When I first brought Malti home, I really had no idea what tortoises ate. Some tortoises actually have very specialized diets on account of where they live or how their bodies work. And then there is Malti. To date, I have seen her attempt to eat everything from my keys to the plastic habitat sheContinueContinue reading “Malti Explains Redfoot Tortoises: Salmon”
Tag Archives: tortoise
Malti Explains Redfoot Tortoises: Soaking
From day one of Malti’s and my life together, I knew she needed frequent soaks. Her breeder told me this by writing it down on the care sheet he handed to me on the day she came home with me. I also read about it on the internet, along with related topics like tortoise humidityContinueContinue reading “Malti Explains Redfoot Tortoises: Soaking”
Malti Explains Redfoot Tortoises: Fences
There is no easy way to say this. Tortoises hate fences. They hate them so much that even if there is a football field’s worth of open roaming space on “their” side of the fence, if they see a fence, they will spend every ounce of energy they have trying to break through it. IfContinueContinue reading “Malti Explains Redfoot Tortoises: Fences”
Malti Explains Redfoot Tortoises: Curiosity
When I first brought Malti home, I had no idea what to expect. All I had to go on was an adorable photo of a baby redfoot tortoise her breeder had posted on Craig’s List and a few descriptive adjectives, such as “great personality,” “eating well,” et al. Also, I had seen a number ofContinueContinue reading “Malti Explains Redfoot Tortoises: Curiosity”
Malti Explains Redfoot Tortoises: Squirming
I don’t really like to tell this story, on account of how I think the moment I do, the turtle police will show up and cart me off to wherever they incarcerate delinquent tortoise parents. Sigh. But it needs to be told, on the off chance somebody who has a turtle or tortoise and doesn’tContinueContinue reading “Malti Explains Redfoot Tortoises: Squirming”
Malti Explains Redfoot Tortoises: Farting
I will never ever forget the first time it happened. I was sitting beside Malti while she took a bath in her itty bitty tortoise tub. Then all of a sudden I heard it….the tiniest of oh-so-delicate Tinkerbell farts. At first, thinking I must be hearing things, I looked all around me. There was noContinueContinue reading “Malti Explains Redfoot Tortoises: Farting”
Malti Explains Redfoot Tortoises: Calcium
Malti is a South American redfoot tortoise. She is also a reptile, and like all reptiles, she needs a little help to get sufficient calcium and then to absorb and use it to grow strong healthy bones and shell. I’ve been keeping parrots since I was eight, so I’m no stranger to the odd whiteContinueContinue reading “Malti Explains Redfoot Tortoises: Calcium”
Malti Explains Redfooted Tortoises: Pyramiding
While it is true that the technical term “pyramiding” sounds like it refers to the mysterious great pyramids in Egypt, in this particular case it refers to the shape of a turtle or tortoise shell under some very particular conditions. Unfortunately, these conditions are not ideal ones for shell formation. So the term “pyramiding” actuallyContinueContinue reading “Malti Explains Redfooted Tortoises: Pyramiding”
Malti Explains Redfooted Tortoises: Bathrooming
Like all living beings, Malti has plenty of bathrooming to do. But since Malti was the first tortoise I’ve ever lived with, and she has only one bathroom opening (in her tail) just like my parrot, Pearl (his is under his tail), I guess I just assumed it would all come out together (pee andContinueContinue reading “Malti Explains Redfooted Tortoises: Bathrooming”
Malti Explains Redfooted Tortoises: Shell Scratches
The first time I saw Malti back up next to a rock and start rubbing her shell against it, it took me a bit to figure out what was going on. But then I realized….she is growing! Her shell itches! My parrot, Pearl, experiences a similar issue when he molts out old feathers and thenContinueContinue reading “Malti Explains Redfooted Tortoises: Shell Scratches”
Love & Feathers & Shells 