hope that I will continue to find useful information here as Bo grows and get older. In fact, this forum was how I found the tortoise seed mixes from that I now use to grow food as part of their diet at home.

This might be a little bit of a strange question, but I was wondering if anyone happened to know of any turtle and tortoise rescues or rehabilitators that might want some volunteering help in the Los Angeles area?

Also, I was considering attending a CA Turtle and Tortoise Club meeting in the future, if anything, to meet other people with similar interests. Anyone recommend them?

Hi There, I have been to their festival, but not any actual meetings (the commute on a friday night is hard). What (general) part of SoCal are you in? I'm in Burbank and we have quite a number of LA area folks here.

 

[wellington]

@Yvonne G
@Tom
@Markw84
@Kapidolo Farms
Should know of some. They are all in CA.
What area are you?

 

[wellington]

Oh and welcome to the forum and posting. Glad you found the info you need here to raise your little one in the best way.

 

[BDugnutt]

Thank you for the warm welcome. I'm out near Long Beach.

 

[BDugnutt]

And this is Bo.

 

[SinLA]

I believe there is a south bay or orange count club that would be closest to you. The Valley one is in Van Nuys third friday of the month

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Hello and welcome to the forum

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome!

 

[Tom]

Hello, folks of Tortoise Forum!

I have had an account for a short while, but finally wanted to take some time today to formally introduce myself.

Currently, I am a parent of yearling Greek tortoise named Bo. I have found the guides available on this site to be incredibly helpful in getting them started and easily see that how valuable this resource is. I hope that I will continue to find useful information here as Bo grows and get older. In fact, this forum was how I found the tortoise seed mixes from that I now use to grow food as part of their diet at home.

This might be a little bit of a strange question, but I was wondering if anyone happened to know of any turtle and tortoise rescues or rehabilitators that might want some volunteering help in the Los Angeles area?

Also, I was considering attending a CA Turtle and Tortoise Club meeting in the future, if anything, to meet other people with similar interests. Anyone recommend them?

Hello and welcome!

I don't know of any rescues down our way.

I have enjoyed a few CTTC meeting, but be careful. Almost all of them are stuck in the old wrong ways and will give you terrible care advice that directly conflicts with the advice given here. Same thing with pet stores.

Regarding the picture of your tortoise, he is pyramiding heavily. This means that conditions are far too dry. You may have the wrong bulb, your substrate may be too dry, the top of the enclosure may need to be closed in, and it doesn't appear that he has a humid hide. It is urgent that you address and correct this issue immediately to prevent further irreversible damage. I'm not trying to upset you by telling you this. I'm trying to help you prevent it from getting worse. You are on the wrong path and if no one tells you that, you can't get onto the right path.

More care info here, and there is a temperate species care guide near the bottom:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[EppsDynasty]

Currently, I am a parent of yearling Greek tortoise named Bo. I have found the guides available on this site to be incredibly helpful in getting them started and easily see that how valuable this resource is. I hope that I will continue to find useful information here as Bo grows and get older. In fact, this forum was how I found the tortoise seed mixes from that I now use to grow food as part of their diet at home.

You seem to already have noticed the "Facts" you learn here vs. the "Mis-information" you'll recieve other places.

Regarding the picture of your tortoise, he is pyramiding heavily. This means that conditions are far too dry. You may have the wrong bulb, your substrate may be too dry, the top of the enclosure may need to be closed in, and it doesn't appear that he has a humid hide. It is urgent that you address and correct this issue immediately to prevent further irreversible damage. I'm not trying to upset you by telling you this. I'm trying to help you prevent it from getting worse. You are on the wrong path and if no one tells you that, you can't get onto the right path.

@Tom knows what he is talking about. He has raised hundreds of hatch-ling tortoises without any pyramiding. This is something you'll NEVER hear from a pet store or the Ca tort. clubs. We all are glad your here to learn the proper techniques to care properly for your tortoise. If @Tom sounded harsh, it's because here there will be no time wasted on wrong care info. You should feel great that no one is wasting your time here. In 10 yrs. if Bo is pyramiding, every time you see him you'll kick yourself for not taking care of that. If Truth is what you seek your in the right place. Welcome and Thank You for sharing.

 

[BDugnutt]

Thank you all for the welcome! I do not think Tom sounded that harsh, but I appreciate the consideration for my feelings.

As for his pyramiding, it is something that I have been working on since Bo's come into my care. I have read Tom's care guide and have tried my best to improve my caregiving.

Bo's been living in a closed chamber enclosure for about 10 months now (pretty close to the amount of time that I have had him) with humidity ranging anywhere from 80% to over 90%, depending on how close I measure to his heat lamp. His basking spot, at shell height is usually at 93 F. I try not to let the overall enclosure temperature drop under 80 F. He has a UVB lamp, a hide that I try to keep over 90% humidity, and also gets daily soaks too.

On looking back at the pictures that I have, it looks like he has had some pyramiding since I have gotten him. But, the new growth between his scutes seems to be a lot smoother, so I take that to be a sign of improvement.

 

[Tom]

Thank you all for the welcome! I do not think Tom sounded that harsh, but I appreciate the consideration for my feelings.

As for his pyramiding, it is something that I have been working on since Bo's come into my care. I have read Tom's care guide and have tried my best to improve my caregiving.

Bo's been living in a closed chamber enclosure for about 10 months now (pretty close to the amount of time that I have had him) with humidity ranging anywhere from 80% to over 90%, depending on how close I measure to his heat lamp. His basking spot, at shell height is usually at 93 F. I try not to let the overall enclosure temperature drop under 80 F. He has a UVB lamp, a hide that I try to keep over 90% humidity, and also gets daily soaks too.

On looking back at the pictures that I have, it looks like he has had some pyramiding since I have gotten him. But, the new growth between his scutes seems to be a lot smoother, so I take that to be a sign of improvement.

The new growth coming in smoother is great news. When they are started too dry, before we even get them, it can take months or years to get them growing smoothly again, so smoother new growth is excellent news.

It sounds like you have the right sort of enclosure now, but may I ask what type of basking bulb you are using? The spot bulbs, halogens, and MVBs that are frequently sold in pet stores will still cause pyramiding even in a closed chamber. I'm not trying to intrude or pester you. Just trying to help you avoid the common pitfalls that I myself fell into in years past.

Going back to your first post: If you find a tortoise rescue place that you like, please let us know about it. There is definitely a need for one, but I don't know of anyone doing rescue work around here. I know of a rabbit rescue place in Redondo Beach that might want some volunteer help if that interests you.

 

[BDugnutt]

It is not a problem. Right now, I am using a 65 W flood bulb from my local hardware store.

Since we're discussing this, another question has come to mind. Since Bo has pyramiding and Tom has stated that it can take upwards of months to years to get back to more normal growth, it seems like it would be worthwhile to have them live in an enclosed chamber environment for longer.

My eventual plans were to make an outdoor enclosure for Bo, as well as an indoor one for sleeping, or in the case of poor weather conditions. Do you have any advice for determining when it might be appropriate to transition Bo to that type of enclosure?