Dear Members and Friends:

Our winter meeting, AKA the Slumberama, will be held on Saturday, January 17th from around 1 until 3 or so at the Belle Cooledge Library located on the corner of Fruitridge Road and South Land Park Drive. If the weather is bad, we will cancel the meeting, however, throughout the years, that weekend has always been good! I'm not sure what we will do to amuse ourselves at the meeting but I think a 'Show and Tell' would perk us up, if you have anybody awake for the winter months, A Sulcata? A Leopard? Hatchlings?? Tell us about them. If not, I'll have to show a few videos!!! (YAWN) No matter what happens, we always enjoy being together talking about our favorite subject.

When I started thinking about writing this newsletter in November, we were having summer-like afternoons which totally confused some of our turtles. I do hope all of yours went into hibernation and you haven't seen them again. I wish I could tell you this is what happened here, but it's after Christmas now and even though our nights are sub-freezing, as soon as the sun comes up, out come a few of the box turtles and one Greek. I think the Russians finally got the message tho. Fat Betty is the only one who knows what to do and what time of the year to do it!!

Our Fall meeting was wonderful from start to finish. I am always amazed at the number of people attending and the amount of food donated for our pot-luck. It was magnificent and thanks to all who brought those delicious snacks. Of course, the biggest thanks goes to Father Dimitri for holding his annual pre-hibernation checkups and deciding who will be able to hibernate and who should be kept awake. We really owe you a debt of gratitude for the energy and expertise you give to the club.

Thanks also to Michael Rajkumar who gave an in-depth talk on artificial lighting. Many questions were asked and Michael had the answers. As most of you know, I have 'issues' regarding these lights which I'll discuss below. Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to seeing many of you at the Slumberama!

You've all heard me say, "AQUARIUMS ARE FOR FISH". You can add, "FLUORESCENT LIGHTS ARE FOR POTTED PLANTS!!" Here's my thoughts for whatever they are worth. These bulbs have been around for a very long time. In humans, they are known to cause migraines probably due to the 'flickering'. I am constantly aware of the flickering but I'm not sure everyone can see this phenomenon. When the 'Vita-Lites' first came out "way back when", we were told that the bulbs were good for at least 5 years. They weren't cheap but if they were going to last a long time, it was worth it. Then the information changed and we were told that they had to be replaced every year. And then, even sooner than that! It seemed to me that the tortoises were not the ones getting the benefit!!

There's a great discrepancy about the distance the bulb should be from the creature below it. Is one foot enough? How about 2 feet? Three? How long should it be on? 8 hours a day? 12? How about 16? Do turtles bask for 16 hours a day? Do turtles bask 12 hours a day, 365 days a year? What about hatchlings? Do they bask at all?? Is the sun directly overhead 12 hours a day? Shouldn't these lights be on an angle? Who said these lights are for tortoises and turtles? I thought they were made for Iguanas, other lizards and snakes; creatures who can easily get out of the light when they want to and not be subjected to these rays constantly. Did anyone ever factor in rainy days? Some of our club members do, indeed, check the weather report for the area their tortoises come from, and use the lights accordingly. I think that is very clever!! If it's raining, out go the lights!!

I don't use the lights for two reasons. If the creature has been outside during the summer months, no artificial lighting is needed for the winter months and also, when a tortoise is brought here because its eyelids are swollen, I ask if it was under fluorescent lights and the answer is always YES. Today, the LED's are becoming popular. I can't help but wonder what problems they will cause......
BE ALERT!!

Around here, strange things always happen immediately after the meetings. I was called into work after the Fall meeting (I am 'on call') on a Tuesday morning and needed to stay all day. The day before, 4 baby box turtles had hatched. I put them into a plastic shoe box which was ¼ filled with damp soil to which I added bugs, redworms and small mealworms. I had a screen over the top and since it was too early in the morning to put them outside for the day, I left them on the kitchen counter.

When I returned after 5 pm, I walked into the kitchen and did not like what I saw. The container was still on the counter, the screen was in the sink, there were dirty paw prints all over the countertop and the baby turtles were gone. ! The cat was sleeping peacefully in the living room. I felt horrible. Why wasn't I more careful before I left the house? I knew the cat had a fascination with baby turtles and tortoises. I got down on the floor with a flashlight looking everywhere and found nothing. More than once a day I was on my hands and knees searching, knowing these tiny creatures couldn't last very long without moisture. A week went by with no sign of them. I felt so bad not to mention - ashamed!!

But one morning, as I came into the kitchen, I noticed the cat hunched down by the patio door. He had 'something' in his paw. Yep, it was one of the hatchlings, unharmed. The same thing happened the following morning and on the third morning, he had the last two in his paws. ????? HUH???? They were all unharmed. I thought he had eaten them. Do cats eat baby turtles??? I guess not. How could they have survived without any food or water for over a week? I guess they are stronger than we think.

Regarding the cat, he does like to 'herd' baby tortoises. I have some in a wire cage upstairs on a bed and he enjoys sitting by them and if one sticks his head or paw out, Rocky will gently put his paw on theirs so they retreat. It's interesting to watch.

FROM PAT OLSON'S BUNKER - I must take a moment of your time to share with you a recent experience (almost a tragedy) with the Olson tortoises. True, they should be hibernating, but as you know, Patches and Sweet Pea have constant runny noses so they cannot completely hibernate. We bring them in at night and they enjoy (I think) the heat wave we are having here. Strangely, Patches has taken to wandering all around the yard, eating flowers and exploring.

We have had a fountain in our yard for as long as we have lived here and it's never been a problem. It is three-tiered and the bottom pool wall is about 12 inches high. Well, last Sunday, Patches did her usual wandering, nothing unusual. But by the luck of the turtle god, my husband went out to the garage for something and while walking along the path, glanced over toward the fountain, which was running. He noticed an unusual object submerged there. Yep, it was Patches! I cannot figure out how she climbed up and must have fallen in, but there she was. My husband lifted her out and set her on the lawn and ran in to get me. I was not sure what to do, so I tried to pump her front legs as I have read you should do. She resisted, no water came out, so we set her in the sun on the patio and blocked her in. By some miracle she is fine and even ate when we brought her in at night. I don't understand the whole scenario but one never knows what to expect from these fascinating creatures. Needless to say, we have put a fence around the fountain. The Bunker is not the only place where strange things happen!

But it's where this happened the other night. The time was 8:30 pm. The doorbell rang. A nice SPCA officer stood before me with a big female slider in his hand. I asked him where he got it from. He informed me that he had gotten a call from the veterinary 'specialists' to come and pick up a turtle someone had dropped off there. So, he went and rescued it and brought it to me. I looked at the turtle and said, "Hasn't anyone noticed that she is dead?"

Many Thanks For Your Greeting Cards and DUES PLUS!!
IT IS APPRECIATED!!