Sully meets her sister
- Thread starter snowturtles
- Start date
- Status
Cute pictures!
Congrats on the new baby.
Many of us are cringing at your pics. You know about dogs and tortoises, right? Just making sure.
Many of us are cringing at your pics. You know about dogs and tortoises, right? Just making sure.
Cute tortoise and flat face...
I too would be careful...don't want the tort mistaken for a fun toy...also you don't want the little flat face to drink soaking water.....
I too would be careful...don't want the tort mistaken for a fun toy...also you don't want the little flat face to drink soaking water.....
I thought this tortoise forum was going to to be fun, but instead it really seems like a bunch of *know-it-alls* that want to find something wrong with everything.
Everything and any
Everything and any
I keep them both in a cold, dry kennel. The dog gets spring mix, while I feed the tortoise Alpo. I am trying things a little different.
Aw, that's great and so cute!
Reminds me of my dog and tortoise. I can leave my dog with my tortoise and the only thing she does is try and sniff her butt, lol. I have a shih-tzu and she won't harm a fly. She even lets the bearded dragons lay on her
Reminds me of my dog and tortoise. I can leave my dog with my tortoise and the only thing she does is try and sniff her butt, lol. I have a shih-tzu and she won't harm a fly. She even lets the bearded dragons lay on her
Cute.
snowturtles said:
If showing concern because I've seen 100 tortoises chewed up by people who swore their harmless dog would never do that makes me a *know it all*, then color me guilty. I will always try to help people avoid tragedy. If that makes me un-fun, then so be it. I'd rather have you think of me as an un-fun know it all than see even one more tortoise chewed on by an ignorant owner's dog with all the best intentions in the world.
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2011
- Messages
- 958
Tom said:
Well said! Nothings wrong with a good, polite warning
Tom said:
Well said, Tom. That is a cute picture, but it must be said that dogs - even little ones - are well-adapted to treating turtles like M&Ms: crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside. I love dogs and respect what they can do, but that includes knowing what they're capable of doing to smaller pets. I'm glad people here on TFO take the time to warn people about hazards, because sadly, accidents happen all too often.
BTW - Domestic cats appear to be more compatible with turtles. This is probably because they are not as adapted to cracking bone and shell as dogs are. They may be curious about turtles, or bat at them, but as long as they are not tearing into exposed extremities with their claws, then that is more annoying than dangerous. Again, I love cats and dogs, but I wouldn't want my tortoises to be harassed by either one of these carnivores. It's good to remind people that supervision is necessary, even when just viewing cute pictures.
snowturtles said:
I'm assuming that's sarcasm.
drgnfly2265 said:Aw, that's great and so cute!
Reminds me of my dog and tortoise. I can leave my dog with my tortoise and the only thing she does is try and sniff her butt, lol. I have a shih-tzu and she won't harm a fly. She even lets the bearded dragons lay on her
LOL. How cute. My dogs don't really care about the reptiles, either, but they aren't so obliging on the occasion I try to set one on them (i.e., after the beardie's soaks, Stump's back makes a great towel!)--both completely freaked out by it. Especially the dragon... I think it's the nails.
To the OP: No one means any offense here. Your pictures are cute, no denying that, but they also bring up a very serious topic. It occurred to me, too, seeing how close Ling-ling was allowed to get in the last picture. It's cute to watch, and it seems harmless enough, but dogs can strike pretty quick when they decide "Hey, it's a toy!" and their teeth and jaws are very sharp and powerful. With a baby tort like that, it doesn't matter how closely you watch or how good your reflexes are, the dog is going to do irreparable damage just in the instant before you can stop it. Usually I'm more on the "laid back" side when it comes to dogs around herps (though always supervised, of course!), but I still cringed thinking about how easily your little pup could have snatched up the tortoise and done serious damage before you could stop it.
