Dear Members and Friends:

Our Fall meeting will be held on Saturday, October 24th at the Belle Cooledge Library , 5600 South Land Park Drive 95822 from 1:30 until 4. Father Dimitri will be unable to attend to do the pre-hibernation checkups, however, Michael Rajkumar and I feel we can try to fill Dimitri's shoes and will do our very best. We would also like to have another SHOW AND TELL but since it will be near the end of October, please don't bring in a pet who is close to or already in hibernation. Also, don't pass your pet around the room. Let people admire it in the box you have provided. Many of you prefer not to let your pets hibernate and it would be great if you could share your methods of keeping them awake and healthy all winter with us.

Even though there is food and drink at each meeting, we usually have our pot-luck during the October meeting. Please bring a favorite dish to share and we will provide the refreshments. There will be plenty of time to munch and mingle after the meeting and before the raffle. Speaking of which, if you have anything to donate, it would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to dress up your pets for Halloween. Everyone seems to enjoy the outfits you all come up with. Perhaps there will be a contest........

The TURTLERAMA was a huge success. Many thanks to: Shirley at the busy sale table helped by Michelle; Dan and Sylvia brought their baby Marginatas from Concord; Jackie brought her large Sulcata, Thunder, to walk around for the visitors to admire (he was a perfect gentleman) and also her three spotted turtles; Susan and Glenn brought their desert tortoise and her very interesting grassy enclosure; Pam and Windy set up a craft and coloring table outside for the children to enjoy; Michael had his wood turtles and other turtles on display; The Reinarts brought their 100 lb. male and 70 lb. female Sulcatas to show as well as several of their hatchlings; Suzanne had her box turtles on display and Mary also brought her Sulcata along. I had three baby sliders there and Just Jim The Jerk, the Greek tortoise, and a Leopard tortoise; Jim and Suzi helped sign in new members (24!!), and Chris and Ernestine from the Modesto area set up their "Kid's Corner" indoors and did animal footprint castings all day. The children (and adults as well) chose the footprint they wanted, they were casted in plaster, and then the children came back later to paint them and take them home. Special thanks to Angie and others for donating so many great plants. It was a wonderful day. Thank you ALL for your tireless energy. I think it was the best Turtlerama ever!!

SEE YOU AT THE MEETING!!

Regarding Hibernation, please don't let your pet hibernate if you see any of the following symptoms: Lack of appetite; Decreased activity not related to hibernation (reptiles do not 'hibernate' at room temperature); nose, eye, mouth discharges; coughing and sneezing; vomiting or diarrhea; foul-smelling feces; red spots on scutes; inability to submerge; any swelling or lump; including generalized swelling of body or limbs; cloudy or swollen eyes or lids; absence of defecation greater than two weeks; flaking skin or blisters; weight loss, even if appetite appears healthy and sitting out all night. Be observant! The signs are often quite subtle. Please try not to go to the 'Internet' for advice. Use your common sense. Someone recently nearly killed their turtle by keeping it on sand. She said, "I read it was good on the Internet". Good for what?? Sea turtles come out of the ocean and lay their eggs in the sand and don't hang around for lunch!! Sand will ruin your turtle's eyes and if he eats it, which he will because it will be on his food, it will impact his intestines and he will die. Call the club for help and we can direct you in the right direction.

Summer was as busy as always. All of the Bunker residents, new and old, were very frisky and it became obvious that many of the box turtles, after all of these years, figured out how to climb out of their pen and amazingly enough, were seen climbing back in again, like teenagers sneaking in and out on dates!! During their escapades, they knew enough to congregate by the kitchen door by the patio and wait for the food to magically appear.

In the middle of the summer, a young lumpy leopard tortoise was turned over to me. I asked the woman why she was giving me 'James' whom she's had since he was a hatchling. "You'll find out", was all she told me. And 'find out' I did before the sun ever set. James had a habit of biting ankles!! No matter where I went, James would be right behind me. If I walked faster, he would speed up as well. He was quite a sight to see. If guests came to see the yard, he would follow them too, with his mouth open! I've since named him Just James!! He is a little better now since he has other tortoises to chase but he does have his moments. The other tortoises are not thrilled with him trying to mate with their girlfriends and Tarzan, who is usually a gentle guy, began shoving James across the lawn until he would tumble upside down and often he would continue rolling him along. Everything smoothed out after awhile and I didn't have to put James elsewhere if I had to go away for a few hours.

Just Jim the Jerk is still living in his harem and if I let him out, he immediately begins attacking the other tortoises so back in he goes. I'm sure many of you saw him in action at the Turtlerama. The smaller one, Just Jim Junior, is not quite as aggressive, so he is allowed to roam free unless I hear that familiar sound of banging shells going on. Then it's solitary confinement for him as well.

In the summertime, I decided to put a 'wall' in back of the box turtle enclosure because the residents sometimes decide to dig under the fence and have become trapped there undetected, with deadly consequences. We found a great handyman and explained the situation and he put in a two foot high cement block wall. One block is completely buried under the ground and the other two layers are above the ground, mortared together. The area looks so much better and is now safe for the turtles.

On the adoption scene: If anyone bought baby Sulcatas at the recent reptile show, when it quickly grows large, poos and wees like a camel and takes out your fences and destroys whatever warm winter quarters you have provided because they do not hibernate and constantly chase you for food, please know that it is yours for life because there are NO homes available. At this writing, there are at least 8 of them on my 'waiting' list. Some are 100 pounds!! Someone described a Sulcata as follows: 'Take a large dogaloo, fill it with cement, put wheels on it and continually ram it into buildings.' Nice! Folks, please do NOT breed them. You may get a momentary thrill watching the eggs hatch, but it certainly isn't fair to the tortoises or the people who might end up with them for the next 75 years.

Remember - GO GREEN - ADOPT A SLIDER!!! There are about 25 up for adoption, all sizes. Can you please lighten my load? I'm tired of cleaning out these overcrowded ponds every day! They need to be in a SAFE outdoor pond. They were pets and expect to be hand fed all of the time. They would not be able to fend for themselves if they were able to escape.

Hard to believe it's that time again. HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ONE AND ALL!! THANKS A MILLION FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!!

NOTE: WINTER MEETING: (SLUMBERAMA) JANUARY 16TH, 2010