Russian Tortoise

Testudo horsfieldii

Show Name: “Russiano”

Hissstory: Russiano came to Reptiles Alive in May 2001 when his owner decided tortoises do not make good pets.

Reptiles Alive Diet: Grasses, leafy greens, veggies, and commercial zoo tortoise food pellets.

Natural Diet: Grasses, plants, and flowers.

Range: Central Asia:  Russian Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Western China, and Iran.

Habitat: These hardy tortoises dwell in deserts and dry grasslands with sparse vegetation.

Size: Russian tortoises are relatively small tortoises.  They can grow up to about 8  inches long.

Lifespan: As with many tortoises these can live over 50 years.

Reproduction: Russian tortoises breed soon after they emerge from hibernation. They lay 1-5 large eggs which hatch in 8-12 weeks.

Conservation: Most Russian tortoises sold as pets in the United States have been captured in the wild by commercial animal collectors and then sold into the pet trade.  Due to improper care, most pet tortoises suffer from a variety of diseases, bone deformities,  and many die from lack of care.

Cool Facts: Russian tortoises are great at tunneling and digging.  With their powerful arms and long, tough claws, they are able to dig burrows long enough and deep enough to survive the extreme heat and cold of the dry grasslands and deserts where they live.

Snapping Turtle

Chelydra serpentina

Reptiles Alive Name: “Turtle Rex, aka T Rex”

Hissstory: T Rex was abandoned at the Fairfax County animal shelter. Presumably an unwanted pet that grew too big. A native reptile, he cannot be released into the wild because we have no information about him.

Reptiles Alive Diet: Defrosted frozen mice, roaches, and crickets.

Natural Diet: Snapping turtles eat nearly anything that makes the mistake of getting close to their powerful jaws: insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, small mammals, insects, and any kind of carrion.

Range: Snapping turtles have an enormous range.  They can be found from eastern Canada south through most of the central and eastern United States and down through Mexico into Central America.

Habitat: Snapping turtles will take up residence in almost any body of freshwater including:  ponds, lakes, slow moving rivers, and will even live in artificial water features.  Some populations of snapping turtles also can be found in brackish water including salt marshes.

Size: Common snapping turtles typically grow 8-14 inches, rarely to 19 inches.  They can weigh 10 to 75 pounds.

Lifespan: Snapping turtles can live over 40 years.

Reproduction: Snapping turtles breed from April-November. They typically lay up to 80 eggs in June in the mid-Atlantic region of the US. They will venture far from the water to lay their eggs in a safe, dry place. Eggs hatch in 9-18 weeks depending on the weather. Females have the ability to retain sperm internally and fertilize eggs as needed.

Conservation: Snapping turtles and their eggs are harvested commercially in many parts of the United States as food for humans.  Scientists are currently studying the effects of this harvest on the turtle population.  Due to their high juvenile mortality rate, snapping turtles are not able to reproduce quickly enough to recover from over-harvesting.

Scientists have discovered that snapping turtles in certain areas, like many fish, have high levels of PCB chemicals in their flesh and eggs.  These stored chemicals can be hazardous to humans who eat contaminated turtles and the chemicals will eventually reduce the overall population of turtles.

Cool Facts: While submerged under the water, snapping turtles are not aggressive toward humans.  In fact, they will retreat if they sense a human nearby.  On land, however, they feel vulnerable.  Their shell does not fully protect them, so they “snap” and bite to scare away any threatening figure.  Just remember, they are “scaredy turtles” – if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone.  Please don’t try to bother them – how would you feel if a turtle poked a stick at you?  They don’t like it either!

Matt - the African Spurred Tortoise

The days are growing shorter and the nights are cooling off – which means Matt has to go to his winter home at Janis’s house.

Matt is a 50 pound African Spurred Tortoise that one of our former Animal Keepers acquired in Las Vegas as a hatchling about 10 years ago.  While working as a Keeper here, Janis brought her two tortoises Matt and her leopard tortoise “Dash” (we actually renamed Dash “Janis”) to live at Reptiles Alive.

Both Janis (the tortoise) and Matt were featured in our live animal shows at schools, libraries and other events.  Matt had a great time at shows – he LOVES the attention and the treats he gets when he is “working.”

Janis (the person) left her position here to work as a Keeper at the National Zoo’s Reptile Discovery Center.  She left both tortoises in our care, but Matt eventually became too heavy to carry to shows.

