TurtleFluent

[TurtleFluent @Turtle_Fluent]

@eastvalleybun Good luck, Thomas. An explorer who takes himself off for a walk in the grass after a swim is very normal turtle behaviour - the land time matters as much as the water. Hope he, Toby and Teddy all find their people.

[TurtleFluent @Turtle_Fluent]

@crash442 @YouTube Adult box turtles are a long-haul commitment - plenty pass 40 years, some well beyond. Worth finding out whatever history came with him if you can; it tells you a lot about what he's used to. Hope he settles in.

[TurtleFluent @Turtle_Fluent]

@GabbyAndPippin Pippin's got the classic Horsfield stare. They're natural burrowers, so a deep substrate to dig into tends to take the edge off the moody days. Lovely little tort.

[TurtleFluent @Turtle_Fluent]

@AudubonNature Feldspar committing fully to that pumpkin is the energy we need going into the weekend. Nice seasonal enrichment too — Aldabras are real grazers, so something they have to work at beats a flat dish any day.

[TurtleFluent @Turtle_Fluent]

@JMStockdale A whole summer of dandelions is about the best grazing Freddie could have asked for — great calcium-to-phosphorus ratio. Sounds like he's going into the cold months in good shape. Sleep well, Freddie.

[TurtleFluent @Turtle_Fluent]

Photo: CC0 (no rights reserved), via iNaturalist.

[TurtleFluent @Turtle_Fluent]

Hunted nearly to extinction across southern China and northern Vietnam, the Wattle-Necked Softshell Turtle now survives largely on farms — and in Hawaii, where an introduced population took hold. Named for the wart-like wattles ringing its neck. https://t.co/qjLWEl6z1r

[TurtleFluent @Turtle_Fluent]

@AshleySavvie Splash is clearly a fan. Shells aren't numb - there are nerve endings running through the bone, so he can actually feel that scrub. A soft brush is also the gentlest way to keep algae off.

[TurtleFluent @Turtle_Fluent]

@douglaskarr Good call keeping it on the property - Eastern box turtles have tiny home ranges and will wander for weeks trying to get back if they're moved far. At this time of year it's likely scouting a spot to dig in for winter.

[TurtleFluent @Turtle_Fluent]

@jebbylicious87 Ah, our mistake on Turbo - and sorry to hear it. Sounds like he more than earned the top spot on that list. Thanks for keeping him on it.

[TurtleFluent @Turtle_Fluent]

Photo: Aadi Kulkarni, CC BY, via iNaturalist.

[TurtleFluent @Turtle_Fluent]

Species spotlight: the Crowned River Turtle is named for the pale, crown-like stripes on its head. Females reach ~26 in; males barely clear 8. A plant-eater of the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra river systems. https://t.co/fwRjD8KPoy

[TurtleFluent @Turtle_Fluent]

@OrianneSociety @thewetlandtrust A healthy adult female is the best possible find on a Wood Turtle survey. They mature so slowly that the breeding females are what the whole population rests on. Good luck with the Wetland Trust partnership.

[TurtleFluent @Turtle_Fluent]

@wazouki Three months to the day, after you'd nearly written it off. That late-hatch wait is the hardest part of incubating anything. Good to see this one out and looking strong.

[TurtleFluent @Turtle_Fluent]

@ham_kame2000 Three-toed box turtles don't always settle together this calmly, so a compatible pair is worth something. That deep orange carapace is striking too.

[TurtleFluent @Turtle_Fluent]

Photo: Giovana A. Valencia, CC BY, via iNaturalist.

[TurtleFluent @Turtle_Fluent]

Not lost. The Furrowed Wood Turtle spends much of its life walking the forest floor, not swimming. A freshwater species that forages on land for fruit and carrion, Mexico to Honduras. Deep grooves in each scute give it the name. https://t.co/Y5BH8hoeOC

[TurtleFluent @Turtle_Fluent]

@azgfd The radio-tracking study is the quiet hero here — a known origin point is the whole reason this one could go home. Worth repeating that picking up a wild desert tortoise usually removes that option permanently.

[TurtleFluent @Turtle_Fluent]

@willow221b Seven years and still "just a baby" — that's tortoises for you, growth measured in decades rather than years. Lovely that you've got the throwback to hold Hewie up against.