Texas

[TexasLisa]

i overslept because Lisa did not wake us up

GOOD MORNING MY TEXAN FRIENDS!!!

Hung, go get some coffee and look at the post before yours. I was up---I just didn't say 'Good Morning'. Any luck on finding a dog? How are you feeling?

Lisa

 

[TexasLisa]

A Silkie couldn't raise them because they are so vulnerable when they hatch and need to be fed around the clock for a couple of weeks. Below is a picture of the first Gyr falcon hatched at the conservation facility he runs in Abu Dhabi. A Gyr falcon, the largest falcon, is an Arctic bird whose normal breeding territory is in the Arctic. I'm impressed he was able to successfully breed Arctic falcons in the Middle East. I reread his latest email and he said that the eggs are "usually" removed from the broody chicken before they hatch when they start pipping, so some of them must actually hatch them! I thought ducks sent broody Silkies into a tizzy when they found water. Imagine a Silkie hatching out this little thing.

That is so precious!

Lisa

 

[jajeanpierre]

That is so precious!

Lisa

It is precious in more ways than one, Miss Lisa. If that bird were for sale, it might be worth nearly a million dollars.

I forgot to answer your chicken-raising-falcon question. The falcon would imprint on the chicken, which can't be good for a bird bred to hunt birds. There is always a problem with captive-bred birds of prey imprinting on humans. They are much more dangerous to handle if they are imprinted.

Falconers much prefer a wild-caught falcon. The most sought after falcon would be a wild-caught female under a year of age. Birds just fledging are much stronger than older birds--they have larger, more developed pectoral muscles than older birds even before they've left the nest. They want a female because females are substantially larger than any male. In the Middle East, male falcons are considered birds for children (read sissies). The Gyr falcon, especially the white morph Gyr falcon, is the bird of choice.

 

[jajeanpierre]

He should be fairly safe

It's my understanding that cold blooded animals don't pass on disease to warm blooded animals

Salmonella is a very common pathogen many reptiles carry and can pass on to mammals and birds.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Here is a pic of two of my Tortoises

Nyah and Zurri

They are Sulcatas. They can weigh up to 150 to 200 pounds when they are full grown. I have had them since they were two days old. They are just about 11 years old now and can live for 150 years. This was taken Summer before last and they have added about 10 pounds

They are such gentle loving creatures

I also have Russian Tortoises and Central American Ornate Wood Turtles as well

I adore turtles and tortoises. I would love to have a couple of yard tortoises. Do yours live outside all year?

 

[Melissa Rose]

Quote:
Hi Hung

I enjoyed seeing your beauteous pics of your wedding

!!!! What a Beauteous Bride - you lucky man you

That is me with my torts

! I am a little scrawnier now with my bad liver though

! It makes it hard to keep your weight up

! The chicks are dong great and when ever you are ready for them just let me know

 

[mi2bugz]

So I have a question about bedding in the house. We currently use sand and add straw when it is going to be cold. Cleaning the straw out is a total pain without losing a lot of sand. I wondered what methods others in Texas use. I am thinking of straw during the winter for warmth and sand in the summer for coolness. Any ideas? I am looking for a quick cleaning method. Thank you for any help.

~ Nicole

 

[Melissa Rose]

Quote: Hi

What you see in the pic is a gated compound around my house. I have some severely evil neighbors so they are kept under lock and key. I've had them criminally trespass before and take tortoises out of habitats I had built out on the property

. They are kept in an enclose that has plywood sides. If they can see through it they will bulldoze their way through it. You have to use "site barriers" to contain them. They are all muscle

 

[Melissa Rose]

Quote:
They do live outside all year. They have a heated cave made out of plywood and hay bales that they retreat too when it is cold. I use a pig blanket to warm it on the inside

 

[lovingmyhens]

What ever got you into these kinds of turtles??