DANGERS IN YOUR YARD

All of the following are hazards to look out for: little white rocks, hair, human and animal, poisonous plants, deep water dishes and swimming pools, paper clips, baggie ties, snail bait, bits of plastic, plastic bags, long strands of bermuda grass, tacks, broken glass, fish hooks, yarn, needles and thread, sticky cactus, bobby pins, swimming pool NETS and various chemicals, can lids, nails, staples - just about everything imaginable can harm your pets.Try to discourage your neighbors from spraying poisons along your fence line. If they resist, ask them to PLEASE tell you when they are going to spray so that you can move your pets to safety. don't return them outdoors until you have thoroughly hosed everything down and cleaned out the ponds and water dishes. Promptly bring injured pets indoors. (yes, some people don't!) Maggots KILL. Inspect the wounded area for maggots or an infection. If it looks bad, it IS bad. If it smells bad, it IS bad. BE ALERT.

PICK UP THOSE SCATS!

”Scats, a term used when referring to animal droppings.” Why keep them picked up? Most tortoises have some intestinal worms. A “light load” of intestinal parasites is not abnormal for tortoises or for any wild animal. In captivity where living areas are much smaller than in the wild, excessive contamination of the living area is a potential problem. Anemia is only one consequence of internal parasites. Microscopic eggs laid by the parasites are passed out in the scats. If scats are left where tortoises may eat, such as on grass, the eggs may be washed onto the grass from your sprinkler. The tortoise inadvertently ingests the eggs as it grazes, and this adds to the tortoise's load of internal parasites. This feedback situation can be avoided if you pick up and discard all scats as soon as they are found. Do not put them in the compost pile. Because some tortoises also eat soil on occasion, pick up scats from areas without vegetation. Some parasite eggs withstand drying and persist for a long time, ready to hatch when ingested. Place a putty knife and a small can where you can easily pick them up as you go out the door to tend to your tortoises. Make this a daily habit. Intestinal parasites can be a slow but steadily debilitating condition. You can find out just how your tortoise is faring by taking a fresh scat to the vet for a microscopic examination. Treatment is simple and a reasonable expense for your uncomplaining tortoises.

Information taken from The Tortoise Group newsletter, Volume XV No. 2 May 1997 - Las Vegas, Nevada