# A Pic From Today



## Turtulas-Len (Jan 1, 2016)

Alex getting a New Year Day Cactus.


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## bouaboua (Jan 1, 2016)

That is a big boy alright!!!


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## Yvonne G (Jan 2, 2016)

I expected to see snow. Not too cold there yet?


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## Turtulas-Len (Jan 2, 2016)

We have only had a few nights with below freezing temps so far this fall and winter. That being said, when I got up this morning it was 24 degrees and it is supposed to be more normal weather (colder) for at least the next 10 days. Walker don't mind how cold it is he still comes out to do what adult sulcatas do. Here he is this morning trying to take a shortcut over a sight barrier to get to me, he didn't make over


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## Dizisdalife (Jan 2, 2016)

I was looking forward to seeing Walker in the snow again. Unlike you, I have had at least 5 straight nights of 32° temps.


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## Turtulas-Len (Jan 3, 2016)

If we get snow he will be out in it along with the others,Here he is today getting ready to pester Toad in the cold water pool I thought, but he didn't, he left her to soak peacefully.

The pool had a thin layer of ice on it before the sun melted it this morning.


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## Oxalis (Jan 3, 2016)

He looks quite satisfied with that cactus.


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## Pearly (Jan 3, 2016)

Turtulas-Len said:


> We have only had a few nights with below freezing temps so far this fall and winter. That being said, when I got up this morning it was 24 degrees and it is supposed to be more normal weather (colder) for at least the next 10 days. Walker don't mind how cold it is he still comes out to do what adult sulcatas do. Here he is this morning trying to take a shortcut over a sight barrier to get to me, he didn't make over
> View attachment 160783


What a beautiful animal!


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## Prairie Mom (Jan 3, 2016)

I always love your photos. You have such awesome beasties


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## Turtulas-Len (Jan 5, 2016)

We finally have Winter. Low temps around 10 and highs right around 32.Except for it being very cold and windy, and the water freezing in their bowls everything goes on as pretty much normal. Here is Sylvia wondering why he is not warming up in the sun.

And here is Enoch this afternoon a little before sundown, she ate dry grass and leaves, collards and old formula mazuri before heading back inside. Sylvia is a boy and Enoch is a girl. I have a hard time changing names.


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## Oxalis (Jan 6, 2016)

Turtulas-Len said:


> We finally have Winter. Low temps around 10 and highs right around 32.Except for it being very cold and windy, and the water freezing in their bowls everything goes on as pretty much normal. Here is Sylvia wondering why he is not warming up in the sun.
> View attachment 161182
> And here is Enoch this afternoon a little before sundown, she ate dry grass and leaves, collards and old formula mazuri before heading back inside. Sylvia is a boy and Enoch is a girl. I have a hard time changing names.


Nice! Sylvia looks like a puppy, stretched out like that.


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## Turtulas-Len (Jan 18, 2016)

We've been in the 20s since yesterday and the constant cold air outside doesn't change these sulcatas activities. After removing the ice to give them fresh water this morning it had refrozen in a few hours.

If you look close you can see the new growth on Enoch, she is the one on the bottom.

This is the first winter that Walker has females in his area, They all still go back to their own houses to warm up. We are having another cold night, it's 17 F now.


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## Oxalis (Jan 19, 2016)

I didn't know sulcatas could be so active in such low temps!


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## Turtulas-Len (Jan 19, 2016)

Oxalis said:


> I didn't know sulcatas could be so active in such low temps!


Very few people do. But if they have a warm house (burrow) to retreat to, they can regulate body temps, stay active, eat, act normal, and collect uv rays.I have noticed over the years that if the barometric pressure is low they may not come out, even if the temperature is up.


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## Maro2Bear (Jan 19, 2016)

Thanks for sharing all your pix of your great Sullys! We'll have to meet up some time.


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## Turtulas-Len (Jan 19, 2016)

Maro2Bear said:


> Thanks for sharing all your pix of your great Sullys! We'll have to meet up some time.


Sure thing. Are you ready for the snow that is supposed to start falling Friday ? I've seen reports of zero inches to four feet possible in the Metro area, I'm hoping for the zero, but ready for more if we get it.


