some pictures

[mark1]

of some hatchlings i raised in the house over the winter ....... i had them and thought maybe someone here would enjoy the pics .......

 

[Yvonne G]

Very nice! Quite colorful.

 

[Moozillion]

Beauties!!!!

 

[wellington]

Love the pics

 

[mark1]

they are pretty as youngsters ....... when i was a kid they were all along the lake shore here , we seen them all the time ..... like most other turtles , now they are all but gone , .....

 

[cdmay]

Those are really pretty. So you'll be releasing them?
Or will you hang onto them?

 

[mark1]

no these are cbb ........ they have done some releases in ohio , i seriously doubt it helps , maybe it buys a little more time ..... these guys take like 15-20yrs to breed the first time , and the mortality rate before that occurs is probably close to 100%........ i think the reason behind them becoming eradicated is not that there are no turtles breeding , until the causes are corrected , if that's possible , i believe no matter what they do they will continue to disappear in the wild .....what would help them a bit , and NA wood turtles even more , is federal protection ...... they are protected in every state they occur , but there is still a monetary incentive to poach them and just send them to a state where they are not protected , federal protection would make that a lot harder .... i have heard of entire populations of wood turtles disappearing over a few years , that is obviously poaching , as an environmental cause would be seen in other species ......

 

[cdmay]

Yeah, I think you're pretty much 100% correct on all points. I wasn't sure what the status of those in your photos were but I'm glad to know they're in good hands.
Nice animals you have there.

 

[surfergirl]

very beautiful, thanks so much for sharing these awesome turtles!

 

[Anthony P]

Nice!!!! I have a small group of blandingii, myself. Yours are VERY pretty

 

[mark1]

nice pic Anthony , she looks good ..... if you find the time you should put some pics of the rest , i'd certainly like too see your others ...... they are quite personable , and or hungry , i hate walking by them , they make you feel guilty for not feeding them everytime they see you

 

[Markw84]

nice pic Anthony , she looks good ..... if you find the time you should put some pics of the rest , i'd certainly like too see your others ...... they are quite personable , and or hungry , i hate walking by them , they make you feel guilty for not feeding them everytime they see you

With their bright yellow chins and shape of the mouth, they always look like they're smiling! I love Blandings! Even though I try to keep the population down, that is one turtle I would definitely add to my pond if I got a chance.

 

[mark1]

i know if mine ever, well actually with their lifespans , when they needed rehomed , i'd certainly try sending them to you . your effort and passion for this stuff is pretty impressive .......imo