No one here is trying to offend you, or be a buzz-kill. Much less be a "know-it-all." We're all just concerned about your tortoise, and want to be sure you understand to keep the dogs away from the tortoise, and why. Hence why, until you made your snotty response, you only got passing comments and no novels (like the one I'm writing--sorry, I'm a wee bit wordy! lol). I can understand having that trust in your dog, and being offended someone might suggest otherwise... I have total trust in my two dogs, as neither has ever shown prey drive and both know the rules about reptiles in the house very well. It would offend me if someone suggested that either were on the brink of turning around and proving me wrong... But, the fact of the matter is, a dog's instincts are to hunt, kill, eat, and chew up prey, and it so happens tortoises make great chew toys (and probably yummy treats, as far as the dog's concerned!). Hence why I still don't leave my dogs unsupervised with any reptile, despite that faith I have in them. There's no denying the instinct is there, and they could decide at any second to forgo their learnings and follow those instincts.
All of us here just want to help you succeed as much as possible with your tortoise, and throwing fits over friendly warnings in passing aren't helping anyone, not you and not any other member of this forum.
I am a veterinary technician and know all the hazards. I am a peer of yours not a teen with a first time pet- which is how I have been treated.
[/size][/color]those pics are GREAT, definately a kodak moment!!
snowturtles said:
It's great that you already know the risks.
Keep in mind, if you will, that any one person reading one of your threads can only be expected to know what you include in that one post. Take me for example--this thread is the first I've read any of your posts. I can't know whether you're a teenager, in your 60s, or anywhere in between. Whether this is your first pet, or if you've kept tortoises for decades. All I know is what I can deduce from the posts I've read, the posts in this thread: That this appears to be your first tortoise. I don't know your profession, I don't know the extent of your knowledge or even your common sense. Goodness knows there's been people to come through here with not a shred of common sense. So, many members here (including myself) tend to err on the side of caution, supplying friendly reminders and warnings, lest you do turn out to be some teenager with her first pet and no common sense. No one here wants to see a baby tortoise chewed to death by its owner's dog just because no one said anything when it was brought up before...
Maybe I'm missing something, because I really don't understand why you're so upset over a few innocent comments (which it really was only 2--maybe 3--comments before you blew up)... Oh well. I can only hope my mini-novel helped shed a little light for you...
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2011
- Messages
- 1,120
snowturtles said:
Great..keep us updated...On how it works for you..
snowturtles said:
Emily, would you like me to compile a list of long time vet techs who have had their tortoises chewed on by dogs?
Nobody treated you any such way and you are over-reacting. We all love torts and we all don't want to see anything bad happen to any of them and we all don't know you or how old you are or what experience you have. I see a pic with a dog and a tortoise and it alarms me. That's all. Its not an insult to you. Its not personal. Once I know that somebody knows better I don't say anything about it. But in your case, I have no way of knowing what you do or don't know yet, so I offered a polite caution coupled with congratulations on the new addition.
Isn't it better to make a polite suggestion and hopefully avoid a problem, than to assume you already know everything and then later on hear about how your baby got chewed up because you didn't think your dog would do that? I am guilty of following the "golden rule" here and nothing more. If anyone notices a potential hazard regarding my torts, I WANT them to speak up. Many have in the past, and the result has been an improvement in my caregiving.
You can bet that I won't be offering you any advice in the future... Good luck to you.
Also, if the dog happens to drink the water from the Tortoise he can get very sick.
We are only trying to make sure you are aware of the hazards, No one is trying to insult you, we all have the best interest of the animals. It is our job as caretakers for these fine feathered, furry, scaled, and shelled freinds to make sure they get the best help as possible. We can not know the background of every member, but we all try and help each other out.
No offense is intended, we just want to help.
We are only trying to make sure you are aware of the hazards, No one is trying to insult you, we all have the best interest of the animals. It is our job as caretakers for these fine feathered, furry, scaled, and shelled freinds to make sure they get the best help as possible. We can not know the background of every member, but we all try and help each other out.
No offense is intended, we just want to help.
- Status
