i'm sure that they will recognize it if you mention farid ibrahim.

this is the official announcement from the Department of Wildlife



from http://www.wildlife.gov.my/index.php/en/ac...ansition-period

Act 716

for reptiles, refer to page 86-94 for protected species and page 131-133 for totally protected species.

i reviewed all the turtles in the list, and found a FTW fact - they used the obsolete binomial name Mauremys sinensis preceding Ocadia sinensis. and yeah, i believe many people didn't declare theirs because of this screw-up. Congratulations Perhilitan.

This post has been edited by camillenoir: Jul 3 2011, 11:59 PM

they should care. it shows that the only thing that their r&d team can do in the '11 long years'* of research is copying whatever IUCN had stated in their list without considering the best and most effective method of information dispersion.

and because i'm one of those people who got screwed for some rm5 turtle

*as stated bullcrapped by Ministry of Natural Resources not long ago.

hi there,

as with all chelonians, future planning is a must, not just for months or 2-3 years but for decades to come. and this species needs some other special consideration as well. besides from being big, they are some of the most destructive (no filmsy enclosures), needs large holding area (not practical if you're living in a non-landed property unless you're willing to sacrifice a room) and eats and poos a lot.

so the question that you need to consider is, will your girlfriend be able to provide for the ever increasing requirements for food, space, nutrition, cleaning, maintenance and all other responsibilities and husbandry requirements for the next 50 years?

please also note, that to provide for best, ideal diet, you might need to provide some areas to grow their food source as market greens does not really make the cut (too fleshy and not enough fiber!) and under the law, the owner would be stuck with them forever once you get them, so think carefully.

anyway, good luck and hopefully you choose the best option for your gf.

okay nice questions. most of the keepers here make no effort to grow their own grass and grazing mix, which is quite sad because we have the climate advantage at our side. compared to the keepers from temperate climates (continental US, Europe, etc) which makes effort to provide quality food for their animals year-long even though they are affected by winter, our keepers here are more than happy to depend on supermarket greens. some self-proclaimed 'tortoise specialist' had also preached in another forum about ideal food, but he himself is known to provide 'nasi goreng usa mix to his tortoises, seemingly as staple.

ok, to get the question answered, virtually any kind of commonly available pasture grass can be used - timothy, bermuda, rye, fescues, kentucky bluegrass, zoysia, rumput kerbau etc etc just be selective with them as some e.g. Pennisetum sp. can get high in protein (10%-20%) depending on growth state, alfalfa get more protein-ous than others, etc.

as for other pasture/weed mix (which can be sown together with the grasses, but only in small to moderate quantity) - all kinds of clover, plantain (Plantago sp., not Musa balbisiana or any of its commercial hybrids), marsh mellow, milk thistle, nettles, etc, etc.

dandelion, hawks's beard, hawkbit, sherperd's purse, etc are some of the best weeds around. they can also be mixed with grasses but I prefer to plant them away from the grasses as their rosette forming foliage could hinder other plants.

ferns are mostly safe for consumption, just take note of their spores which can get into respiratory systems.

Opuntias, well, no-brainer. just get those with as little spines and glochids as possible. (cochinilifera, ficus-indica, cacapana var. ellisiana, etc). i prefer spines to glochids, as those tiny stuff are irritating once they get into your skin. there are also a multitude of opuntias with varieties of textures and colors in case the tortoises got bored with green.

as for other food items (mulberry leaves, hibiscus, etc) I think there had been many discussions on this already.

the trick is to mix and match a little bit here and there to get a healthy mix that the tortoises can graze happily. there is no single right or wrong diet, the trick is to provide balanced nutrient contents while minimizing harmful substances.

and also note:

i) always refer to scientific/binomial names when your searching for grass seeds, as some so called grass are not grass at all e.g. Zephyranthes sp., which is actually an Amaryllid and are toxic!, italian dandelion is actually chicory that can absorb nitrates from the ground and fertilizers and can get dangerous. knowledge of scientific names will help much!

ii) for the dandelions, etc (Asters) - some lookalikes which look very similar are quite toxic. be extra careful.

iii) wood sorrels Oxalis sp. are not to be confused with clovers (Trifolium sp.)!! Wood sorrels contains very high amount of oxalic acid and should be avoided.

iv) AVOID CHEMICAL FERTILIZER. if possible, grow as natural as you can as fertilizers can cause nutrient imbalance, e.g. abnormal Ca : P ratio, toxicity, high nitrogen contents, etc..

v) i don't preach what I don't do

it's illegal to get involved in any kind of transactions involving star tortoises, and for those who managed to get their special permit under 686 or would be getting their license under 716, the transfer of ownership is illegal too. fyi.

any of the smaller ones - cherry heads, pancake, etc. just do a little research on them and their husbandry requirements before getting the actual specimens.


try here Shelled Warriors Shop. they might be a little slow in answering emails though.

yes, you're doing the right thing by not feeding them plants that you can't ID

two answers to this:

i) practical point of view : i prefer not to, as they are known to cause diarrhea when taken in large amounts.

ii) scientific point of view : many aloe species, aloe vera included, contains aloin, a toxic compound contained mostly in the saps of aloe which could cause several ailments. tortoise trust, the pioneer in scientific researches and publications on tortoise diet, also listed a related species as plainly toxic. also note that most commercial products based on aloe is made purely of out aloe gel without the sap, so those products are aloin-free and would not cause any symptoms of the user.

so no, i won't give mine aloe vera either.

i don't know much about fashion, but last i heard, yellow is the 'in' color.

exactly the point - fibers are not supposed to be digested. fibrous poo is actually healthy poo!

i was wondering about this too. anyone had any answers?

Hi,

You should first get the enclosure and husbandry needs (basking light, basking spot) set up well, and maybe a heater at lower temp ready. this is not a conclusive diagnosis, but normally cases involving lack of appetite (and other problems too) can be resolved by triggering the turtle's metabolism.

kangkung should be avoided at all cost as the Ca to oxalic acid ratio is about 1:3 (in effect, 0% calcium could be absorbed by the turtle although the Ca:P ratio is nearly 4:1). try offering floating plants (Eichhornia crassipes, Pistia stratiotes) - can be referred to at the 1st page of this thread.

other than that, well, it's in schedule 5 of act 716...

i wouldn't recommend commercial feeder fish either... besides the inferior nutrient balance compared to pellets (not gonna discuss this at the moment), chasing live prey would burn energy unnecessarily at this point. an un-established 2 incher chasing comets - not something that i'd like to see.

you can refer to act 716 here

http://www.wildlife.gov.my/pengumuman/Wild...10%20Act716.pdf

This post has been edited by camillenoir: Aug 5 2011, 10:02 PM

we are not affected much, except in terms of:

i) fees
ii) regulations on enclosure size, placement, hygiene etc

species involved are those covered by the International Trade of Endangered Species Act 2008 and Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 (which are virtually the same except for a few species).

i think i already answered that in my last sentence...

sure of course. last time I asked members to not post photos here during the 686 fracas because people get too carried away and did not practice discretion during discussions, making the forum look like a hub for smugglers

found in malaysia, bred in malaysia, proven out in malaysia --> should send some to west malaysia lorr!!

congrats anyway!!

RM50,000 - RM800 = RM49200.

30,000-11.11 = RM29988.89

RM30,000 per offence involving those from schedule 5. 716 stays around offences, while 686 clearly state per head (no RES under 686 fortunately).

officially the grace period had ended... you might need to contact them again.

they are doing a lousy job for letting controlled species to be sold until now.