(rhythmic jungle theme plays)
- So, these are our Rhino Iguanas.
You guys have seen them in some other videos.
This is Blue, the female and that's Rocky, the male.
Ah, ah, ah, well they're fighting, over strawberries.
This is one of their favorite foods
and we basically like to give it to 'em as a treat.
Especially after a really hot summer day
like we just had today,
we're actually trying to beat a thunderstorm
that's probably gonna drench the place. C'mon girl.
(child mumbles)
These guys are amazing lizards.
They're super intelligent and they really,
basically, get a diet that's similar
to our tortoises, of weeds and flowers
and other greens, but fruit in moderation is okay,
and that's why we're giving them
one of their favorites right now.
You're greedy, you know that?
Oh, now you don't want it?
- [Child Speaker] She get away.
She take it.
She like it?
- Big boy.
Actually, Rocky's not even that big yet.
He's still got some growing to do.
Blue is not eating that much lately,
and it could be because she might be gravid.
So, before I left for work this morning,
I threw out a bunch of greens because
every Monday we get produce delivery.
And, again, the stuff that we're feeding any of our animals
in this video is just a supplement
to what they normally get.
So, these Western Hermann's Tortoises typically get weeds
and flowers and all kinds of good stuff like that
but today they're getting some dandelion.
Again, in moderation.
So, this is a group right here from Mallorca.
It's an island in the Balearic islands,
also pronounced Majorca.
And, over here
- [Offscreen Speaker] You're so cultured.
- I am, right? Not really.
People are probably laughing at me trying
to say these things.
(woman laughs)
These are French Western Hermann's
from the south of France, Veloz.
You can see from the heat of the day
this stuff has wilted, but believe it or not,
it's actually really good for them
when it starts to wilt and dry up like that.
Over here,
these are the Western Hermann's Tortoises
from part of my homeland
which would be Apulia, Italy or Puglia.
Beautiful animals.
And, they've been hiding all day, cause it's been so hot
and now they're coming out and enjoying what they have left
of these big piles of dandelion.
And, tomorrow they'll get hibiscus and they'll get clover
and vetch and ribwort and something else the next day
and something else the next day.
And, then again, next Monday, they'll deliver some produce
and again, moderation. Everybody's looking great.
Everybody's healthy and hungry.
Let's go feed some Wood Turtles.
Hanging out with the Wood Turtles, eating strawberries
and I'm gonna have one too.
Although, I think I gave them the best ones so far.
Wood Turtles, like Box Turtles, are omnivorous
so they eat both, you know, vegetable matter, fruits,
and also animal matter.
Can't go crazy with fruit, it's high in sugar.
But a good alternative to something like a banana
is gonna be your berries. Strawberries, blueberries
blackberries, raspberries, and in the wild, Wood Turtles
and Box Turtles will readily eat wild raspberries
and wild strawberries and of course blueberry.
So, supplementing their diet
of Earthworms, mushrooms,
some commercial diet, they even need a lot of greens,
especially in the spring
they won't hesitate to eat some weeds.
So, this is a nice, just like the iguanas,
it's a nice treat for them.
(upbeat xylophone music plays)
Come to me, animal friends.
Nah, you can't have one on the ground, they're dirty.
- [Child Speaker] I want one.
- [Previous Speaker] I'll give you one outta here.
(xylophone music continues)
So, there you go.
Berries are a great alternative to some other fruits.
They're excellent on a hot summer day
when things might be getting a little dehydrated.
And, it's starting to pour,
so we're gonna beat the thunderstorm and head back inside.
So, of course, we gotta give Otis some of the goods.
Some of the fresh strawberries that we got.
Like all Box Turtles, or most I should say,
Otis does like fruit, to an extent.
And what Box Turtle doesn't like strawberries?
Go ahead. Come on.
Take a bite.
There you go.
Let him have a little more of this.
Look at how red his eyes are.
They literally match the strawberry.
And, that is a classic trait of,
of course, the male. Females can have a version
of red eyes, contrary to popular belief.
But, now what I'm gonna do here is, even though
Otis is really into this strawberry,
I'm gonna see if I can get his attention
with something
live.
So, even though Otis is really into the strawberry
I want to see if he gets distracted because the roach moves.
Or, if he just simply knows what it is off the bat.
He really wants the strawberry.
Let's try it again.
Which one, dude? Oh, that time he went for the roach.
So, my point for doing that was because
I wanted to give you guys a little tip
in case you don't already know this.
Certain turtles like Box and Wood Turtles
and even some of the Asian species of turtle,
are triggered by movement.
And, you can end up with a difficult feeder
and this goes for captive-bred animals.
Sometimes they're just very difficult to feed.
And, when you offer something living, like a roach
if it's a larger turtle, or a cricket or a small worm
or a wax worm, just a couple ideas if it's a baby turtle.
That can help you get an otherwise stubborn animal
to feed readily.
And, that's important because you don't wanna wait too long
if an animal is being that stubborn and hey, evolutionarily,
these animals are supposed to eat live prey items,
so there you go.
Just a little tip that hopefully helps you out
if you're having any problems.
(upbeat rhythmic music plays)
We're gonna go feed the old Loggerhead, Chum,
Alligator Snapping Turtle.
I'm rocking a Texas Turtle shirt. My older one,
which is why it's faded and disgusting.
I wear it in the field, but Viv and Carl
sent me a new one and it's in wonderful shape
and I'm trying to keep it that way.
- [Woman] I want one.
- Yes.
Ah.
So,
thanks to my friend and coworker, Zach,
we've got some fresh trout here that he caught
and we're gonna go ahead and feed it to Chum, our big boy.
He's one of the best animals here to feed.
He's just so much fun.
Super impressive.
Doing so well.
Here he comes, look at this.
Here he is.
- [Woman] Wow, like a rocket.
- Yeah, I lost it there.
It's okay, we got another one for him.
Can't beat stuff like this.
This is excellent food for him.
It's freshwater fish, which is even better.
You could feed saltwater fish
but you don't wanna get too carried away with that.
Here he is. There's the big boy.
Chum weighs probably a little over a hundred pounds.
We gotta pull him out and weigh him.
And, his shell is 25 inches long.
Here buddy.
(man laughs)
Really gentle for such a big giant.
Variety is key.
We try not to feed the same thing all the time.
It keeps the animals interested
and it keeps 'em really healthy.
(rhythmic music and chanting)