1/21 ONLY: San Diego Turtle & Tortoise Society
San Diego Turtle & Tortoise Society
Cost: Free
Time: 9:30 - 12
Meet at: San Diego County Library, Lemon Grove Branch, 3001 School Lane, Lemon Grove, CA 91945 (619) 593-2123
Accessible: Yes
Description: If any of you visited the Classic Rotors Museum during the Spring 2019 semester, you will remember one of our outstanding docents, Terry Robinson. Terry is also a volunteer for the San Diego Turtle & Tortoise Society, which is dedicated to studying chelonians (turtle, terrapin, or tortoise), educating the public about them, and fostering and adopting them out to safe and suitable homes. Terry has agreed to teach us all about this unique non-profit organization and the animals they rescue and place into private homes. Come meet some of their turtles & tortoises as we learn all about them. You might even decide to adopt one and take it home!
Directions: From CA-94 East, take the Massachusetts Avenue exit and turn left onto Massachusetts Avenue. Turn left onto Broadway and make a right on Lemon Grove Avenue near the giant lemon. Turn left onto Central Avenue, then right onto School Lane. The destination will be on your left.
Parking: There is parking behind the library located off of Lincoln Street, or parking is also available in the fire station lot across the street from the library. Some street parking is also available.
Website(s): www.sdturtle.org
This week, we will focus on turtles, tortoises and an organization created to provide education and homes for them. Terry Robinson is a volunteer for the San Diego Turtle & Tortoise Society and he will be bringing them to us so we can learn more about them. This lesson will introduce you to the San Diego Turtle & tortoise Society and will then provide the background for understanding chelonians (turtle, terrapin or tortoise).
San Diego Turtle and Tortoise Society
(About, 2018)
The purpose of the SD Turtle & Tortoise Society is to foster and adopt out relinquished turtles and tortoises to safe and suitable homes. It also focuses on education on the proper care, as well as to promote conservation and remain in communication with other similar organizations.
The SD Turtle and Tortoise Society has been rescuing, rehabilitating and adopting out hundreds of turtles and tortoises for over 40 years and is one of the largest rescue societies of its kind in the US with nearly 500 members. It is all volunteer with a strong corporate support. They hold monthly meetings at Balboa Park, as well as educational exhibits at many local events. Each summer, they hose the SD Turtle and Tortoise Show in Balboa Park.
Animals turned in to the Society are evaluated, placed in foster care and then adopted out to homes which have been reviewed and approved by the Adoptions Committee.
Their website (https://www.sdturtle.org/) provides information on the care of turtles and tortoises, as well as events, news, resources and more.
Video:
This short video was shot at the 2009 Turtle & Tortoise show in Balboa Park. It also provides lots of information about the Group.
Turtles, Tortoises and Chelonia
(Chelonia, 2015)
Turtles and tortoises are members of the Chelonia phylum, which is the order of shelled reptiles. In North America we use “turtle” to describe any reptile with a shell, while in other parts of the world different terms may be used. Tortoises are land based, terrapins are freshwater semi-aquatic and the word turtle is used entirely for marine and aquatic species.
Chelonia can flex their cervical vertebrae and are classified into two suborders depending on how they retract their head into their shell.
· Pleurodira or sideneck turtles have three points of neck flexure so the neck forms an “s” shape. They cannot retract their head inside their shell. Instead, they place it sideways. They are mainly aquatic or semiaquatic turtles found in the southern continents.
· Cryptodira or hidden-neck turtles have two points of neck flexure that form a vertical “s” shape. This allows the head to be completely withdrawn into the shell. These are the more successful of chelonian species and includes most of them. Some species however, like the Snapper turtle and sea turtles, have lost their ability to hide their head in their shells.
Most Chelonia are relatively easy to handle. The main problems for handlers will be bites, scratches from claws or cuts from the shell. Green sea turtles may flap their front flippers forcefully enough to fracture their humerus and may injure handlers while struggling.
Care must be taken that they are not flipped upside down rapidly. This can cause distress to the animal, may impair ventilation because of the compression of the lungs or can result in intestinal or uterine torsion. You should not extract the limbs or the head of a tortoise while it is in the shell.
The turtle can be a green turtle or a black turtle. The green turtle is not really green, but gets its name from large greenish fat deposits found under the carapace which is used for cooking turtle soup. The black turtle is distinguished by the dark black color of both the carapace and plastron in the adult form.
Video:
This is an excellent video which addresses the hidden-neck/side neck turtles, as well as the differences between turtles and tortoise. Spoiler alert: tortoises walk on their toes, like elephants!
