Turtles

Turtles

     Tortoises grow by adding to the edges of the plates of their shell. This can be seen as ridges between the plates. Possessing light patches in the growth lines on South African Leopard Tortoises. These alternating light and dark patches are what creates the spotted shell pattern that gives these tortoises their name.

     One of the typical attributes of South African Leopard Tortoises is speckling of the skin. It varies from baby to baby and is not apparent in adults. To determine healthy tortoise babies always look for:

Good shell growth:


Never buy a baby tortoise that does not show good growth lines. Tortoises require special bacteria to be preset in their digestive tract to enable them to properly digest and abosrb food. Without these bacteria the tortoises will eat but not grow or thrive. These growth lines are an indicatioon that the baby has this good bacteria established in its system.


Good body weight, good appetite:

Tortoises that are not healthy will not gain weight normally. This also shows up as lack of appetite. Healthy babies eat like "little pigs".




Alertness:

Baby tortoises do sleep a lot. However when they are awake they should be alert and active. When we house our babies inside it is quite comical to see them all come to the edge of the enclosure when we walk in.




Clear eyes:

Unhealthy tortoises will not have clear, open eyes. Eyes that do not look clear or if they cannot open one or both are signs of trouble. Note that tropical tortoises such as the Red-foot and Yellow-foot tortoises normally have 'weepy' eyes that do not appear dry as in desert species.


Unobstructed nostrils:


Obstructed nostrils are signs of respiratory tract infection. These babies require special care including antibiotics and constant warmth.




      As you know, the world has fewer and fewer safe places for wildlife. Most animals are on the verge of extinction due to pollution and habitat destruction. Many international communities and the United States have developed laws that will hopefully safeguard the remaining wild animals of the world. C.I.T.E.S. is one such policy. It stands for Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Another is our own government�s Endangered Species Act or E.S.A. Many States have their own set of regulations. It all boils down to the fact that we cannot just go out and collect or buy any turtle we want. There are laws protecting many of them. Often permits are required to keep, sell, and transport reptiles.

This means:





Do not buy endangered turtles. Do not take adult, breeding turtles out of the wild. Do not dig up or disturb the nests of turtles. Do not take more than one animal out of the wild if your state laws allow you to collect wild box turtles.

     Remember, the more you buy, the more will die. Buying wild caught turtles will only keep alive the cycle of collecting thousands of wild turtles for the pet stores. These turtles are often bought by impulse buyers who know very little about how to care for turtles. Often pet stores and impulse buyers view turtles as cheap, disposable pets. Box turtles don�t make good pets for small children. They won�t play fetch the stick! A sad statistic is that many don�t survive six months in captivity.

     Insist on buying only captive bred turtles. These are turtles that are born at a turtle breeding farm and are already used to being in captivity. It usually will be a healthier turtle. Captive bred turtles are often available through mail order breeders. Addresses of mail order companies can be found in reptile magazines.





Box Turtles Top



     Most box turtles live in geographic areas that require them to hibernate for three to five months of the year. During this time, food is scarce and outside temperatures are so low that box turtles cannot raise their body temperature high enough to maintain normal activity. Hibernation allows the box turtle to live until better times return in the spring. Hibernation is not a time of cozy sleep, but a dangerous time when bodily functions are barely keeping the box turtle alive. The heart rate slows, digestion stops and the turtle cannot voluntarily move or even open its eyes. Many wild and pet box turtles die during this period.

     Once the turtle is brought home, you will want to give it special attention for the next few weeks. Assess the turtle�s health and take care of any problems. If its housing hasn�t been made, you need to take care of that as soon as possible. Housing information is provided in another section. It should not be housed with any existing pet box turtles for several months. A quarantine period will lessen the chances of it infecting your other turtles. The quarantine housing can be a small pen or temporary housing in a glass aquarium setup like the "hospital tank" discussed in the health section.

     Box turtles are outdoor animals. They need sunlight for health and well-being. Health will be discussed later. The well-being of a turtle is important for you also. A turtle housed in a glass tank is not the same interesting, inquisitive, funny, bold creature you thought you�d be getting. A box turtle in a tank will likely go into a corner and try to scratch and climb its way out. It will finally give up, and when it does, it becomes more like a rock then a turtle. Many will succumb to various stress-related illnesses or stop eating.

     Not everyone has access to a backyard, but even a large plastic pond liner placed outdoors can work out as housing. It should have drainage holes and be placed so it has partial shade at all times. The sides of any kind of plastics can store and reflect heat so the inside of the enclosure can become very hot. Heat can build up and overcome your turtles if the plastic pen is not well shaded.

     The pen must be a safe haven for your box turtle. Protection from pet dogs, wild animals, birds, biting insects and small children is important. It only takes a dog a few minutes to damage or kill a turtle.

     Pick an area of the yard that receives the morning sun. This would be on the east side of a house or garage. One side of the house or garage could be a side of the enclosure. If you do this, you will not need the 4th length of vinyl siding or PVC pipe. Don�t put the enclosure under a large shade tree or in an area that floods after rains.

     Ask the pet store�s staff questions. Are these captive bred box turtles? Has the turtle been eating well? What does it eat; how often is it fed; has it seen a veterinarian for parasites? If you don�t get good answers to your questions then take your business somewhere else. There are some pet stores that are poorly managed, and not all pet stores treat reptiles with the same respect they would a puppy or kitten. You may want to reconsider giving your money to a store like that.

     Captive-bred turtles can be purchased from breeders, whose addresses can usually be found in the back of reptile magazines. Their box turtles may be more expensive then pet store turtles, but I think they are worth the price. By buying captive-bred turtles you are not depleting the wild population.

     Here are more do�s and don�ts for successful hibernation: Do take the time to prepare a proper hibernation place for your outdoor box turtle. Don�t leave it up to chance. Do choose an area that does not flood or collect run off water. Your turtles could drown. Don�t hibernate sick, light weight or young box turtles. Keep them indoors in a roomy, well heated tank and feed them all winter long. Do protect your hibernating box turtles from foraging wild animals like rats, mice or raccoons and from other pets that may break open their hibernation boxes or dens. Do check on your hibernating turtles once in awhile. You may find ill turtles above ground or the signs of wild animals foraging for food. Don�t let your turtles hibernate in wet or soggy ground.

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