Hey folks, I haven't been here for awhile... the Spring semester was really busy for me.
- The turtles made it through the winter ok. They just had their Spring checkup (a bit late) and the vet pronounced them super-healthy and free of parasites. It always gives me a warm fuzzy feeling when my vet tells me they are doing GREAT. He's a reptile specialist with very high standards and if you are mistreating your animals he can make you feel really, really stupid.
- I bought a popup greenhouse in the winter to put over the turtle pond, and it worked pretty well. We had a much cloudier winter than the one before, though, so some days the pond was still too cold and I had to bring Al inside sometimes. Next winter, I will go for a larger water heater.
- The goldfish grew huge over the winter, but last weekend I gave the two biggest back to my friend. They just poop too much. And they eat and kill the plants.
- Al, my RES, is starting to melanize. His coloring started darkening last fall.
- Last summer there was a lot of talk here about keeping turtles from overheating during the summer. My most recent strategy is a gazebo. I have erected a 10'x13' gazebo in the backyard. It covers the turtle pond (except for a small portion I left deliberately uncovered) and the entire box turtle pen. The turtles still get the option of direct sunlight in the late afternoon, but they are protected from the hottest part of the day.
That's what's going on with my wild and crazy turtles.
Plans for the next few months:
Some of you have written to me asking about my pond pics and why they are gone. I switched web hosts and took things down at that time, and my Spring semester was too busy. I plan to get all the pics back online and make some new sites with regard to the turtles and their care, which I will link to from here when they are ready.
I am not sure how often I'll be able to check in here but I'll try to get in once a week.
I can't wait to see pics.
