Meet Dozer

Chantel

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2015
Messages
152
Location (City and/or State)
Yuba City, CA
Conditions are the same in the environment, but I have noticed Dozer is not eating as often as she/he used to. She/He has longer active spells, and is growing though not as fast. Maybe in the first 6 weeks they exhibit fastest growth? Tomorrow is the weekly weigh in, so we will see how she/he is doing long term. I am keeping up with my charting, so I will post it here after weigh in. On another note, I planted my first tort tray today. Found some Mesclun seeds and so I bought a litter box. It's still warm and sunny here in Nor Cal, so they should sprout in no time. The wheat/rye grass mix I purchased at Petco (and potted) is all dying off now. It lasted a few months, so I can't complain. I am just excited about the new sprouts for Dozer to eat!
 

Nishikigoi's Torts.

Active Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2015
Messages
121
Location (City and/or State)
Texas
Maybe it is because dozer was unhealthy in the beginning and now it caught up with the weight it had previously missed out on
 

Chantel

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2015
Messages
152
Location (City and/or State)
Yuba City, CA
Dozer is doing great. I have acquired another tort as well. Same age. Both are growing well. Last week they each weighed 613g/614g respectively. Dozer is more shy than Mack. I believe Mack is a boy. I just posted a general question about his neck fold. It looks swollen/sore. His gular goes up and his skin fold rubs on it. Dozer's gular goes out straight, and does not. Her neck fold is thinner. Thanks for asking @Nishikigoi's Torts.
 

Nishikigoi's Torts.

Active Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2015
Messages
121
Location (City and/or State)
Texas
Weird. Wonder why it's like that?
daed6298fd4a25091578d8704ce2f75b.jpg
Kyoshi's gular is flat. (Don't have any plastron pictures so I'm not sure how well you can see it) Maybe it's an early sign of sex (M/F)? Or just a little something different, like being miss-scuted?
 

Chantel

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2015
Messages
152
Location (City and/or State)
Yuba City, CA
1 year update. Sorry I am a week late... anyway, Dozer started off as a hatchling at 29g. Her umbilical was not completely closed and I worried a lot. No worries with her now. She weighs 670 grams!!!

Her she'll is not as smooth as I would like, but I have a feeling that is from too much protein. She has a nose for even the tiniest spec of dog feces, and hunts it down. The problem has been resolved, as I moved her outdoor enclosure to the front yard. Anyways, Here is a pic...
 

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Nishikigoi's Torts.

Active Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2015
Messages
121
Location (City and/or State)
Texas
1 year update. Sorry I am a week late... anyway, Dozer started off as a hatchling at 29g. Her umbilical was not completely closed and I worried a lot. No worries with her now. She weighs 670 grams!!!

Her she'll is not as smooth as I would like, but I have a feeling that is from too much protein. She has a nose for even the tiniest spec of dog feces, and hunts it down. The problem has been resolved, as I moved her outdoor enclosure to the front yard. Anyways, Here is a pic...
So glad Dozer is doing well.
 

Chantel

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2015
Messages
152
Location (City and/or State)
Yuba City, CA
It has been ages since I posted about Dozer! I read the forum every so often, but rarely post. So to update you, Dozer is a boy! I have seen the parts many times now! I have to say they are unlike any parts I have seen before and the first time it scared me. I have an instagram page for him. Dozer_the_tortoise If you are interested in following him! If not, I have attached a couple of pictures. Be forewarned, I uploaded a "parts" pic because I find it educational. But If you don't want to see tortoise parts, don't click the 2nd image!!!

I weighed him today and he is 17.4 lbs and will be 4 years old in 3 days! We just built him a larger outdoor enclosure, my husband insulated it well, and the temperature in his house stays more consistent than our house!!! LOL. He has a bit of pyramiding from when he was younger. I hope I have it under control now. What is the best way to add humidity to his new house? I have built him a shallow pond he likes to walk through and occasionally lays in it. I also run a mister in his enclosure for a while each day. But inside his house, it's not very humid and I know their burrows are pretty humid. I'm concerned mold will become an issue if I get it too moist in there... Right now the heat is not on in his house. We are in California where the daytime temps get over 100 degrees and the evening temps are in the 60's. His house stays pretty consistent around 75-85 degrees right now. I was thinking of a large dish of peat moss or a sponge anchored to the wall where he can't reach it. Curious what you all use? His floor is wood covered with vinyl tiles. It's not 100% water proof, but could probably handle damp material like peat moss. Not sure. Anyways, looking for suggestions.
 

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Unkapunka

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2019
Messages
240
Location (City and/or State)
Osage City
Love the information. My guy Titus is almost a year old. They are so entertaining. My sully gets mad and just tears around as fast as he can. So funny
 

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