More Forstens!

[tortadise]

I've been on a craze for these guys. So far I am doing pretty good at setting a good future group. These 2 little guys are feisty. Im starting to become filled with quarantine animals ha.

Chowing down.


LOL This one cracks me up. He looks like an old grumpy man.

 

[wellington]

Congrats. I love the grumpy man look and the last one, butt shot.

 

[tortadise]

Yeah old man is hilarious. Ive had to get some of those new zoomed front door cages for all these hatchling additions. In each of the 3 tanks they have different batches from different breeders. Their 1 in every tank that flips himself in the corner at the front near the door. Well this new tank and these two. He is the one to flip himself. So funny.

 

[wellington]

They must keep you so very busy.

 

[tortadise]

Yeah kinda. Theyre pretty easy. The baby sulcatas/leopards are actually more work than these guys.

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And now that food was decimated time for a swim. I think I might call this one flipper. He likes the water a lot.




And the grouchy old man perhaps Filbert will work. For some reason I have to stick to all "f" names with these guys.
So I have now fafaflohi, furfur, farfignutten, frank, frannie, fergie, fargus, flipper, and filbert. I need 5 more F names. Suggestions?

Filbert has some split scutes. I will have to keep up on the ones with split scutes and see if they end up female when they are older.

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Here is a better description of what only 1 in each tank does.


and then heres another group in there tank

 

[Benjamin]

Very nice, they are one of the grouchiest tortoises. Be mindfull with water bowls, I have had two flip and drown in them. I soak my babies daily, then every second day when about six weeks old. They get a drinking dish at about a year old.

Those split scutes are likely hereditary.

 

[tortadise]

Very nice, they are one of the grouchiest tortoises. Be mindfull with water bowls, I have had two flip and drown in them. I soak my babies daily, then every second day when about six weeks old. They get a drinking dish at about a year old.

Those split scutes are likely hereditary.

They sure are the grouchiest. They crack me up. Yeah I usually use a very small water bowl, in which I did not have. So I went and picked one up. They sure do flip,flop, and get upside down a lot. Always wanting to escape somewhere else.

 

[Anthony P]

They look great Kelly! Congrats on a great group. Did I hear you right that you have 14 of them!? Wow.

 

[tortadise]

Yeah I took the plung big time to set up a good diverse colony of future guys. 5 bloodlines so far. Hoping for more to add too. These guys are in need of serious conservation and captive breeding. Ben has done an outstanding job. I hope to follow in his foot steps with these guys.

 

[Vickie]

Some more F names I looked up for you under Indonesian baby names was Ferdian, Fendy, Fagan, Filza, Farah, Filza, Fajar, Fitri, Fahdi, Felix, Firman and Fatur

 

[tortadise]

Those are excellent names. Thanks. I might use some.

 

[Vickie]

Those are excellent names. Thanks. I might use some.

No problem. Those babies are so awful cute! It is funny how grouchy they look.....reminds me of our old grumpy looking neighbor. LOL Even the the man is actually very sweet are the tortoises the same way?

 

[Anthony P]

Yeah I took the plung big time to set up a good diverse colony of future guys. 5 bloodlines so far. Hoping for more to add too. These guys are in need of serious conservation and captive breeding. Ben has done an outstanding job. I hope to follow in his foot steps with these guys.

True that.. It's ridiculous that these guys are still imported. At Hamburg in April, there were 9 adults in a crate with Cuora amboininsis, Emydura subglubosa and some Hingebacks. Why buy from filthy dealers like that when you can get such healthy CB hatchlings from great breeders?

Obviously, you don't want to wait if you don't have to, but I personally consider it a "have to," situation.

 

[Vickie]

Those are excellent names. Thanks. I might use some.

No problem. Those babies are so awful cute! It is funny how grouchy they look.....reminds me of our old grumpy looking neighbor. LOL Even the the man is actually very sweet are the tortoises the same way?

I forgot to add to this.....just wondering something. I notice one is very clear and boldly patterned, 2 others are clearly patterned with a bit of white and the last unsure if I would say its white with black speckles or black and white spotted. Is that normal with this type of tortoise?

 

[Benjamin]

Those are excellent names. Thanks. I might use some.

No problem. Those babies are so awful cute! It is funny how grouchy they look.....reminds me of our old grumpy looking neighbor. LOL Even the the man is actually very sweet are the tortoises the same way?