Now, Matt gets to come and live at the Reptiles Alive Tortoise Camp in the summer and goes home to live at the Janis Tortoise Resort & Spa in the winter.   Even though we no longer take Matt to shows, we still love his company in the summer.  We really don’t miss his enormous messes in the winter though.

See you next summer Matt!

To see some very cool videos of Matt, visit our facebook fan page

Snapping Turtle

Posting by Caroline Seitz

This past weekend was invasion of the snapping turtle time. Mama snappers left the comfort of their wet homes to invade suburban yards to lay their eggs.  So, here at Reptiles Alive, we got a ton of calls from people concerned about the turtles and wanting to know what to do.

“There is a snapping turtle laying eggs in my yard – what should I do?”

Well, the short answer is, nothing.  If you leave the mama snapper alone, she will simply lay her eggs and leave.  The mama turtle will not guard her nest or take care of the babies.  If and when the eggs hatch, the babies will go on their way.

The long answer:

Snapping turtles spend most of their lives at the bottom of ponds, lakes, and rivers.  They eat carrion, fish, and other creatures that get too close to their powerful jaws.

In the Mid-Atlantic region, female snapping turtles will leave the water to lay their eggs in late May and early June.  The female turtles may walk a mile or more away from the water to find a suitable nesting site.  Once she finds a good spot, she will dig a hole with her back legs.  She might dig multiple holes before laying and she might lay eggs in multiple nests – so just because you see a turtle digging a hole in your yard does not neccessarily mean there will be eggs buried there.

After laying the eggs, the turtle may hang around for a day or so because she is tired, but she will soon leave.  Like most reptiles, turtles do not care for their young or protect their eggs.  The female will simply abandon the nest and head back to her watery home.

Most of the eggs laid by turtles will  never hatch.  Many of the eggs are predated upon by raccoons, foxes, and insects.  Some of the eggs may be infertile.  So, if a turtle has laid eggs in your yard, the eggs may never hatch at all.

Some people ask if they can dig up the eggs and re-bury them in a “better” spot.  This is NOT a good idea.  If reptile eggs are moved or rolled, the embryos inside the egg can die.  Also, the female turtle instinctively knows the right depth, temperature, moisture level, etc… that the eggs need for proper development.  If you dig a hole and “plant” the eggs, they will almost certainly die.  If you feel you must re-locate the eggs, the best chance the eggs will have is for you to artificially incubate them.  There is a good article about turtle egg incubation at http://www.gctts.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Public/CaringForChelonianEggs

If the eggs do hatch, the quarter size babies will usually scatter away from the nest and head for the nearest body of water.  If you have artificially incubated the eggs, you need to release the babies in a pond or other slow moving body of water as close the original nesting site as possible.  Do not attempt to feed the babies or keep the babies for any length of time.  Release them immediately.

If the babies are very lucky, they can live up to around 30 years or more and grow from a tiny quarter size to giant 20 pound turtle.

Posting by Caroline Seitz

Memorial Day was a particularly busy day, herpetologically speaking.  I started the day in my garden with a cup of coffee and a Northern Brown Snake basking on top of some thyme.  I was careful not to disturb the little foot long snake, and he seemed happy to hang out.  I love having brown snakes in the garden since they love to eat slugs and snails.  I also just happen to like snakes in general.

As Rachel was getting ready to drive in to work, she spotted her neighbor about to hurt a Black Rat snake that was in his front yard. Luckily, she was able to save the snake and move it to the woods in the back of his property.  Black Rat snakes help control rodent populations and are not dangerous to humans in any way.

Later, while Rachel was loading animals to go to her show, she heard our next-door neighbor scream!  She asked if he was ok and he said he just saw a snake in his golf bag in the garage and would she please come and get it.  Rachel had to leave so she would be on time for her reptile birthday show, so she came and got me.  I went over to my neighbor’s and found the 4 feet long Black Rat snake hiding behind a shelf in the back of his garage.  I gently picked it up, carried it to the bushes in my front yard and released it.

Whew – but that was not all!

As usual, I saw the Five-lined Skink lizards that live in the my compost area.  These beautful blue, yellow, and brown striped lizards are fantastic insect hunters and are a fabulous addition to any garden.  They are also fun to watch.

