Two Turtle Lovers

Woman Looking For Family Tortoise

2010-04-02T17:32:00.002-05:00

read here

... Linda Gandy can't find one of her family pets ... But it's not a dog or cat she's searching for, it something much more unique ... I'm just looking for my tortoise ... Shelby escaped from his backyard pen ... It's most likely that Shelby headed towards the woods ... looking for a mate ... this isn't the first time Shelby has tried to run free.

Tortoise blamed for fire call

2009-07-25T18:58:00.003-05:00

read here about a tortoise that started a house fire!

A giant tortoise named Crush is being blamed for starting a fire in the basement of its home.

Upon entering the basement, firefighters found the tortoise inside a 4-foot by 4-foot box filled with smoldering woodchips.

Duffy said the tortoise apparently knocked over its heat lamp.

“He’s low to the ground so the smoke didn’t get to him,” Costello said.

All I have to say is be careful and be certain how you setup your heat lamps so you don't start a fire of your own!

21st annual San Juan Fiesta and Turtle Fest

2009-06-24T11:37:00.001-05:00

Twenty-one years ago, a mere eight turtles competed during the San Juan Fiesta and Turtle Fest, said Frank Torez, head turtlemaster. This year, 96 turtles raced along a nine-lane wooden track.

Read full story here

Missing tortoise found

2009-06-24T11:36:00.001-05:00

SWANSEA, Ill. -- Thelma the tortoise is back at home in Swansea after 18 days of freedom.

Joseph Ponder of Belleville was walking to a convenience store Saturday when he spotted the 30-pound African leopard tortoise.

On his way home, he picked up Thelma and showed her to some people who were driving by.

One of them remembered seeing an article about the missing tortoise in a Belleville newspaper and called the newsroom.

A reporter called Thelma's owner, Margie Rice, who went to Ponder's apartment and got Thelma back.

Rice said Thelma had traveled a number of miles since she fled June 2 from her fenced-in patio at Rice's home, about 15 miles southeast of St. Louis.

It's amazing Thelma hadn't been hit by a car during her long journey, Rice said

Ready full story here

Crazy Turtle Woman

2009-05-29T20:57:00.002-05:00

'Crazy Turtle Woman' transforms graveyard into maternity ward. For 100 million years, the creatures have traveled the world's oceans, outliving the dinosaurs. Every year, female leatherbacks make their way onto the beach, laying their eggs deep in the sand. For years, Baptiste and her group patrolled the beaches every night of turtle nesting season. She often walked alone until sunrise. Locals mocked her efforts, calling her the "Turtle Police" or "Crazy Turtle Woman," yet her dedication to the unpaid work was fierce; when it conflicted with her day job, she quit and found a new job. She and her group also worked hard to convince the villagers that using the turtles for eco-tourism could create a more sustainable income. "I wanted to show that a turtle is [worth] so much more to us alive than dead," Baptiste said.

Bringing Back some Extinct Races of the Galapagos Turtle

2008-09-24T17:49:00.000-05:00

link

Very interesting article.

Time for a Little Fun - Great Turtle Race

2008-06-08T21:35:00.000-05:00

Track a turtle! http://www.greatturtlerace.com/

Awesome Tortoise Pic

2007-05-30T22:00:00.000-05:00

I've posted on this story before, but I had to repost with this awesome pic. My wife and I have a tortoise that looks very similar to this guy ... only ours is a Hermann's Tortoise named Tommy and he's a tad bigger than this guy.

Happy WORLD TURTLE DAY!

2007-05-23T18:15:00.000-05:00

humane society of u.s.

May is a busy month for turtles. Many have recently emerged from winter hibernation and are beginning their search for mates and nesting areas. For this reason, May 23 was designated World Turtle Day.

Have a great day, and think of the turtles!

Rare Egyptian Tortoises bred

2007-05-23T18:14:00.000-05:00

yahoo link

ROME - Rome's main zoo has successfully bred several rare Egyptian tortoises whose parents were rescued from a smuggler's suitcase in 2005, officials said.

Cute!

Rare Softshell Turtle

2007-05-23T18:12:00.000-05:00

conservation link

Phnom Penh, Cambodia – One of the world’s largest and least studied freshwater turtles has been found in Cambodia’s Mekong River, raising hopes that the threatened species can be saved from extinction.

Wow!

Great Turtle Race starts soon!

2007-04-13T20:33:00.000-05:00

msnbc link

Go Here to learn more.

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - Eleven leatherback turtles are swimming across the Pacific Ocean to the Galapagos Islands in a "race" that will be tracked online to draw attention to the plight of the critically endangered creatures, which have inhabited the oceans for 100 million years.

Fun fun fun!

Sonny

2007-04-12T20:21:00.000-05:00

One of our pet turtles.

2 Blandings Turtles spotted in our Pond

2007-03-27T20:24:00.002-05:00

wisconsin dnr link

It can be easily identified by the bright yellow underside of its neck.

Blanding's turtle is unique because, unlike most turtles, it can swallow food both in and out of the water.

The Blanding's turtle is semi-aquatic. It prefers open, grassy marshes containing shallow water, but it will, on occasion, move to ground adjacent to water to forage or bask in the sun.

Legal Status in Wisconsin: Threatened

My wife and I spotted 2 Blandings turtles, farely large in size, perhaps 8-10 inches, sitting on logs in our pond Sunday. I saw one again Monday evening. They are a threatened species in Wisconsin, so it was very exciting to see them mixed in with our pond's painted turtles & snappers as spring starts.

Turtle thought extinct found in Thailand

2007-01-11T18:11:00.000-06:00

msnbc link

A river terrapin turtle, about 20 inches long and weighing 61.6 pounds, is shown at a fisheries research station in Phang Nga, Thailand. Thai villagers caught the rare female turtle thought to be extinct in the country in a mangrove canal in Phang Nga province on the country's Andaman coast.

What a cute one!

We Have a Tortoise! (and 2 other turtles)

2006-10-03T22:47:00.000-05:00

I have been so caught up in politics that I have forgotten to mention the great news! My wife and I got our first tortoise, a Hermann's Tortoise, from the German Shepard Rescue Shelter up in Appleton, WI. We adopted "Tommy the Tortoise". He is about 1 year old, and was left to the Rescue shelter as unwanted. He is cute very small (maybe 3 inches) and so very cute. He is very friendly and active. We allow him to walk around our house, and he loves to roam all over the place. We feed him Romain, Endive, and Escarole Lettuce, plus some carrots, tomatoes, and tortoise pellets. We soak him daily. We keep him currently in a 2x2x2 tank that has a heat lamp and UV light, plus a water dish, food dish, fake plants, and a small cave that he can burrough in. He loves to dig himself deep into the substrate over night to sleep and stay warm, and then comes up in the morning when the sun comes out and the lights come on. He's too young to actually tell the sex, but we've read that he can grow to be anywhere from 5 to 10 inches as an adult. We look forward to having this life long pet, along with our other Aquatic Painted Turtles (Sonny and Henry) that we already had, and the multitude of turtles (20+) that live outside in our pond. We love turtles!