Dear Members and Friends:

Our Fall meeting will be held on Saturday, October 21st from 1:30 until 4 at the Belle Cooledge Library located on the corner of South Land Park and Fruitridge Road close to I-5. We will be doing pre-hibernation checkups and your resident 'experts' will be on hand to help you decide whether or not your pet is healthy enough to make it through the long cold winter months. If your turtle or tortoise is already asleep, please do not wake it up to bring to the meeting. And if your pet is obviously ill with a runny nose and/or swollen eyes, please leave it at home and give us a call. We don't want to spread diseases around the meeting room. It would help if you could write down your questions and concerns ahead of time in order to keep the line moving smoothly.

It will also be our pot-luck meeting so feel free to bring a dish to share and the Club will supply the soft drinks. The Florida Turtle and Tortoise Club recently had a turtle shaped food contest and although I don't think we will have time for a contest, bring something to eat shaped like a turtle. Someone brought bread, shaped like a turtle, to the Turtlerama and it was quite a hit. As an idea, I have a turtle jello mold and have used it for making chicken or tuna spread. Let's see what you can come up with. Perhaps there will be a prize for the most creative dish. Also, if anyone wants to dress up their turtle for Halloween, we would love to see the costume. In light of the world's troubles, we need some laughs, don't we?

The TURTLERAMA was a huge success. There were loads of people coming through and looking at the displays all day long. The displays and exhibits were numerous and all of the turtles and tortoises you brought to show looked healthy and well cared for and you all did a wonderful job educating the public. You helped people decide whether they wanted a tortoise or a turtle and discouraged them if they really had no way of caring for it. I am so proud of all of you. Because of your expertise, a whole bunch of turtles won't be in fish aquariums and fewer box turtles will be in a cardboard box in the corner of someone's bedroom, totally forgotten until it smells. Thanks a MILLION to all who participated and helped clean up at the end and to George Chambers for helping me get the water out of the aquarium after everyone had left. All he had to bail the water out with was an empty soda can.

LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE MEETING!

Tortoise Hatchlings? Anyone who has hatched tortoise eggs has seen pieces of shell stuck to the baby. My advice is to keep them moist at all times because if the egg-shell dries hard, it could cut the yolk sac and cause a sudden tragic death. Betty Burge, Chairman of the Tortoise Group in Las Vegas suggests the following: "If you find your hatchling has a piece of shell stuck to its face, you will need to remove it carefully. Moisten a cotton-tipped applicator with warm water and press it around the edges of the stuck shell. The water should soften the dried albumin (egg white) that is acting like glue, allowing you to lift the egg shell. Several attempts may be necessary. Don't rush this, because the dried albumin acts like Crazy Glue and you can injure the skin if you pull too soon."

Lost Turtle or Tortoise? I've had several more people thank me for my hint to look to the NORTHEAST if their pet has climbed out of the pen or someone has left the gate open by accident. The reason my own pets don't wander is because their pen is in the NE corner! Of course, there are always a few that insist on digging in that area along the fence line - so I am constantly on the alert. One did get through last year and was discovered heading towards the neighbors swimming pool.

Looking back at the Fall 2005 newsletter was an eye-opener. I mentioned that we had only 4 weeks of warmth. The turtles were thinking, "Where's the Heat!" This summer was even shorter. I believe we had about 10 days of hot weather after the extended long wet cold spring and the turtles were thinking the same thing. I personally don't see any global warming going on at the Bunker. The only thing warm is my temper! And the colder the summer, the hotter my temper! In light of the above, Fat Betty is not sure of what the weather will bring in the next few weeks. She has come up with no forecast for winter and has not laid any eggs either. She didn't know when the time was right.

Some things, however, never change. Naughty male tortoises are at the top of the list. The Russian tortoise, Beamer, spent most of the summer in the Greenhouse. Chasing and biting and ramming every tortoise and box turtle he came upon was unacceptable behavior. I never had to look for him. I could hear him clacking on someone somewhere at all times. There are female Russian tortoise here, including Fat Betty, but he would rather bite the others than have a love affair and children. I also have acquired several female Greek tortoises, however, it makes no difference. The male Greeks have no interest in them. They only want to be with the male Leopard tortoises, Tillie and Tarzan, who are much larger they are and don't bite back.

Good news - After the Spring newsletter went out, several new homes for sliders became available. My life eased up with less ponds to keep clean and many of the turtles are in wonderful new homes. I notice, however, that most of the sliders are turned in for adoption during the worst time of the year - the winter months. Since they are coming from indoor aquariums where they never should have been in the first place, they cannot be placed outside. The change in temperatures would definitely kill them. So, my laundry room begins to fill up fast with basins full of turtles until the warmer weather arrives which is never too soon for me!

After writing the above, Blondie decided it was time to lay another batch of eggs. This presented a problem because I have to put her into the Greenhouse so I can easily find the nest. It's always something, isn't it? I had to remove Beamer and Chester and scramble to put them somewhere else. It's a small yard. I run out of room rather quickly.

(Chester is usually in the Greenhouse to keep him out of trouble) You must wonder why I keep the bad guys. If I didn't, what would I write about?? And I do love them. I am also sadly drawn to the 'apartment turtles' that are turned over to me. I know they will never look normal again. Their beaks will always be elongated and their nails twisted and deformed, their shells sometimes oddly grotesque and soft. They were once normal, but living indoors in small aquariums does this to them. I try to make their lives as comfortable as possible, harden up their shells and stop the deformities from getting worse. It's the least I can do for our friends. We have to keep going in order to help people take better care of their turtles and tortoises.

What is V.A.R.K.? Veterinary After Rescue Kare. V.A.R.K is a non-profit organization dedicated to giving unwanted animals of all species and breeds another chance by funding their medical care. V.A.R.K. was founded by Jyl L. Rubin, DVM to prevent "convenient" euthanasia of animals and to reduce overpopulation through spay and neuter programs. (You may have seen Dr. Jyl on Channel 13 news programs at noon in the past) V.A.R.K. currently provides services to the Greater Sacramento area rescue organizations, but hopes to become a nationwide service.

I'm telling you about V.A.R.K. because these wonderful people found out about our adoption program and the overabundance of red eared sliders and they are currently raising money to put in a large pond to help house the homeless. You can check Dr. Jyl's website at: drjyl.com. I will keep you posted on the progress of the pond.

Wishing all of your pets a healthy hibernation period. Don't hesitate to call or email with any of your concerns. If in doubt, keep it awake. Trust your instincts. And a very Happy Holiday Season to one and all. Thanks so much for your dues PLUS and your continued support. I couldn't do it without you. And thanks, Shirley, for keeping our sale table going no matter how crowded we are!!

NEVER LET A SICK TURTLE OR TORTOISE HIBERNATE AND NEVER LET A HIBERNATING TORTOISE GET WET