The grand finale of the reptile day was in the evening.  We had a Reptiles Alive Memorial Day barbecue with Jen Pennington, Jen Rafter, Rachel and a few other friends and family members.  As Rachel was walking in the garden, she found a young Eastern Box turtle!  We all looked at the turtle and noted how young and healthy it looked before returning it to the garden.

So, to review, in one day in one neighborhood we saw:   One Northern Brown snake, one Black Rat Snake, two Five-lined Skinks, one Eastern Box turtle and Rachel saw one more Black Rat snake in her neighborhood before she came to work.

Spotted Turtle
Clemmys guttata

Show Name: Spot

Hissstory: Spot was donated to us from a nature center.

Zoo Diet: Earthworms, crickets, mealworms and a commercial zoo aquatic turtle food

Natural Diet: Spotted turtles are omnivorous – meaning they eat both plants and meat.  Algae, leaves of soft aquatic plants water lily seeds, worms, mollusks, crustaceans, insects, amphibian eggs, tadpoles, and carrion are all eaten by spotted turtles.

Range: Eastern Canada south through the eastern United States including the Washington D.C. region.

Habitat: Small ponds, vernal pools, marshes, swamps and wet woodlands

Size: Grows 3.5 – 4.5 inches, with a record of 5 inches

Lifespan: Can live over 20 years

Reproduction: Spotted turtles breed March – May. Females lay 3-5 eggs in June. The eggs hatch in the fall and sometimes the hatchling turtles overwinter in the nest.

Conservation Issues: Spotted turtles are threatened in many areas due to habitat loss, pollution and the pet trade.

Cool Facts: Spotted turtles emerge from hibernation earlier than most other turtles.  They can function at lower temperatures than most other reptiles species.

Amazon River Turtle

Podocnemis unifilis

Show Name: “Podocnemis”

Hissstory: Along with another Amazon river turtle, Podocnemis was imported from Bolivia to be kept as a pet.  The person no longer wanted the turtles, so he brought them both here.  We kept Podocnemis and placed the other turtle with another wildlife organization.

Touchable in our shows? YES

Zoo Diet: Podoc loves to devour greens, fruit, crickets, worms, & dry aquatic turtle food.

Natural Diet: Mostly plants and fruits, but will also eat insects, amphibians, fish and mollusks.

Range: Northern South America including the Amazon rain forest.

Habitat: Ponds, lakes, and rivers.

Size: Can grow to 15-27 inches and  weigh 5-14 pounds. Females are larger than males.

Lifespan: 50 + years.

Reproduction: Lay about 24 eggs in the riverbank. These turtles often lay eggs together in a communal nest. Eggs hatch in two months. Hatchlings are the size of a quarter.

Conservation Issues: CITES Appendix I: Endangered. Turtles and eggs are hunted for human consumption. Today armed guards protect many nesting sites.

Cool Facts: Amazon river turtles belong to a group known as the side-necked turtles, or, the Pleurodira. When frightened, they draw their head into their shell sideways.  Most turtle species, like the box turtle, belong to the Cryptodira – they go straight back into their shell.

Are reptile pets for Christmas a good or bad idea?  For most people, a pet reptile is probably not the greatest idea for a variety of reasons.

Two reasons not to get a pet reptile are:

1.  Reptiles require specialized care that changes with the species being kept.  For instance, green iguanas require huge (4′X4′X6′) enclosures that can be heated to 80-100 degrees F with high humidity, good ventilation, and full spectrum lighting.  Iguanas also need a specialized diet of calcium rich leafy greens and other vegetables fed to them every day.  A red-eared slider turtle will need a 75-150 gallon aquarium with clean water, a dry basking area, and full spectrum lighting.  Many people don’t think of the space and cost of housing a pet reptile until it is too late.

2.  Reptiles will never become a companion like a dog or cat will.  Dogs and cats are part of the family.  They liked to be petted, played  with, and cuddled.  Even the friendliest reptile pet will not ever play with you, go for a walk with you, or want to cuddle with you.  Some reptiles will even become ill with stress if they are interacted with too frequently.  So many reptiles become unwanted simply because they are seen as objects that require time and money as opposed to loved members of the family.

More great information to consider before getting ANY pet at Christmas, or any other time, can be found at Orlando Sentinel – Pets as presents: Think long-term

So what to do if your child loves reptiles?