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## Turtulas-Len (Jan 21, 2016)

This is Sylvia and he sorta waddles when he walks and doesn't get far off the ground, we are getting ready for a snow storm starting Friday that could become real nasty so Sylvia is coming inside for a couple days,

After thinking about it I plan on bringing all the sulcatas except Walker inside, probably until Sunday.


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## MPRC (Jan 21, 2016)

Tortoise slumber party! I hope it all goes well and you don't get nailed.


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## Oxalis (Jan 22, 2016)

LaDukePhoto said:


> Tortoise slumber party!


Oh my goodness, I love it!!! I'll keep my fingers crossed for good weather!


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## Turtulas-Len (Jan 26, 2016)

Heat wave today, it got up to 60 degrees, a lot of snow melted and a little activity in the snow by Toad and Walker was all over the whole yard.





Got Toads stats today, She is 44 months old, 18 inches and 49 pounds. that's her in the last 2 pics.


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## Oxalis (Jan 26, 2016)

Turtulas-Len said:


> Heat wave today, it got up to 60 degrees, a lot of snow melted and a little activity in the snow by Toad and Walker was all over the whole yard.
> View attachment 163559
> View attachment 163560
> View attachment 163561
> ...


Torts in the snow! How neat!


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## Cheryl Hills (Jan 28, 2016)

So cute, playing in the snow!


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## Turtulas-Len (Feb 1, 2016)

One of the new babies on Walkers back.


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## sibi (Feb 1, 2016)

How warm is his enclosure? I think Walker has a high tolerance for cold weather, doesn't he?

Why don't we see pics like these on the annual calendar? I think Walker on snow would be so cool!!!


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## sibi (Feb 1, 2016)

You say they have a burrow? Is it underground with a wooden structure entrance? Do all your torts live in the burrow? How do you manage to keep the males from fighting for dominance /females? Oh, and, what state do you live in?


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## Turtulas-Len (Feb 1, 2016)

sibi said:


> How warm is his enclosure? I think Walker has a high tolerance for cold weather, doesn't he?
> 
> Why don't we see pics like these on the annual calendar? I think Walker on snow would be so cool!!![/QUOTE





sibi said:


> How warm is his enclosure? I think Walker has a high tolerance for cold weather, doesn't he?
> 
> Why don't we see pics like these on the annual calendar? I think Walker on snow would be so cool!!!


His house is 8x8 ft and reading 85 on the cooler end right now. Outside air temps are all reading above 50 and going up until the clouds move in later this afternoon. His house serves as his burrow and he is very protective of it. He also has dirt burrow under his house that is used during the hot months. Some people say sulcatas don't understand cold, I believe they do understand they are getting cold, because after being out in the cold for a while they head back to their houses to warm up. Walker is pretty big so he retains his body heat for quite awhile before he needs to head in to warm up. I didn't submit a pic for this years calendar, I had pics win in the 2nd and 3rd calendars,. Walker did win the Stanfield contest with a snow pic. I have 3 females and 2 males, 2 of the females, Enoch and Toad sleep in one house together, the other 3 each have their own house. They were all put together for the first time last summer.( I didn't know what to expect ) Everything went smooth and peaceful, Thankfully. In the fall when Enoch and Alex started laying for the first time the males would bother them while nesting, so I separated them into four separate areas. I put them back into the separate areas last week before the snow storm and will probably keep them this way until spring shows up. I have a couple sex toys for Walker that he still utilizes, a hard green ball about 6 inches in diameter is his favorite. I have not noticed any signs of aggression or dominance between the 2 males, They have never been together alone without females being present. I am in Virginia on the Potomac River southeast of Washington DC.


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## TortManWA (Feb 13, 2016)

LOL love seeing a tortoise in the snow, they look happy!


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## Turtulas-Len (Mar 1, 2016)

She is not a tortoise but has been with us since she was a tiny little thing. She is 10 years old and finished molting last night.. It was not to long before she came out of hiding so I could get a pic of her fresh colors.


