ARE WE HIBERNATING YET??

As I write this newsletter at the end of December, the daytime temperatures are near 70 degrees. While most of the box turtles are hibernating, there are a handful of them acting as if it were July. They are eating and going into the ponds for a daily swim. The male Hermann's tortoises are out and about every day and eating. If I don't feed them, they simply eat the grass. I know they are supposed to go into hibernation with an empty stomach, but they don't know that. I advise you to keep an eye on your box and water turtles that are still awake outside. While they may slow down on foggy and rainy days, they might not hibernate at all. Don't rush anyone into the house tho. Just observe, and if you see anyone sitting out all night, then you might want to consider bringing that one indoors. Above all, let them be turtles!!

About two weeks after the October meeting, I was expecting my sister and brother-in-law to visit for a week. I decided it was time to clean up the kitchen and put things away in order to make the area look as tidy as possible. There were still two trays of box turtle eggs sitting on the counter. They were starting to smell. I placed them downstairs on top of my dryer where they quickly became buried under an assortment of newspapers, old mail, catalogs and laundry. About three weeks went by. Company came and went. I finally got a chance to go through the pile of stuff on the dryer. I was quietly scanning the newspapers and discarding them when I suddenly came upon the eggs which I obviously had completely forgotten about. Nice going! I was afraid to look. I peeked in. Three tiny faces were looking up at me. At least they were alive. No thanks to me. From now on, no matter who is coming to visit, the eggs stay in full view!!

And then it was the day before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a turtle.....and then the telephone rang. My husband answered it and quickly handed it to me. A desperate voice asked, "Do you have any dead turtles I could have?" My dreamy mood was broken. I asked this person what her plans were because we would not want the departed to become a practical joke. I was assured they would be put to good use and, therefore, I did fulfill her Christmas wish. I don't know about you, but my Christmas wish does not include a gift wrapped turtle carcass under the tree.

Since The Bunker is quiet for the winter months, I can focus my attention on the people I am in contact with every day and this activity constantly reminds me of why we exist as a club. Imagine finding a turtle and bringing it into a pet shop for identification and having the manager say, "It's a yellow turtle. Feed it lettuce." Or the guy who emailed me asking why his two baby African Sulcatas wouldn't hibernate; someone wanted a turtle for her three year old to play with and a few others wanted turtles for their classrooms.

The Greenhouse is providing a cozy winter home for the exotic tortoises, although it is not easy keeping it clean. One tortoise is able to create quite a mess, imagine a dozen! With a smile on my face and a scraper and a plastic bag in my hand (and a clothespin on my nose) I enter The Greenhouse to do my daily chore. Oh, it smells so bad. HURRY SPRING!!

New Club * New Club * New Club

There can never be enough turtle and tortoise organizations.....here's the latest one:

Fresno Turtle and Tortoise Association
3286 N. Milburn Avenue
Fresno, CA 93722

Dues are $10.00 a year and they meet on the third Tuesday of each month with one coming up on January 18th at 7pm at the above address. We wish them all the very best.

EARS

Tortoises have only rudimentary ears and consequently their hearing is not good. The ears can be seen, especially on the lighter colored specimen; if you look carefully at the side of their head, you will notice a blackish marked scale. Occasionally tortoises do get ear infections, usually visible as a small round bulge. Do not delay a visit to the vet as this will need treatment. Some antibiotics might be prescribed, possibly an antibiotic ear lotion. Keep the patient warm and in hygienic conditions.

It is difficult to judge how bad a tortoise's hearing is, some of the younger ones definitely seem to react to a dog's bark, the closing of a door or even footsteps. I once dropped a metal tray quite close to a tortoise. The animal was turned away from me so could not have seen the tray being dropped, yet, to my surprise immediately withdrew with the characteristic hissing noise into its shell.

The noise of the food tray being put down usually brings some reaction. As tortoises' sense of smell is very well developed, it might be the smell of the fresh greens and fruits that provoke the reaction, but even when the tray is put down empty, some of the tortoises will look up and come forward. It has been suggested that hearing deteriorates with age, an observation I feel could be correct as the older females especially do not seem to react to noise very strongly.

*reprinted from Henny Fenwick's book "Taking Care of your Pet Tortoise"