HI ALL, WELL ,HOT OR WHAT !  IT IS FAR TOO HOT FOR ME BUT THE GIRLS AND BOYS LOVE IT. I HAVE BEEN FEEDING THEM MUCH LATER IN THE DAY AROUND  5 OR 6 AS THEY LIKE TO SLEEP IN THEIR HOUSES WHILST IT IS REALLY HOT . THEY THEN COME OUT AROUND TEA TME FOR A BATH AND SOMETHING TO EAT  AND THEN GO BACK TO BED !! ALRIGHT FOR SOME.  WON'T BE  TOO LONG NOW BEFORE THE FIRST EGGS HATCH, IT IS ALWAYS SO EXCITING EVEN THOUGH I HAVE BEEN DOING IT FOR SOO LONG. I HAVE  A FEW EGGS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN BOOKED SO IF ANYONE WANTS ONE PLEASE BE QUICK.. I AM WAITING TO SEE IF ANY OF GERTIE'S HATCH BEFORE I BOOK THEM OUT; THATS IF I CAN LET ANY OF THEM GO !

MORNING ALL,WELL, DID I HAVE A STRANGE PHONE CALL YESTERDAY OR WHAT!  IT WAS ON MY MOBILE AND FROM A MAN PRETENDING TO BE FROM "PETS 4 HOMES" HE  SHOUTED AND RANTED ABOUT ME AND MY TORTOISES AND HOW I CAN'T SELL MY HATCHLINGS AND ALL SORTS OF OTHER VERY ODD THINGS! HE WOUD NOT LET ME SPEAK AND VERBALLY  THREATENED ME !! I PUT THE PHONE DOWN AND IMMEDIATELY EMAILED "PETS 4 HOMES" AND ASKED THEM TO EXPLAIN. THEY WERE WONDERFUL AND CAME BACK TO ME ALMOST IMMEDIATELY EXPLAINING IT WAS NOT THEM  THEY WERE VERY HAPPY WITH MY ADVERTS ETC AND UNFORTUNATELY YOU DO GET PEOPLE LIKE THIS ABUSING THEIR SITE. THEY ASKED ME IF I HAD HIS NUMBER BUT OBVIOUSLY IT WAS UNAVAILABLE !! THEY ASKED ME IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN  TO LET THEM KNOW AND THEY WOULD INVESTIGATE  . THEY WERE WONDERFUL. I TOLD THEM  I DID HAVE THE COMPLETE CALL  RECORDED BECAUSE IF I GET ANY WITHELD NUMBERS TO MY LANDLINE OR MOBILE I ALWAYS SWITCH MY RECORDER ON JUST IN CASE!!! I AM SO GLAD I DID BECAUSE I HAVE THIS MANS VOICE AND THREATS ON RECORD. NEXT I SPOKE TO THE AUTHORITIES ABOUT IT AND WAS ADVISED TO KEEP THE RECORDING AND IF IT HAPPENED AGAIN ALTHOUGH THE NUMBER WAS WITHELD IT IS VERY VERY EASY TO TRACE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!  SO  THERE YOU ARE .. IT DID UPSET ME FOR A MINUTE BUT THEN I WENT AND SAT WITH GERTIE AND FELT BETTER STRAIGHT AWAY. ISN'T IT A SHAME YOU CANNOT LIVE YOUR LIFE HAPPILY AND QUIETLY WITHOUT SOMEONE WANTING TO SPOIL IT FOR YOU, WELL YOU DIDN'T !!

Well, what a busy time my girls are having..  I now have eggs in the incubator from Daisy and Buttercup (Hermanns) and then Bertha laid today (Spur Thighed)  and finally  would you believe it Gertie  (Spur Thighed)yes Gertie who is nearly 140 !! has laid some today and one of them is a double !! It looks perfect but just double in length so it maybe twins!!!! I hope this year they may hatch but if not at least she has expelled them. I am soo excited , just think if these little eggs hatch what a fantastic amazing thing it would be; I don't know if I could part with any of them... We will have to wait and see.