I forgot to add to this.....just wondering something. I notice one is very clear and boldly patterned, 2 others are clearly patterned with a bit of white and the last unsure if I would say its white with black speckles or black and white spotted. Is that normal with this type of tortoise?

I.forstenii are extremely variable at hatchling. Generally by the time they are one year they look much like the adults.

 

[Vickie]

Those are excellent names. Thanks. I might use some.

No problem. Those babies are so awful cute! It is funny how grouchy they look.....reminds me of our old grumpy looking neighbor. LOL Even the the man is actually very sweet are the tortoises the same way?

Ty Benjamin! So does even the really light one there also get that same design as it grows? Just find them so interesting.

I forgot to add to this.....just wondering something. I notice one is very clear and boldly patterned, 2 others are clearly patterned with a bit of white and the last unsure if I would say its white with black speckles or black and white spotted. Is that normal with this type of tortoise?

I.forstenii are extremely variable at hatchling. Generally by the time they are one year they look much like the adults.

 

[EricIvins]

Yeah I took the plung big time to set up a good diverse colony of future guys. 5 bloodlines so far. Hoping for more to add too. These guys are in need of serious conservation and captive breeding. Ben has done an outstanding job. I hope to follow in his foot steps with these guys.

True that.. It's ridiculous that these guys are still imported. At Hamburg in April, there were 9 adults in a crate with Cuora amboininsis, Emydura subglubosa and some Hingebacks. Why buy from filthy dealers like that when you can get such healthy CB hatchlings from great breeders?

Obviously, you don't want to wait if you don't have to, but I personally consider it a "have to," situation.

So you want to see these animals disappear in the private sector? There aren't enough people working with Forstens to keep them viable if new animals aren't brought in over the next few years. Once those people that are producing them now disappear, that is it. I can't tell you the multitude of species that have been lost to Herpetoculture because very few continued on with them. Things change, and the animals that are here are the only animals we have. With a species like Forsteni, Sulcataization will never occur. The other problem is the low number of viable Male to Female ratio. The few I know that are actively working with Forstens have very few Males. Once they go, bye bye trying to furthur the species in captivity.

You also seen one example. Does that apply to everyone else?

I will also say this, and contrary to popular belief, these animals are still common. They will be traded whether you or the American public like it. Yes, they are consumed. Not in the numbers everyone has been led to believe though. Generally any Indotestudo are considered low budget for table fare. The cultures that do consume Chelonians favor other species.

Either way, these animals are not coming out of Sulawesi in large numbers. The max I can get per month would be 8 animals, and that is a stretch. I have been waiting since January for the group I just brought in. Just an FYI....

 

[Anthony P]

Sounds good Eric. I appreciate the info and I didn't mean to rile you up.

Are US captive bred specimens going to be reintroduced back into the wild anyway? I really don't know. That's a question for you Ben or Kelly. Obviously I know having animals here is important for curbing the demand, but as you said, there is not a HUGE demand.

How much are pyramided US sulcatas helping the situation in the Sudan?

As far as my one experience from hamburg, it's just one experience, but it is a microcosm of some of the idiots in this exotic animal trade which give us all a bad name, and I'm sure you can agree with. Surely animals like that that may be diseased wont help the colonies of founders here. And I'm also sure you agree that those situations are providing no help to anyone.

And my thoughts on it being ridiculous that these guys are still imported is based on the fact that little is even known about their status in the wild, "breeding" centers in Sulawesi are a joke, where the animals aren't being bred, and when they are imported people on kingsnake can't even spell Forsten's and other people throw them in crates with animals from 3 different continents.

I just think those factors are our sad efforts over here. It just doesn't feel right. I know you do a good job, and if I ever was going to buy an imported animal it would be from you. I agree with everything you said though.

I have a large female that I am holding for Ben right now. If I didn't promise her to him before I even got her, I would have gotten a male from you, because I would trust an animal from you, and it could have potentially been two new founders in the country. That wouldn't have been too shabby.

 

[AustinASU]

Great job kelly!! heres some names " futaba, frick, fracken, furb, fittle, fink.....

 

[tortadise]

Here is the most recent pair I got from Eric. They are doing very well. Active, hydrated, heavy, eating. Another good add of diverse blood to my collection of these. Hopefully I can recur more finances and pick up a 2.1 from him.