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## Oxalis (Mar 2, 2016)

Turtulas-Len said:


> She is not a tortoise but has been with us since she was a tiny little thing. She is 10 years old and finished molting last night.. It was not to long before she came out of hiding so I could get a pic of her fresh colors.
> View attachment 166548


Ahh!  Just curious, what is her demeanor typically like? Does she recognize you when you're nearby?


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## Pearly (Mar 2, 2016)

I want to say "how pretty colors"... But they just freak me out! I know it's crazy. Could you tell us about her? Maybe start her own thread in appropriate section? I'd be very interested in reading/following it. Snakes used to scare me out of my mind, but over time it got better as I made myself read as much as possible about them. To me it the unknown factor that's the biggest cause of fear. Guess I like to be in control


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## Oxalis (Mar 2, 2016)

Pearly said:


> Snakes used to scare me out of my mind, but over time it got better as I made myself read as much as possible about them. To me it the unknown factor that's the biggest cause of fear. Guess I like to be in control


You are very brave!  Always good to be in control!


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## Turtulas-Len (Mar 4, 2016)

Oxalis said:


> Ahh!  Just curious, what is her demeanor typically like? Does she recognize you when you're nearby?


She is not real excitable most of the time, She has fuzzed me several times over the years though. I don't believe she recognizes me or anything larger than a big bug of some sort.


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## Pearly (Mar 4, 2016)

Turtulas-Len said:


> She is not real excitable most of the time, She has fuzzed me several times over the years though. I don't believe she recognizes me or anything larger than a big bug of some sort.


What do you mean "fuzzed you"? Just curious! Know nothing about spiders


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## Turtulas-Len (Mar 5, 2016)

Pearly said:


> What do you mean "fuzzed you"? Just curious! Know nothing about spiders


When she gets startled or feels that she may be in danger she can rub the top of her body with her back legs very quickly and throw some of the hairs in the air to help ward off a predator, The hairs can be quite irritating if they get in your eyes. If you see a spider with a bald spot on it's backside it's not because it is an old spider it is just an irritated or nervous one, When it molts it will look fine with a new full body of hair.


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## Pearly (Mar 5, 2016)

Turtulas-Len said:


> When she gets startled or feels that she may be in danger she can rub the top of her body with her back legs very quickly and throw some of the hairs in the air to help ward off a predator, The hairs can be quite irritating if they get in your eyes. If you see a spider with a bald spot on it's backside it's not because it is an old spider it is just an irritated or nervous one, When it molts it will look fine with a new full body of hair.


Thanks for explaining the "fuzzing" deal. Very interesting. It's really a shame that as passionate about animals and nature that I feel, I'd be so phobic about snakes and spiders. I grew up in Poland (cold climate) where the biggest spider was daddy longlegs and there was only 1 species of venomous snake which was so rare to see it was protected by federal law. I used to go camping all the time, and loved outdoors, lakes, mountains, rivers, big old forests, and never-not once did I encounter a live snake. I guess maybe lack of exposure and definitely lack of education, plus some stigma on those animals has caused me to have this stupid fear of them. I'm doing much better with captive snakes now. Can actually appreciate beauty of nature in their colors and adaptation to environment. I have yet to encounter one in my garden and see if I freak out.... Spiders though still give me little chill, so I must do what I did about my "snake fear": learn, learn, learn... and be free


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## Oxalis (Mar 5, 2016)

Turtulas-Len said:


> When she gets startled or feels that she may be in danger she can rub the top of her body with her back legs very quickly and throw some of the hairs in the air to help ward off a predator, The hairs can be quite irritating if they get in your eyes. If you see a spider with a bald spot on it's backside it's not because it is an old spider it is just an irritated or nervous one, When it molts it will look fine with a new full body of hair.


That's a little frightening!


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## Turtulas-Len (Apr 1, 2016)

A snapper out sunning today, for the first time this year The snappers are always the last to show themselves each spring.


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## Oxalis (Apr 2, 2016)

Turtulas-Len said:


> A snapper out sunning today, for the first time this year The snappers are always the last to show themselves each spring.
> View attachment 169173


Sweet! Always good to see from a distance...


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