HI everyone, well, it  has been a little while since my last blog but things have been rather hectic. I must talk about  the picture gallery.I was going to post pictures of all the new girls and boys who have joined the clan but having spoken to a breeder friend of mine about security I have decided unfortunately not to do this anymore. Although I have numerous cameras and 24 hour cctv ,  some as you come onto the propery and when you leave it along with many cameras for the pens etc both indoors and out plus night vision !!!  I have been advised you cannot be too careful. I always ask my buyers not to tell anyone where I am but .... Both my friend and I have received odd phone calls asking many times where abouts we are. I never say until  I know the person is really serious about a hatchling and it is really easy to read when someone is just fishing for a location. So, please never say where I am just tell anyone interested to ring me first. Getting back to the pictures, all these lovely girls and boys are just tooooo precious to  risk it. Therefore anyone who was waiting I am sorry but please be assured it is because I care very much for they safety and well being. Anyone who would like to know how their donated toroise is please ring me or email me and then you can come and see them..

Hi everyone, sorry it's been a while but I have been busy with all the girls and boys waking up. They are all eating well and have had a few long baths as well as eyes and faces washed !! I am very happy to say I have a few donated old girls and boys who have also settled in really well and are  loving the space, food and company. I will be taking pictures soon and putting them on the gallery, I am just waiting for a really sunny day. I will also post pictures of the 2 new pens. I have moved the younger Torties into them  and they are loving their new space. .Girls in one and boys in the other. We did have a couple of nice days recently so they all went onto the lawn for a wander and that was lovely to watch as they still like to hang out together; they don't all wander off in different directions. As long as the weather warms up soon my girls should start laying but if they don't well thats fine too. I have planted lots of weeds seeds that were kindly given to me and they have sprouted already. I have also planted greens and cabbages  and I will also plant tomatoes as they love them.  It has been a great year for dandelions , I walk up the lane every day and literally fill a carrier bag !! What a feast... 

HI everyone. I thought I would write about waking from hibernation  as I have received lots of emails from worried owners.. The weather has been so cold that every thing is late this year.Normally most would wake from mid March to the end of the month but because of the snow/cold they are still not awake. Or ,if they have they are very very sluggish. None of mine are awake yet and  of course it is a worrying time but you can't force them to wake up. Whilst they are sleeping  they are not using energy so are fine. I understand the worry about enough weight to sustain them but  there is not much to do other than wait. If you are concerned after checking that your tortie is very light in weight then you can bring it indoors so that it will wake slowly in the house . It is not a good idea  however to put it under a lamp because it won't be long before it    goes back into the garden with the cooler temperature. Of course I am on tender hooks and I check 3 times a day !!The weather is meant to be warmer early next week so hopefully we will all be busy  bathing and  breathing a sigh of relief !!

Hi all, today I want to talk about keeping different species and  different sexes together. Firstly, you can keep different species together; I have kept both Hermanns and Spur Thighed together for  over 36 years and never had any problems. What I have never done however is keep the girls and boys together as this can be very stressful for both . The girls live happily with other girls and I only put one boy in when  I know it is mating season and both parties are happy.  If the girl is not ready she will not let the boy have his way and normally he will leave her alone. I only allow a short time and then remove him as it can be stressful for him as well. Now, this obviously works really well as all my girls are really happy and produced  lots of hatchlings last year and many years before that.  So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE  remember, always keep the girls and boys apart other than at mating times so as not to cause any stress. The mating window is small and after that the girls want to relax as  when it comes to laying the eggs.........Well, that takes  about 5 hours...  With hatchlings it is a different matter; both sexes should live happily together indoors . They should go into the garden full time year 4 or 5 and by that time out door pens areas should be ready. If you get a male trying  his luck or being a bit of a bully before this then he should be seperated from the girls straight away. He is too young to mate but it can be  an act of domination.  Also, if you add  another  tortoise or  two each year to  the  hatchlings  you already have you can sometimes get some rivalry when  the new one can be bullied for a few days by the ones who are already settled. This usually settles down after a little while but again if it doesn't then the offending tortoise should be seperated for a few hours at a  time until things have calmed down. I must say I have never had anyone of my buyers tell me they have had this problem  and as long as the housing is large  there should be sufficient space for all parties to live in peace.

