Fonzworth Bentley and Penelope

[Delphinus]

What is pyramiding? The bumpy parts on the shell are extra bumpy? (Just a guess, I'm actually not being a smartaleck for once..)

What's the deal with turtles and tortoises in Alberta? Is it, you can keep them, just nobody can legally sell them, is that what it is? I find our F&W laws a bit confusing. For example I understand it is illegal to possess Dendrobates terribilis but other PDF's are fine. (Or are you showing us pictures of contraband now? LOL.)

[Delphinus]

Nice toitles BTW. (And yeah I realize they're tortoises but I just wanted to say "toitle". )

[Ephraim]

alot of the aquatic turtles are illegal to have in alberta, but some are still legal. the ones that are legal are a bit harder to aquire though. only a few types of pdf are illegal. i got the list on my lap top somewhere, lets see if i can find it...

[Delphinus]

So land tortoises are OK, but aquatic turtles are a no-no? And we're talking even the care and possessing of them, not just the trafficing and selling?

I did(do) have a list of PDF's somewhere as it's something I wanted to get into once and it struck me as ridiculously arbitrary and random what was copesetic and what was not.

[Ephraim]

All the animals i list above are illegal to posess/sell/anything. Red ear sliders are ok to have, but you cannot sell.

Originally Posted by Delphinus

So land tortoises are OK, but aquatic turtles are a no-no? And we're talking even the care and possessing of them, not just the trafficing and selling?

I did(do) have a list of PDF's somewhere as it's something I wanted to get into once and it struck me as ridiculously arbitrary and random what was copesetic and what was not.

[Ephraim]

Found it!

Only the genus Phyllobates is prohibitted according to my list which was updated in 2005, should still be current, they rarely update these things.

As for turtles...these are illegal

Snapping Turtle Chelydra serpentina
Alligator Snapping Turtle Macroclemys temmincki
Blanding's Turtle Emydoidea blandingii
European Pond Turtle Emys orbicularis
Map Turtles Genus Graptemys
Mud Turtles Genus Kinosternon
Soft-shelled Turtles Genus Trionyx

[Delphinus]

Oh right, Phyllobates terribilis not Dendrobates terribilis. Ooopsy. And sorry for the hijack Randi. BTW that salad looks spectacular.

[Rbacchiega]

Originally Posted by Ephraim

Found it!

Only the genus Phyllobates is prohibitted according to my list which was updated in 2005, should still be current, they rarely update these things.

As for turtles...these are illegal

Snapping Turtle Chelydra serpentina
Alligator Snapping Turtle Macroclemys temmincki
Blanding's Turtle Emydoidea blandingii
European Pond Turtle Emys orbicularis
Map Turtles Genus Graptemys
Mud Turtles Genus Kinosternon
Soft-shelled Turtles Genus Trionyx

which is a shame because I LOVE map turtles...and I've seen a few Snapping turtles turn up here in Alberta, I think most of them have been rehomed to that place in Saskatchewan...

Well Mark, I'm just saying if.... OH! Maybe you need someone to babysit them when the wedding comes around...and if one goes missing I'll blame it on Zeus...

[Rbacchiega]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

What is pyramiding? The bumpy parts on the shell are extra bumpy? (Just a guess, I'm actually not being a smartaleck for once..)

What's the deal with turtles and tortoises in Alberta? Is it, you can keep them, just nobody can legally sell them, is that what it is? I find our F&W laws a bit confusing. For example I understand it is illegal to possess Dendrobates terribilis but other PDF's are fine. (Or are you showing us pictures of contraband now? LOL.)

You got it Tony, Pyramiding is the extra bumpiness. A healthy tort should have little to no pyramiding. The subject is pretty debatable depending on who you talk to...some say pyramiding is natural, but those tend to be the people who feed all torts one type of food.

Different tortoises require different diets/living conditions. Sulcatas are from arid, dry places and their diet consists of little to no animal protien. The only protien they really get is from various grasses that they eat. Feeding too much at a time can also cause pyramiding.

Red foots, like Mark is talking about, prefer a more humid climate and can handle a wider variety of food including some fruits, whereas sulcatas can't because they are too high in sugar. It's hard for some people, because realistically, I'm pretty sure my two would eat a hot dog if I put it in front of them, so people assume that because their eating it, it can't do any harm....

whoa...end rant

[Delphinus]

Thanks for the explanation. Interesting.

Originally Posted by Rbacchiega

so people assume that because their eating it, it can't do any harm....

If you spill antifreeze in front of a cat or dog there's a good chance they'll start licking it because it smells sweet or something. Probably not a good assumption to make that just because an animal eats it, that it knows what is best for it to eat. All they know is what smells good or tastes good.. usually ..