Raising Pet Turtles
(Everything You Need To Know About Raising Pet Turtles, 2017)
If you were on the SD Turtle and Tortoise Society’s section on care sheets, you are probably aware that there is quite a bit of work involved in caring for the larger turtles. However, there are a couple of types of turtles which may be easier to care for.
The types most often chosen as pets are the box turtles and red-eared slider turtles.
Box turtles have dark skin with yellowish marking and tall, dome-shaped shells. Adults typically grow to about 6” in length. They are land-dwelling (or terrestrial) and found in damp areas, such as mossy parts of forests. They prefer a temperate area (with an average temperature between 75 and 85 degrees) if they are to live outside. Otherwise, they should be indoors.
Box turtles love to dig, so they need dirt, potting soil, shredded newspaper or shredded carpet. They also need some moisture to survive, so you can include rotting dry leaves and moist soil as well as a cozy shoe box or flower pot that the turtle can crawl under to hide or sleep. Don’t put your outdoor turtle in a glass tank, which can heat up like a greenhouse and cook your pet!
Red-eared slider turtles (also known as sliders) are the most common species of pet turtles, and the ones you find swimming around in tanks in pet stores. Adults can grow up to 11” long, which means you may have to get a bigger tank at some point. They live in swampy, muddy areas with thick vegetation like lakes and ponds. They require plenty of clean water to swim and dry land to rest, hide and bask in the sun. Your tank should hold at least 40 gallons of water for adequate room. Line the bottom of the tank with small rocks so they can dig around. A large rock or floating log in the middle of the water will provide an area for sunbathing. Using wood or rocks, create a snug shelter where he can go to escape. Plants are also good unless they are poisonous. Good examples are Amazon swords, anachris, water hyacinth and water lettuce. Your pet will probably nibble on these plants. Aquatic turtles also need an additional area for their drinking water. Natural spring water should be used for both the swimming and drinking water parts of the enclosure. Tap water contains chlorine and fluorine which can throw off the water balance and harm the turtles.
Video:
All about box turtles!
Video:
And then, all about red eared sliders
Video:
Set up an enclosure for your baby box turtle.
Video:
Set up an enclosure for your baby red eared slider.
Both types of turtles need to bask. If they will be kept indoors, you need to purchase a basking lamp (also known as a sun lamp) which simulates the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Sunlight provides vitamin D and calcium. You should set the sun lamp for 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness.
Different species of pet turtle require different temperatures. Land turtles can retain more body heat for a longer time than aquatic turtles. A general rule is around 80 degrees during the day, and 70 degrees at night.
Turtles eat both meat and plants. They may enjoy foods such as slugs, worms, crickets, apples, tomatoes, cantaloupe and leafy green vegetables. Dandelion leaves are also a good choice, because they are high in vitamin A and calcium. Their favorite food is snails (pesticide free). Baby box turtles eat meat when they are young, and become more vegetarian as they grow older.
Aquatic turtles must be fed in the water so they can swallow their food. They like declawed crayfish, snails and salamanders. They can also eat little bits of meat, fish and vegetables. However, do not feed them iceberg lettuce or adults. Sliders will continue to enjoy meat as adults, unlike box turtles. You might consider feeding them a live goldfish once a week or so. They love to chase their prey.
You can purchase food sticks for your pet turtle from the pet store.
Young turtles should be fed twice a day. Adult turtles can be fed every other day, preferably in the early morning. And did you know that turtles will beg for food? When it sees you coming, it will swim up to the glass near the surface of the water and open and close its mouth in a chewing motion. Don’t disappoint them!
You need to change the water regularly because it will defecate in its swimming and/or drinking water. Also, you need to filter the water in the turtle’s tank or clean out and remove moldy plants from the pen.
Currently, you cannot buy a turtle less than four inches long. This is because of a salmonella scare in the 70’s. Children were putting their tiny turtles in their mouths, and were contracting salmonella as a result. This led to legislation banning turtles less than four inches long. There is no way to tell if your turtle has salmonella, so you should wash your hands with antibacterial soap after handling your pet.
Video:
Feeding your box turtle.
Video:
Feeding your rear-eared slider turtle.
Summary:
Turtles and tortoises are a part of life in San Diego. However, as we have learned, it is challenging to care for them so that they can live a healthy life. This visit will help you to recognize the care and compassion that comes into helping these creatures thrive in a new environment. Are you ready for a new pet?
Works Cited
About. (2018, October). Retrieved from sdturtle.org: https://www.sdturtle.org/about
Chelonia. (2015, January). Retrieved from sciencedirect.com: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/chelonia
Everything You Need To Know About Raising Pet Turtles. (2017, November 15). Retrieved from everydayhealth.com: https://www.everydayhealth.com/pet-health/everything-you-need-know-about-raising-pet-turtles/