Dear Members and Friends:

Our Spring meeting will be held on Saturday, April 21st from 1:30-4 at the Belle Cooledge Library, 5600 South Land Park Drive, 95822. Spring meetings are always a lot of fun since everyone is eager to get the ball rolling again, cleaning up the pens after the winter months, making sure the turtles and tortoises are in tip-top shape for the coming season. Sometimes they are not, so please bring your questions to the meeting and we'll help you with whatever might be going on. Most often, the tortoises wake up only to go back to sleep for a few more weeks until the weather improves again. It's happening right now as I type and it is raining out there.......

Soon, if the weather is warm enough, your turtles may want to lay eggs earlier than usual and you should always be prepared. I'm not a big fan of letting them incubate in the ground for many reasons: the weather could be unkind; someone could step on the nest; turtles seem to unearth an existing nest in order to place their own eggs in it, killing the existing embryos. (It is so sad to see this happen). When the babies emerge, you may not know it and accidentally step on them or worse, mow them down. Birds love them too. It's so much better to incubate them artificially and we will show you how to do that elaborately or inexpensively. Both ways work!! And it's a lot of fun watching them hatch. As I've said before, it's as exciting as giving birth yourself!

I will have some absolutely beautiful leopard tortoise babies for sale at the meeting. Michael may also have a baby redfoot or two available for you to add to your collection. We are thinking of having an auction as well. If you have any turtle item worthy of being in an auction, please consider donating it to our auction. I know a lot of you are hanging onto something someone gave you which you don't even like but are keeping it for sentimental reasons. It is ok to donate it for a good cause. It will go to someone who really loves it and will benefit the club. Of course, raffle and sale table items are always needed and welcomed. Thank you all so much for your contributions, past, present and future!!!

This meeting marks our 31st anniversary. There will be cake!! I'm in charge of it. You know why!

Our Winter meeting was well attended but not overly crowded and we had a very nice few hours of turtle talk followed by the raffle and lots of snacks (thanks to all who brought them) and the weather was great too. It always seems to be sunny on the third Saturday in January!!

SEE YOU AT THE MEETING!!

Spring Hints: Turtle or Tortoise not eating? Often it's the weather. They just don't have any appetite unless the weather is warm, so check the temperature. The warmer it is, the more they will eat.

Fill those gaps in between your fence and the ground. If a turtle can see out, it will constantly try to get out and will often be successful. They are quite good at digging no matter how hard the dirt is.

Pay attention to your gate. I highly recommend installing a spring closure on it. Sooner or later, someone will leave it open and the turtles and tortoises seem to wait for this opportunity to escape.

Before buying new plants, keep a poison plant list on hand so you don't buy anything that will kill your pet. They usually know what is 'bad' in the wild, but in your yard, they might not be aware.

Have enough shelters for your pets so they don't have to travel far to find shade.

Never leave your dogs alone with your tortoises, even if they have been together for a long time.

Patrol the yard often after a windy day to make sure nothing harmful has blown in like plastic bags or branches from above.

Toys should be picked up too since a tortoise or turtle could climb over it (they never go around anything, do they?) and tumble upside down.

Keep those little white rocks picked up. They are like candy to a tortoise for some reason.

Be Alert - ALWAYS

As I was typing this part of the newsletter, it became clear that the words were almost exactly the same as last year's Spring issue. The winter weather was not much different and the Leopard tortoises in the Greenhouse didn't do anything out of the ordinary. Well, there was a Russian male tortoise in there temporarily who kind of made a nuisance out of himself biting at the faces of the other tortoises who were trying to eat. I had to find a different location for him even though the Leopards didn't seem annoyed.

The box turtles outside seemed content to wait out the winter by either hibernating out of sight or standing in the doorways of their doghouses by day and disappearing at night. The Greeks and Hermann's and Russians know what to do and 'disappear' until around Valentine's Day. Since the cold rain has returned, they have gone into hiding again but will reappear on the next sunny day. It's their pattern.

Right now, however, I am really thinking hard about what to do to prevent another raccoon from coming into the yard to do more damage. Everyone reading this should be aware that any turtle or tortoise outdoors is in danger of being attacked. Sometimes I feel so guilty about telling all of you to keep your pets outdoors. They are healthier living outdoors but safer living indoors. I am spinning with so many ideas and each day brings us closer to summer when the attacks are significantly higher.

I'm afraid to say anything further about my plans to get rid of the raccoon problem for fear of setting off another firestorm of comments. This is what happened on our club Facebook page not so long ago. Someone who calls himself the Skunk Whisperer somehow jumped into the mix after I asked if 'coyote urine' would keep the raccoon away. Not knowing anything about our club or me, he made some uncalled for and insulting remarks further infuriating everyone.

Our Facebook has grown to just about 350 good people and we continue to learn a lot from one another. Many people say terrible things about FB and while some of it may be true regarding 'personal' pages, it does not apply to our 'group'. As far as I am concerned, it's the best thing we have going, being able to communicate 24/7. It is something we only dreamed about a few years ago. I really appreciate and love all of you.

GOLDEN DEAD TURTLE AWARD

This award is given from time to time to individuals, companies or institutions, who, in the opinion of the Tortoise Trust have acted in a manner which is seriously detrimental to turtle conservation.

The latest recipient of this famous award is the California Fish and Game Commission for not only continuing to allow the importation of thousands of turtles into California for food markets per year, but for also ignoring a detailed Tortoise Trust report showing that 100% of these animals are taken from the wild, and are not "products of aquaculture" as previously claimed. ALL turtles coming into California ARE wild caught...and are being treated as if aquaculture products. The law states that aquaculture products be killed prior to purchase...so the inhumane slaughter of WILD animals being "called" aquaculture products continues...

So, CFGC, wear that award with pride, you certainly have earned it!

(This is a reprint of an article appearing in the Tortoise Trust newsletter Summer 1998)

I'd say they still hold the award, don't you? Nothing has changed!!

Upcoming Events: July 21 (Meeting, 1:30 to 4)
August 18 (TURTLERAMA) 11 to 4
October 20 (Meeting 1:30 to 4)