Hmm ,then I'm afraid we have to differ here, I think they pick up immunity like human babies pick up certain immunities in their mothers milk, obviously baby tortoises have no other way of getting that except from other tortoises .I wonder if The Secret Life of Desert Tortoises would be too slow a process for the likes of Sir David Attenborough,surely they are not as solitary as one is lead to believe. BTW how are you ?
Keeping babies with other tortoises
- Thread starter puffy137
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Turtles and tortoises pee when they are frightened by predators. It makes them less appetizing. I've seen it in wild and wild caught animals.
Me, I'm great! Thanks for asking
. But the thing is about building immunity is that (In humans for example), when the body is exposed to bacteria it memorizes the bacteria. I believe this doesn't exist in tortoises. I have no diagrams to prove this, but their immune system seems vulnerable. Even if they had contact with other tortoises, once they are exposed to other tortoise's parasites (especially when it comes in contact with its fecal matter) they may get sick... I have nothing to prove they will not get sick again, but I really think they will.
Bought calcium isn't that expensive if you'll add a small sprinkle 2-3 times a week... You can also add a few cuttle bones to let the tortoises regulate their calcium intake.
Hope you have already had dinner, didn't want to get too specific before , but they gain the immunity by consuming the fecal matter , sorry.Me, I'm great! Thanks for asking
Are you serious,I got a feeling this is all a wind upFrightened ? surely not , the way a tortoise displays fear is to go into its shell , this one was excited as it thought I was another tortoise.
Quack
No honestly , if you have an adult tortoise , which has a more than average intelligence, pick it up , face to face with you , & poke out your tongue like you did as a child. In some cases you will get a reaction. Thats not fear . its showing interest.
That may not be the best thing for them, some tortoises may have parasites in their fecal matter. A forum member once even posted a thread about a worm found in his tortoise's fecal matter. A tortoise has had a URI a while back may still harbor the bacteria in his fecal matter, and a URI may be fatal. The reason some tortoises eat their own or other tortoise's fecal matter is mainly to absorb the nutrients from the undigested food. It's ok to discuss these things, I don't mind
That may not be the best thing for them, some tortoises may have parasites in their fecal matter. A forum member once even posted a thread about a worm found in his tortoise's fecal matter. A tortoise has had a URI a while back may still harbor the bacteria in his fecal matter, and a URI may be fatal. The reason some tortoises eat their own or other tortoise's fecal matter is mainly to absorb the nutrients from the undigested food. It's ok to discuss these things, I don't mind
Congrats on your strong tummy. I don't think my chaps will have much trouble with disease & parasites , as they don't mix with alien beings, they are all related to each other.As you know in this heat not many pathogens can survive for long here.
But a tortoise's digestive tract can harbor many parasites, even if the tortoises are related. Lots of things can add to the parasite problem, since in their guts there are good and bad bacteria. Stress, a bad diet, and other things may make it more likely for a tortoise to have more of these parasites. So have you ever seen one of your tortoises eat feces? Their own or other tortoises? What I'm saying now isn't the best thing to hear before dinner...