You have many options for budding herpetologists on your Christmas list.  There are some very cool reptile toys out there that I would have LOVED to get at Christmas.  Remote control cobras, anatomically correct rubber reptiles, plush and wooden reptiles and more can be found at many zoo gift stores, nature specialty stores, and science related stores.   Books featuring cold blooded critters are also a huge hit with reptile loving children.

Other exciting gift ideas include:

• Zoo “adopt and animal” programs.  These programs offer people the chance to sponsor a zoo animal.  Most programs will send you pictures, updates, and natural history information about the animal you “adopted.”  You can also take your child to the zoo (always fun!) to visit his or her animal.

• Nature journals are a great way to encourage children already excited about reptiles to learn more.  Buy a special blank notebook/journal and help your child get started.  You can learn a lot more about keeping a nature journal at  Keeping a Nature Journal – Environmental Education – Sierra Club,
  or check out our earlier post How To Keep a Nature Journal.
  

• Give you child “coupons” for reptile-related family field trips.   Trips to the zoo, nature center, museum, aquarium or park where you can search for reptiles and amphibians in the wild can all be part of the coupon book.  Remember to take pictures of animals you see, but not to touch or bother wild animals. You can then add these experiences and pictures into your nature journal.

• Subscriptions to reptile magazines and journals or a membership in a nature or reptile related club or society is a great gift for young herpetologists.  Most states and some local jurisdictions have herpetological societies that anyone can join.

• A gift of a live reptile show performed for your child at a holiday party is a great way to give your child the opportunity to safely interact with live reptiles.  Most areas have at least one professional traveling animal show company, and if you are in the DC area, you should, of course, hire Reptiles Alive!

Merry Christmasssssssss and have a sssssssuper New Year!

Matt is an African spurred tortoise (Geochelone sulcata).  He visits us for summer camp and enjoys mowing the lawn, eating delicious veggis from the garden, and visiting with the neighbor’s dog through the fence.

Matt must have had too many conversations with the chocolate lab next door.  Could this be defined as an identity crises?

Sulcatas grow quickly, eat constantly, and leave copious amounts of poo in their wake.  An adult Sulcata can easily weight over 100 pounds!  The largest African Spurred tortoise on record lived at the Giza Zoological Gardens weighing in at 232 pounds!

These tortoises are very difficult to care for.  They require constant warm dry temperatures, a very secure enclosure, eat a large variety of food, and are constantly getting into trouble destroying their surroundings.  We fondly call them little reptilian tanks.

I love watching Matt explore the wonderful outdoors and being the silly clown that he is.

Sulcata Tortoise Care Sheet

Lonesome George, the last tortoise of his kind may not have babies after all.  The single survivor of the Pinta Island Galapagos giant tortoises, Lonesome George has been an icon for conservation the world over.  The big tortoise was paired with two female tortoises, and successfully mated with them for the first time in over 35 years just a few months ago. (The females are of another subspecies of the Galapagos Tortoise, but are of a close genetic match to the Pinta Island subspecies.)

Unfortunately, most of the eggs produced by this encounter are likely infertile. There is still hope for 20% of the eggs.  Researchers are keeping the eggs in incubators covered in religious symbols, waiting for a miracle. I myself am crossing my fingers. At 90 years old, the tortoise is still in his prime, but with several decades of failure I am a bit guarded. Scientists have tried many means to get George interested in breeding and have even tried artificial insemination. All of it with no luck.

The largest land tortoises in the world, Galapagos Tortoises can weigh over 500 pounds and live well over 100 years.  Since their discovery, only 11 of the 14 known subspecies of the tortoise survive today.  The big reptiles were used as a food source and ballasts on pirate, whaling,  and trader ships in the past.  More recently, introduced rats and goats have been destroying food sources and eating the eggs of the highly endangered tortoise.

It is clear that humans are likely solely responsible for the tortoises declining numbers. Lonesome George provides hope that humans may use their knowlege to do something good. It is unlikely the researchers in the Galapagos will give up with this latest disappointment. They had over 36 years of set-backs, there is still hope.

Tell us what you think!  Will successful breeding of Lonesome George with the hybrid females be considered a success for the species, or simply the creation of another hybrid?

Learn more about Galapagos Tortoises from the San Diego Zoo at:

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-galapagos_tortoise.html

News Source: Associated Press US News:

http://usnews.feedroom.com/?fr_story=d68d6e925ab13a8451aa8ec0faa9c6b5f5a1346a&rf=bm