We're gonna need a bigger boat!

jeff kushner

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Jul 24, 2020
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Yes, Jaws was being rerun for the umpteenth time yesterday which made the title apropos. I LOVE being able to say it too....she's small, "runty" so it's cool that she appears to have had a little growth spurt!



We are gonna need a bigger boat.jpg


Sorry for the thru-the-glass pic but all my pics suck so I'm posting "as expected". She was just too cute at 4am this morning.

See the log behind her? It used to lay the other way, on the rock to the right, creating a damp hide for her. SHE somehow managed to flip it....so I left it there. Now it lays on top of the opening to her fitting...creating a walkout basement! Who knew? "Matilda, the Eco-engineer"
 

Jan A

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Yes, Jaws was being rerun for the umpteenth time yesterday which made the title apropos. I LOVE being able to say it too....she's small, "runty" so it's cool that she appears to have had a little growth spurt!



View attachment 335591


Sorry for the thru-the-glass pic but all my pics suck so I'm posting "as expected". She was just too cute at 4am this morning.

See the log behind her? It used to lay the other way, on the rock to the right, creating a damp hide for her. SHE somehow managed to flip it....so I left it there. Now it lays on top of the opening to her fitting...creating a walkout basement! Who knew? "Matilda, the Eco-engineer"
Wow!! She has grown. Gorgeous little girl!!
 

jeff kushner

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Wow, he's one prehistoric looking beast Zero!

Ok, I actually took my time this morning and tried but only used a V30 phone camera. I wonder why Matilda is always so grouchy looking in the morning, then I look at the clock. Had a wife like that too for a couple of decades so I know "the look". LOL, so does every other husband here.

These pics are making me rethink if Matilda is really a Matt? She's always been aggressive I thought for a female box turtle but I'm the 1st to admit, I never had a baby, now yearling box turtle before so I assumed ...yeah, I know....just figured that's how she compensates for being so small? Like the insecure guy at a party, being a fool.

I know she is looking a bit dry.....Temps though are tough to get anything above 82F with my present setup. I've mitigated heat loss by covering the open side of the top and activated the 7W mat heater below the tank on the water bowl side to gain latent heat in the biomass to reduce it's heat shedding of the CHE but I may have to replace the 50W CHE pointing down into her home. I'm kinda watching to make sure she makes her daily trips to the water and giving her lots of spray to compensate for the heater. I think that she was also preparing for winter while outside and that she's in flux so to speak so I'm giving her ample time to level out on her own. Last night was Steak night so she got a normal persons bite-sized piece. I even gave her an END piece! Yes, she is loved! I saw her drag it into her fitting from the rear entrance to eat in peace. She eats part of her daily fruit at all and is always searching for one of those 150 nightcrawlers beneath her feet. They make it easy to find for me, I just lift the water bowl if I want to feed her one. That action, not unnoticed by "the one who sees all", has developed a response to seeing me lift the bowl. If she's hungry, she will make it known, if not she will simply raise her head to show herself.
 

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Maggie3fan

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Wow, he's one prehistoric looking beast Zero!

Ok, I actually took my time this morning and tried but only used a V30 phone camera. I wonder why Matilda is always so grouchy looking in the morning, then I look at the clock. Had a wife like that too for a couple of decades so I know "the look". LOL, so does every other husband here.

These pics are making me rethink if Matilda is really a Matt? She's always been aggressive I thought for a female box turtle but I'm the 1st to admit, I never had a baby, now yearling box turtle before so I assumed ...yeah, I know....just figured that's how she compensates for being so small? Like the insecure guy at a party, being a fool.

I know she is looking a bit dry.....Temps though are tough to get anything above 82F with my present setup. I've mitigated heat loss by covering the open side of the top and activated the 7W mat heater below the tank on the water bowl side to gain latent heat in the biomass to reduce it's heat shedding of the CHE but I may have to replace the 50W CHE pointing down into her home. I'm kinda watching to make sure she makes her daily trips to the water and giving her lots of spray to compensate for the heater. I think that she was also preparing for winter while outside and that she's in flux so to speak so I'm giving her ample time to level out on her own. Last night was Steak night so she got a normal persons bite-sized piece. I even gave her an END piece! Yes, she is loved! I saw her drag it into her fitting from the rear entrance to eat in peace. She eats part of her daily fruit at all and is always searching for one of those 150 nightcrawlers beneath her feet. They make it easy to find for me, I just lift the water bowl if I want to feed her one. That action, not unnoticed by "the one who sees all", has developed a response to seeing me lift the bowl. If she's hungry, she will make it known, if not she will simply raise her head to show herself.
What a freakin grumpy looking face...oh my!!! I have said it before and well say it again...BOX TURTLES ARE SO COOL
Chewy loves the water...she's an ornata I got from Y...she was chewed by the gentle family dog...my photos won't post...
 

ZEROPILOT

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Wow, he's one prehistoric looking beast Zero!

Ok, I actually took my time this morning and tried but only used a V30 phone camera. I wonder why Matilda is always so grouchy looking in the morning, then I look at the clock. Had a wife like that too for a couple of decades so I know "the look". LOL, so does every other husband here.

These pics are making me rethink if Matilda is really a Matt? She's always been aggressive I thought for a female box turtle but I'm the 1st to admit, I never had a baby, now yearling box turtle before so I assumed ...yeah, I know....just figured that's how she compensates for being so small? Like the insecure guy at a party, being a fool.

I know she is looking a bit dry.....Temps though are tough to get anything above 82F with my present setup. I've mitigated heat loss by covering the open side of the top and activated the 7W mat heater below the tank on the water bowl side to gain latent heat in the biomass to reduce it's heat shedding of the CHE but I may have to replace the 50W CHE pointing down into her home. I'm kinda watching to make sure she makes her daily trips to the water and giving her lots of spray to compensate for the heater. I think that she was also preparing for winter while outside and that she's in flux so to speak so I'm giving her ample time to level out on her own. Last night was Steak night so she got a normal persons bite-sized piece. I even gave her an END piece! Yes, she is loved! I saw her drag it into her fitting from the rear entrance to eat in peace. She eats part of her daily fruit at all and is always searching for one of those 150 nightcrawlers beneath her feet. They make it easy to find for me, I just lift the water bowl if I want to feed her one. That action, not unnoticed by "the one who sees all", has developed a response to seeing me lift the bowl. If she's hungry, she will make it known, if not she will simply raise her head to show herself.
He or she DOES look P'ed off!
 
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