Wildlife May2010

[Anthony Darby]

I have two female boettgeri and one male hermanni (grand parents from Mallorca). Thankfully two subspecies don't seem to want to breed together. I have been offered a male of one and a female of the other but not sure if breeding these fits in with my plans?

[christian pfalz]

anthony, all the testudo species can hybrid each other, that´s the problematic...you must seperate the hermanni, and boettgeri...
female breed at the eight year.....
cheers
chris

[Anthony Darby]

I'll consult my friend Bob. Here's a pic of Pebl (female hermanni boettgeri) and Rocky (male h. hermanni), and a male Goliath beetle thrown in for good measure.

[christian pfalz]

anthony, fantastic, exspecially the goliath 
cheers
chris

[angie]

Anthony that is one scary beetle

Every morning I have the same deer in my pony paddock. I think he has got used to me as he just stands and looks at me.
Angie

[Ragged Robin]

I'll consult my friend Bob. Here's a pic of Pebl (female hermanni boettgeri) and Rocky (male h. hermanni), and a male Goliath beetle thrown in for good measure.

Anthony, you put a smile on my face      with your two tortoise this morning.... what great action shots! Their shells have lovely clear markings and Bob too looks really smart - did he give sound advice?   

[Ragged Robin]

Anthony that is one scary beetle

Every morning I have the same deer in my pony paddock. I think he has got used to me as he just stands and looks at me.
Angie

The moment when you look eye to eye is wonderful isn't it Angie    I love deer of all sorts although I know they can be a nuisance with trees and plants - does anyone hound us for what we eat 

[Maggi Young]

- does anyone hound us for what we eat  

 My doctor and Luit van Delft hound me for what I eat, Robin.......
Though they say it's for my own good 

[Anthony Darby]

- does anyone hound us for what we eat 

 My doctor and Luit van Delft hound me for what I eat, Robin.......
Though they say it's for my own good 

[Lvandelft]

- does anyone hound us for what we eat  

 My doctor and Luit van Delft hound me for what I eat, Robin.......
Though they say it's for my own good 

My words still hound you Maggi ? 
In that case it should be: My doctor Luit van Delft...... 

[Maggi Young]

My words still hound you Maggi ? 
In that case it should be: My doctor Luit van Delft...... 

Oh, yes, Luit..... and your little reminders.......

I like the colour of the Cornus 'Sweetwater' too.... like crushed raspberrie s in cream 

What is the cream for……? 

[angie]

Robin, I have a pine wood two feet from my back door there are deer there all the time but since I no longer have my shetland ponies that deer has took over the pony paddock.
We have been here for 16years and at no time have I had a deer in my garden, but we are in the process of doing a vegtable garden so maybe it might be different next year.
I do love watching them and also there babies.
Angie

[mark smyth]

Anthony do you let your tortoises hibernate?

[Anthony Darby]

Hibernation should be compulsory for ALL European tortoises, even hatchlings, even if it is only for a couple of months. Mine have always been hibernated. This is what happens in nature and I would suggest anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong. This year, due to the cold, I placed their box full of shredded newspaper on a heat mat, which was connected to a thermostat, in a large orchid cabinet and set to 4^oC. This was in the garage. The temperature never got as high as 10^oC. A reptile incubator, which works to raise or lower temperature dependent on whether you are incubating or hibernating and set to 4^oC, would be the ideal. In the past I have used a cardboard box inside a shredded paper-lined polystyrene tropical fish box on the floor of the greenhouse which was set to 4^oC, but this year I set the GH on a frost stat. They were hibernated from the end of November to April, then I raised the temperature and switched the light on and kept them fed and watered inside until they were moved to their outside area in May.

[angie]

 They were hibernated from the end of November to April, then I raised the temperature and switched the light on and kept them fed and watered inside until they were moved to their outside area in May.
[/quote]


Wish I was a tortoise and I could hibernate from Nov to April,  then I could miss out our cold winter and think of it what a easy way of losing weight

Angie