RCruz
03-17-2009, 02:32 PM
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I have a large number of turtles. I really didn't plan on having so many it has just worked out that way. I have so many I had to actually stop and do an inventory of them.
5 Reeves turtles
5 Chinese Golden Threads
7 European Pond turtles
5 Dwarf European Pond turtles
4 Eastern Painted turtles
2 Yellow Belly Cooters
2 Common Snapping Turtles
2 Redear Sliders
1 Mississippi Map Turtle
7 Three Toed Box Tortoises
One may have to ask why would someone want to collect so many turtles? Simply put, I cannot tell what sex they are. With the exception of the box tortoises I cannot tell the males from the females. I just want breeding trios, with one male to two females. I have to purchase hatchlings and they cant be sexed until the reach 30% of their adult size.
I have several ponds and two of them are made just for aquatic turtles. My Species preferences are limited. The ones I truly want are two native species called Blandings and Spotted turtles. I can buy these species easily enough from captive bred stock but they are illegal to own in Illinois due to them being endangered species. I would get a lighter jail sentence if I was selling dope if I am caught with them. So what I had to do was look for non native species that would be best suited for living in the American midwest. The Reeves and Chinese Golden Thread turtles are endangered species in Asia. The Chinese have eaten all their turtles into extinction. They believe if you eat turtles you will live a long life. Turtles are naturally long lived animals living many decades and some well into the 100s. The European Pond turtles are also endangered species. As their name states they are from Europe. These turtles range from the United Kingdom east through Russia and as far south as North Africa. This is Europe's only Native species of Aquatic turtle, habitat destruction, pollution, and introduced non native animals have reduced their numbers drastically.
All other aquatic species I have are native to various parts of the United States. I am not really sure how I ended up with some of them. If I recall I bought 2 European pond turtles from someone and he just included a whole bunch of unwanted hatchlings he probably couldn't sell. As they mature and get larger I will return them to the wild where they belong. The two Yellow Bellies will have to be released in the deep south were their kind is originally from.
The Three Toed Box Tortoises are my favorites. They are tortoises, turtles that live on the land. They are poor swimmers and only visit shallow water to soak and drink. They tend to be omnivores enjoying all sorts of invertebrates, fruit, Berries and dark green leafy vegetables. I have a large Section of my yard enclosed and escape proof dedicated to their comfort. Its Planted with native prairie grasses and strawberry plants. They have numerous hiding places with rotten logs to burrow under and hunt for sow bugs and earthworms. They even have their own mud wallow, soaking puddle, and hibernaculim These are the only Reptiles I have named. Each one has a distinct personality and are fun to watch. Sad thing about Boxies, they are now illegal to own. They live very long lives and have a very low reproductive rate. Boxies were collected for the pet trade for decades and now their numbers have plummeted. It was probably the right call by wildlife biologists to make them no longer available. They do not do well in captivity unless one invests in the proper equipment for their husbandry. One thing I have learned, all turtles do best outside. Reptiles need sun. No matter what kind of high priced fancy light bulb one can get nothing works like natural unfiltered sunlight. Natural sunlight and the quest to pursue their own food really lets these creatures thrive.
As I write this I have a large female Boxie I call Big Momma who crawled out from under the cement porch where she has been asleep since the last week of October. I figured the early warm weather would trigger the whole colony to wake up. Its amazing to me how something that just fits in your hand can burrow down into some sandy soil and sleep away months of cold weather without ever taking a drink or a bite to eat. Big Momma is happily soaking in luke warm water in my bathroom sink. The loose sand is falling off and she's drinking like a camel. In the next week she will start eating and will be courted by George and Hot Lips. I sure hope there are little Boxies in my future. Considering its easier to get Crack then it is to get a box tortoise. What an upside down world we live in. Either way
I look forward to looking out my bedroom window to see a few box tortoises just basking in the early morning sun. Always a sign its going to be a beautiful warm day.
I have a large number of turtles. I really didn't plan on having so many it has just worked out that way. I have so many I had to actually stop and do an inventory of them.
5 Reeves turtles
5 Chinese Golden Threads
7 European Pond turtles
5 Dwarf European Pond turtles
4 Eastern Painted turtles
2 Yellow Belly Cooters
2 Common Snapping Turtles
2 Redear Sliders
1 Mississippi Map Turtle
7 Three Toed Box Tortoises
One may have to ask why would someone want to collect so many turtles? Simply put, I cannot tell what sex they are. With the exception of the box tortoises I cannot tell the males from the females. I just want breeding trios, with one male to two females. I have to purchase hatchlings and they cant be sexed until the reach 30% of their adult size.
I have several ponds and two of them are made just for aquatic turtles. My Species preferences are limited. The ones I truly want are two native species called Blandings and Spotted turtles. I can buy these species easily enough from captive bred stock but they are illegal to own in Illinois due to them being endangered species. I would get a lighter jail sentence if I was selling dope if I am caught with them. So what I had to do was look for non native species that would be best suited for living in the American midwest. The Reeves and Chinese Golden Thread turtles are endangered species in Asia. The Chinese have eaten all their turtles into extinction. They believe if you eat turtles you will live a long life. Turtles are naturally long lived animals living many decades and some well into the 100s. The European Pond turtles are also endangered species. As their name states they are from Europe. These turtles range from the United Kingdom east through Russia and as far south as North Africa. This is Europe's only Native species of Aquatic turtle, habitat destruction, pollution, and introduced non native animals have reduced their numbers drastically.
All other aquatic species I have are native to various parts of the United States. I am not really sure how I ended up with some of them. If I recall I bought 2 European pond turtles from someone and he just included a whole bunch of unwanted hatchlings he probably couldn't sell. As they mature and get larger I will return them to the wild where they belong. The two Yellow Bellies will have to be released in the deep south were their kind is originally from.
The Three Toed Box Tortoises are my favorites. They are tortoises, turtles that live on the land. They are poor swimmers and only visit shallow water to soak and drink. They tend to be omnivores enjoying all sorts of invertebrates, fruit, Berries and dark green leafy vegetables. I have a large Section of my yard enclosed and escape proof dedicated to their comfort. Its Planted with native prairie grasses and strawberry plants. They have numerous hiding places with rotten logs to burrow under and hunt for sow bugs and earthworms. They even have their own mud wallow, soaking puddle, and hibernaculim These are the only Reptiles I have named. Each one has a distinct personality and are fun to watch. Sad thing about Boxies, they are now illegal to own. They live very long lives and have a very low reproductive rate. Boxies were collected for the pet trade for decades and now their numbers have plummeted. It was probably the right call by wildlife biologists to make them no longer available. They do not do well in captivity unless one invests in the proper equipment for their husbandry. One thing I have learned, all turtles do best outside. Reptiles need sun. No matter what kind of high priced fancy light bulb one can get nothing works like natural unfiltered sunlight. Natural sunlight and the quest to pursue their own food really lets these creatures thrive.
As I write this I have a large female Boxie I call Big Momma who crawled out from under the cement porch where she has been asleep since the last week of October. I figured the early warm weather would trigger the whole colony to wake up. Its amazing to me how something that just fits in your hand can burrow down into some sandy soil and sleep away months of cold weather without ever taking a drink or a bite to eat. Big Momma is happily soaking in luke warm water in my bathroom sink. The loose sand is falling off and she's drinking like a camel. In the next week she will start eating and will be courted by George and Hot Lips. I sure hope there are little Boxies in my future. Considering its easier to get Crack then it is to get a box tortoise. What an upside down world we live in. Either way
I look forward to looking out my bedroom window to see a few box tortoises just basking in the early morning sun. Always a sign its going to be a beautiful warm day.