Friday, March 13, 2009

I want to be a turtle

primarily an eastern box turtle. and a rested turtle, not a tired turtle.


The turtle best represents the way fulltime RVers live, they carry their house with them as they travel. Take a lesson from the turtle. She is not in a hurry and lives a long time.



The box turtle or box tortoise is one of several species of turtle.



North American box turtles are omnivores. Their sharp eyes and keen sense of smell help them in finding food such as snails, insects, berries, fungi, slugs, worms, roots, flowers, fish, frogs, salamanders, various rodents, snakes, birds, and eggs. During their first five to six years, the young are primarily carnivorous while they grow. Adults tend to be mostly herbivorous, but they do not eat green leaves. Box turtles have been known to eat road-kill. Babies and young turtles need more protein and prefer a carnivorous diet, and then include more and more plant matter as they get older.

Diet in the WildOmnivorous - these turtles eat snails, insects, berries, fungi, slugs, worms, roots, flowers, fish, frogs, salamanders, snakes, birds, and eggs indiscriminately. They have been observed eating carrion, feeding on dead ducks, amphibians, assorted small mammals, and even a dead cow. Their preference varies greatly by season but there is one definite trend. Young are primarily carnivorous while they grow during their first five to six years. Adults tend to be mostly herbivorous, but they eat no green leaves. Young often hunt in ponds and streams because the type of food they prefer is easier to catch there, but adults usually feed on land.

Zoo DietAt the Zoo, they are fed salad, earthworms, and crickets; rarely mealworms.


Box turtles are solitary creatures. They do not need companions of any sort.



Perhaps the most critical aspect of turtle care in the winter is to have adequate humidity.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

I've always loved turtles, too! From the tiny ones to the gorgeous box turtles.

I've also had a passion for tortoises - smuggled Diane's "Kaffy" (at 2 and 3 she had trouble with "th") into a suitcase and onto the plane from SF to Melbourne, FL! Then there was Tank, the 500# Aldabran tortoise I worked with when I volunteered at the Catoctin Zoo in MD.

Thanks for the info!

Nancy

Mary Humphrey said...

Now, tell me, Ms. RV'er, do you really want to eat worms? Just kidding. I am so happy for you...sounds cool (what you want to do). I always encourage people to follow their dreams.

Anonymous said...

I have a friend that absolutely loves turtles! We went to the Newpot Aquarium and she freaked out when she saw the big sea turtle and the other little turtles! I love giraffes. But she loves TURTLES! She calls herself S.A.T. that stands for Secret Agent Turtle. I call myself B.G. Which stands for Batman Giraffe. Were in 4th grade. we are both 10 years old.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rachel Burdine said...

I LOVE TURTLES!!

Rachel Burdine said...

Go to this website and you can blog about turtle all you want:
www.BatmanGiraffe.blogspot.com
There you go.

Anonymous said...

I LIKE yellow belly turtle is the yellow belly slider, a subspecies of the pond sliders. These turtles enjoy swamps, bogs, marshes, seasonal wetlands, ponds, and occasionally slow moving rivers. They are very timid in nature and make very good pets.

turtlefacts