Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2014 14:40:44 GMT -5
I used to have a couple of big female russian tortoises but have not seen them in three years. Well, they are back! No clue what they did for three years. Here is one of them:  Now I gotta go shopping for a male! These girls have given me a few dozen babies in the last 12 years. The male died 3 years ago, when the females disappeared. |
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panamark
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2012
Posts: 1,343
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Post by panamark on Mar 15, 2014 18:36:36 GMT -5
>The male died 3 years ago, when the females disappeared.
Sounds like some sinister plot to me.
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Post by drocknut on Mar 15, 2014 19:06:20 GMT -5
Cool tortoise. Males die when females disappear, hmmm, wonder if it would work the other way around?
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jamesp
Cave Dweller 
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,612
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Post by jamesp on Mar 15, 2014 21:22:40 GMT -5
Time to party when it's the other way around.
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Post by beefjello on Mar 16, 2014 17:27:38 GMT -5
Glad your girls came home Scott! You don't suppose they went back to visit the motherland for a while do ya?  |
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Post by Pat on Mar 16, 2014 18:53:14 GMT -5
Glad they returned. Suppose they came home to have more babies ?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2014 21:32:29 GMT -5
I think they went dormant.
Without a male around and zero reproduction and living in an environment with unlimited resources (clovers and grasses) they were just full. It is a similar story with other tortoises I have seen many times. Desert tortoise disappears for a couple years to then re-appear.
My yard is tortoise tight. babies escape but the adults do not.
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Post by rockpickerforever on Mar 16, 2014 22:14:40 GMT -5
Warm weather today brought out the one remaining chionactis (shovel-nosed snake) that I have. Haven't seen him/her since October at least.
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junglejim
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2014
Posts: 344 
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Post by junglejim on Mar 16, 2014 23:02:49 GMT -5
They appear similar to the box turtles we have around here, hard to gauge size of those. Plenty of clover and maybe a few night crawlers must be keeping them happy. My mom has had a couple box turtles in her yard for over ten years. They have reproduced, she finds a couple babies on occasion. Most are probably escaping. When winter comes they burrow underground and when spring arrives out they come.
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Post by Pat on Mar 16, 2014 23:44:22 GMT -5
Scott , if they were dormant in your yard, wouldn't you have stumbled over them sometime during those three years?
Or do they bury themselves for that period?
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ash
spending too much on rocks
Prairieville, Louisiana
Member since July 2012
Posts: 361
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Post by ash on Mar 17, 2014 23:01:59 GMT -5
if they speak Russian, Putin might come looking for them and annex your yard!
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Post by gingerkid on Mar 19, 2014 8:02:14 GMT -5
 Amazing your girls returned home after 3 years, Scott. How large are the girls? When my brother was about 7 years old, he had a few young box and alligator snapping turtles. One day he thought all of them died and he buried them in a field behind our home. Years later, we realized the turtles may have been "hibernating." ??
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2014 12:34:19 GMT -5
Scott , if they were dormant in your yard, wouldn't you have stumbled over them sometime during those three years? Or do they bury themselves for that period? Yes, the bury themselves. My pic is poor but that tortoise still has dirt crustin on the shell. ash, they are called "Russian Tortoises" but they are found in the 'stans. Pakistan north to Uzbekistan. Putin prolly wants them too! lol They are about 6" and maybe two pounds each. A male is 4" and less than a pound. |
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The Dad_Ohs
fully equipped rock polisher
Take me to your Labradorite!!
Member since September 2012
Posts: 1,860
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Post by The Dad_Ohs on Mar 20, 2014 8:52:12 GMT -5
>The male died 3 years ago, when the females disappeared. Sounds like some sinister plot to me. Sounds familiar to me!! yep, dems wimmin is up to sumtin'!!! |
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bhiatt
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2012
Posts: 1,532
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Post by bhiatt on Mar 20, 2014 11:52:20 GMT -5
aint going to be long before the turtles will be passing by here in the yard.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2014 22:04:52 GMT -5
aint going to be long before the turtles will be passing by here in the yard. Images required! lol I love your yard for sure.  |
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alan
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2013
Posts: 111
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Post by alan on Mar 25, 2014 15:09:33 GMT -5
Might want to put a RFID tag on them so you can track them in the future:)
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2014 15:53:35 GMT -5
Good idea! BUT RFID only works when you know where to scan.
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Amazing your girls returned home after 3 years, Scott. How large are the girls? 
