blanding's

mark1

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I had them when I as a kid ….. with my decision to get turtles I could keep outside here year around , I got 7 hatchlings ………… this guy will be 6 this season ….. my question on when and how they could be sexed that went unanswered seems to have been answered , at least as far as male , the black lip being male and the light lip being female , definitely not always , red eyes indicating male , not appearing that way on what seems to be a female at this point ……. what I did notice , once their plastron went concave none of them became un-concave before the tail seemed to confirm they were males ……. I read they are easy to raise , I think terrapene are easy to raise , I think cuora were easy to raise , I think glyptemys are easy to raise , I think rhinoclemmys are easy to raise , I thought elongata were easy to raise , I thought geochelone were easy to raise , not that i actually think any are "easy" to raise long term , but these I've had to work harder at raising than any of the others ……. as hatchlings they are obviously more sensitive to water conditions …….. I notice this on their shells every late winter or spring , vet tells me it's bacteria growing on the shell from being underwater all winter without sunlight ? it does clear up over the summer , so I tend to buy his theory ……. any other opinions , experiences ? there is about 2 months difference in the pics , all 3 pics are the same turtle …… you can see the spot on his shell as a hatchling , out of 10 I bought 5 came with health issues , so it doesn't seem to be just me …………. their activity over our winter here in northern ohio really is astounding …..

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Pastel Tortie

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I can't be of much help on this one, although I am interested in the progress and your experiences with Blandings. Being in Florida, I pretty much ruled out Blandings early on... I'm under the impression that need cooler temperatures... and that they are more difficult to work with.

They certainly are beautiful, though.
 

Yvonne G

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Yeah, I have no experience or knowledge of this species, so I'm not any help, however, I just wanted to comment on how similar in looks they are to box turtles. It's a very pretty turtle.

Since they are labelled "semi aquatic" maybe this particular turtle should be hibernated in moist leaf litter instead of in the pond???????? (for her shell problem)
 
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dmmj

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What I know about blandings care couldn't fill a thimble, but I also have heard they like cooler but no first hand. Very pretty specimens.
 

mark1

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I can't be of much help on this one, although I am interested in the progress and your experiences with Blandings. Being in Florida, I pretty much ruled out Blandings early on... I'm under the impression that need cooler temperatures... and that they are more difficult to work with.

They certainly are beautiful, though.

they do like summer here ……… they are very curious and food motivated …….. I'd guess a large natural pond would make them a lot easier , shell issues , pneumonia and ear abscesses have been the issues I've had to deal with , most of which they came to me with …….…….


Yeah, I have no experience or knowledge of this species, so I'm not any help, however, I just wanted to comment on how similar in looks they are to box turtles. It's a very pretty turtle.

Since they are labelled "semi aquatic" maybe this particular turtle should be hibernated in moist leaf litter instead of in the pond???????? (for her shell problem)

they do have a working hinge on their plastron ....... they are just a little less aquatic than a fish , I've seen them go under a rock under water and not surface for longer than I could wait , easily more than a half hour , in the summer ............. they naturally hibernate underwater , these guys as the wood turtles have their choice , they always go to the water when the water is warmer than the air , and eventually just stay there ........... part of the problem may be , assuming the vets guess is correct , is that i cover the pond with plastic in late December through april , which eliminates any uv , which would make the vets thought more plausible ......... i am thinking next winter i'll catch them on nice days and wipe them down with chlorhexadine and or silver sulfadiazine a few times over the course of winter ....

What I know about blandings care couldn't fill a thimble, but I also have heard they like cooler but no first hand. Very pretty specimens.

thank you Dave , i've seen them sitting in the sun on a rock on sunny days well below freezing .......
 

Moozillion

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I don't know anything about Blandings, but BOY, are they pretty!!!! :)
Wishing you great success with them!!!
 

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