Rat hats, Jericho and tortoise trunks. Not for faint hearted! AMA

[FraggleShingleBellRock]

I've been asked to start a thread after a few of my comments totally derailed a thread about a royal python escaping. I've been heavily involved with exotic animals all my life and it seems people want to know more about it all.

I will try and link the Python thread so you can catch up on exactly why you need to see a Chick to a rat, how dangerous a horse penis can be and how an echidna ejaculates.

I hope I don't regret this 😂

A snake lying next to you while you slept would more likely be for warmth. A snake knows full well how much it can eat but this myth still carries on.

@PlatinumBrunette

That must have been incredibly hard. I have always had a list of keepers that I trust written down with my important papers. That way my family know what to do and who to contact should they not want to keep the animals we have. Three tortoises in the living room all winter is not most people's idea of fun!

Oh god [shudder] that tortoise shell has really creeped me out. Why is it so lumpy?

@Nikhedonia she is an adult Indian star tortoises. In this species it's quite common for the shells to become slightly pointed on each scute. Sadly she came to me half grown and had been fed incorrectly so her shell is a touch more pointed than a slowly grown adult would be.

Within all Chelonia there is a real problem with people feeding food that is too high in protein and this rapid growth causes lumpy shells and much deeper underlying issues. This is commonly known as metabolic bone disorder and affects several types of reptiles. Bearded dragons often have a C lot of broken bones from being over fed and under supplemented. And even with calcium supplied, and the correct food stuffs, they still need access to uvb either from the sun or from a UVB lamp.

I also have two Mediterranean tortoises. One was beautifully show grown with access to everything she needed and her shell growth is perfect. The Male was likely homeless for a while or left in a garden 24/7 for years as his growth is pitted, uneven, discoloured etc. Much like a tree out down new rings and those rings tell us about the seasons , tortoises shell scutes lay down growth rings and can tell us about their history too. My male has gone through some very tough times. I will add a photo of each so you can see the difference. This is the female

And this is the males photos

I had a Boa Constrictor when i was younger, my first landlady was terrified of snakes and had it written into my contract that I wouldn't bring the snake to the house just in case it escaped 😁

@FraggleShingleBellRock those tortoise look gorgeous!

I have always wanted a Hermanns tortoise, have researched for the past few years. Their habitat has always been something everyone has a different opinion on. Should they be kept outside permanently with a heated hutch of sorts? Or can they be bought inside and put in a heated table?

@flutterbean

Total depends on the tortoise.

A baby/ juvenile I would keep in smallish pen with a weather proof area with a heat lamp in for warming up on miserable days from March to October. They don't need overnight heat providing it's not going lower that 5-6c . Once they are 6-7 years old, if they have been out every day then I would just turn the heat lamp off From end of may to early September. If we hit a sudden terrible patch I'd offer a few days extra but that's it.

My lumpy rough looking ibera can live 24:7 outside on his own and is very active even on chilly or overcast days but that's because I think he's always been left to it after escaping etc. He's hibernated himself plenty of times too before he came to me. But I prefer doing it the way I am used to as I'd never forgive myself if he died.