February

February 14 Update

Remember how I've been telling everyone that we won't know the sex of the turtles until they are much older? Well, turns out I was wrong. During the grade 3-6 visit with Zoo New England this week, scientist Kirsten shared exciting news: our turtles are most likely girls. How does she know? While Zoo New England used to do laparoscopic surgery to determine sex, they no long do that (much to the relief of the turtles). Instead, they monitor the temperature of the nest soil. The warmer the soil temperature, the more likely they will be female. The cooler the soil temperature, the more likely they will be male. And there is a sweet spot in the middle where it will be a mix of male and female.

If you are interested in ZNE's HATCH program we are participating in, I recommend signing up for their Conservation email newsletter. Lots of great projects both locally and globally.

February 14 Measurements - visit the Data page to see a growth graph

Artemis 124.6 grams

Carapace Length 90.6

Apollo 142.2 grams

Carapace Length 93.3

February 7 Update

IMG_6745.MOV

Who likes tunafish? Artemis and Apollo do! It was an exciting week for the turtles: they are big enough to start eating new foods. Per Zoo New England, once the turtles reach 80 grams, we can expand their food options. Up to this point, they have been eating turtle food pellets, but now we can offer them canned tuna, salmon, and sardines, as well as cooked shrimp. We started this week with a lovely can of tuna in water from Trader Joe's. Boy oh boy did they love it!

Speaking of excitement around food, Artemis was very excited to eat Monday morning. So excited, in fact, that she nipped the hand of her feeder as he was reaching in the tank to transfer her to the feeding container. Oh, Artemis. Her feeder is fine - no skin broken, no mark left, just a quick ouch. Zoo New England warned us that this can sometimes happen: hungry, food motivated turtles might nip in anticipation of food. The lesson we learned this week: angle our hands at the back end of the turtles when picking them up.

Speaking of Zoo New England, scientists visit on February 11 to present on turtle life cycles to grades 3-6. They will return in March to present to K-2.

February 7 Measurements - visit the Data page to see a growth graph

Artemis 115.8 grams

Carapace Length 86.1

Apollo 131.89 grams

Carapace Length 92.3

Page updated

Report abuse