HI EVERYONE, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!  I HOPE YOU ALL HAD A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS AND ARE NOW LOOKING FORWARD TO THE SPRING!  I AM ,I DO LOVE THE BEAUTY OF WINTER AND I DO LOVE THE SNOW; BUT......... I MISS MY GIRLS AND BOYS AND CAN,T WAIT FOR THEM ALL TO WAKE UP. I ESPECIALLY WORRY ABOUT GERTIE AS SHE IS SOOOO OLD NOW. I AM IN PANIC MODE AROUND MARCH UNTIL SHE HAS WOKEN UP.ALSO, I HAVE  NEW ONES THAT HAVE BEEN DONATED SO THEY ARE ALSO A WORRY BECAUSE SOME OF THEM HAVE NOT BEEN HIBERNATED BEFORE.. ......I DON'T RELAX UNTIL THEY ARE ALL BATHED ,EYES AND FACES WASHED AND HAVE HAD A LOVELY FRESH DRINK OF WATER..THEN I KNOW ALL IS OK AND THEY CAN ENJOY THE COMING SUMMER ,SWIMMING IN THEIR POOL  EATING OFF THE BEST MENU  AND ROMANCING THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRLS !!!!     NOW , A WORD ABOUT YOUR HIBERNATING TORTIES; IT IS A GREAT TIME TO CHECK ALL IS WELL IN THEIR HOUSING.  CHECK THE HAY IS DRY,GO ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE BOTTOM AND REPLACE ANY THAT FEELS DAMP.PACK IT BACK IN ALL AROUND THE TORTOISE ,IF THE HAY IS DRY IT CANNOT FREEZE OR ROT THE SHELL.TAKE HAY WITH YOU IN ;CASE YOU HAVE TO CHANGE SOME AND A BAG TO PUT THE OLD STUFF IN; THAT WAY IF YOU HAVE TO DO ANYTHING AND ARE WORRIED ABOUT DISTURBING THE TORTOISE  YOU WON,T HAVE TO GO BACKWARDS AND FORWARD GETTING THINGS.DON'T WORRY ABOUT MOVING THE TORTOISE IT IS IN A REALLY DEEP SLEEP AND ALTHOUGH SOMETIMES THEY WILL MOVE A LIMB SLIGHTLY OR MAKE A SMALL NOISE THIS DOESN'T MEAN THEY ARE WAKING UP..ONCE YOU ARE SURE ALL IS OK CLOSE THE LID/DOOR AND LEAVE THEM TO SLEEP.ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE RING OR EMAIL ME....TAKE CARE..                              

HI all, well ,Xmas is almost here and I would just like to say  have a wonderful time  and thankyou so much all those of you who sent me some wonderful cards and gifts!! I look forward to  talking to you in the new year and I have a wonderful idea for the Summer  so watch this space !!!!

Hi everyone, well ,Winter really is here and on checking the temperature outside this morning it was -6 degrees!!  So, all those of you with your torties outside now is the time to go check all is well.  Make sure the inside of the housing is DRY  this is really important so as not to get any shell rot..  Check the floor is dry  and there is alot of hay on it as they do tend to scrape it away and end up with none  underneath them.  If in doubt you can carefully lift them an push lots more hay underneath them then pack more around them..  Remember,hay will not freeze if it is dry so it is great to use. Also, make sure it is dry underneath the housing ,not on soil.If it is move it onto hard flooring ie, concrete,patio etc.If you are really worried and we get alot of snow you can pick the whole thing up and put it in a shed or garage. All these things will not disturb them as they are in a really deep sleep. I am in the country and get alot of wind which will drift the snow so if this happens I will put them in the shed but it will have to be extreme. If you remember a much earlier  blog where a friend of mine lost one of her babies who was only a hatchling and he managed to hibernate on his own during the snow etc and  woke up  slim but fine . He I might add had a great Summer and is absolutely fine! So, TRY  not to worry too much although I know it's difficult and if in doubt  let me know; you can email me ..