Three-Striped Mud Turtles: BOLD & PINSTRIPE

Yes, she is! I almost said that myself... but on this forum, I might have to clarify that an "anacharis boa" isn't a novel morph of snake!

Pinstripe was enjoying some time basking today.

Then she realized the Turtle Paparazzi found her.

PINSTRIPE: MOM!!!

She wasn't too happy about the camera.

Gosh, she’s beautiful!
Get used to it, Pinstripe!!!

I couldn't get a really good angle for pictures this evening because I didn't want to wake Bold up, if I could help it.


Bold is so precious when she falls asleep basking.

She really is!!! ️

Courtesy of my other half, another picture of Bold basking last night. We were sneaky about this one... I held up the lid while he took the picture... and Bold managed to snooze through it all!

Never get between a girl and her beauty sleep!

OMG! OMG! OMG!
I loveLoveLOVE this photo!!!!!!
SO TOTALLY ADORABLE with her built-in sleep mask!!!!!!

Pastel Tortie, BOTH your turtles are wonderfully photogenic!!!
And your Wildlife Photographer is truly outstanding!!!! Kudos to him!!!

I know, right? Who knew those turtlenecks were actually built-in sleep masks?

Thanks, Bea! I will be sure to pass that along to him!

Apologies in advance... This is a rambling post, but I have to wonder if there's any way to "stack the deck" on (hatchling) turtle selection.

Early On
When we first got Bold and Pinstripe, they were the same size, same weight, and looked almost identical. The only visible difference was with the lines on each hatchling's carapace. Now, almost a year later, they look very different. The yellow markings on their necks, and the mottling on their heads, are some of the more reliable ways to tell them apart now.

Pinstripe's Markings
The three lines on Pinstripe's carapace have always looked more finely drawn and well defined. It's worth noting that the markings (lines and dots) on Pinstripe's HEAD and NECK are extremely well defined. Most of those markings were not visible (or not there at all) when Pinstripe was a tiny hatching, but the NATURE of her markings has been consistent throughout. The background color of Pinstripe's skin has remained fairly dark, at least compared to Bold's. Pinstripe's carapace has not lightened in color as much as Bold's has, either.

Bold's Markings
The lines on Bold's carapace were never pinstripe-fine, nor of uniform thickness. As a hatchling, Bold's lines looked more like a series of thin arrows lined up in a row. There has always been more variation in the lines on Bold's carapace. As a hatchling, the stripes on Bold's head and neck looked the same as Pinstripe's. Now, however, the yellow markings (stripes and spots) on Bold seem to fade at the edges and blend into the background of her gray neck. Compared to Pinstripe, Bold's markings have remained consistently INCONSISTENT, if that makes sense.

Does It Matter?
The reason I mention all this is because, well... Picking out hatchlings is kind of like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're going to get. Most of the time, we don't even know what we want to end up with visually, so usually there's no reason to try to affect the outcome at the point of selection (point of sale, at an expo or other opportunity to choose a specific animal from a group). Besides, getting a healthy turtle is the most important thing.

I don't know if others have had similar experiences in "what you buy" (hatching) vs. "what you get" (adult or adult-ish) coloring and patterns. I also don't know if any of those traits have any connection to personality, gender, or anything else.

All I know is my two turtles, and they seldom fail to remind me that I have SO much to learn!

Again, please forgive the long, rambling post.

I'm kind of hoping NOT to bring home any livestock from the expo in Daytona in August. However, IF I do cave in, I think this time I will study the available selections of hatchlings and yearlings VERY carefully. And I will try to notice what sets some apart from others. Although I don't know what I'd be looking for... Unless I find it!

It's been a while since the last time I weighed and measured the mud turtles, so I did that this morning. Before I fed the turtles. I wouldn't call them "hangry" exactly, but they weren't all that cooperative.

I would need an extra set of hands to both wrangle Bold and get the pictures of the most emphatic portion of her protesting.

BOLD: RELEASE me!! Isn't it RUDE to ask a lady her weight?? Or her measurements??


BOLD: NO, NO pictures, PLEASE!!!


Well, despite Bold's scolding... and biting the calipers... and pooping all over the paper towel and the container on the scale... I did manage to get my data.

Weights and Measurements

Monday, July 15, 2019

PINSTRIPE
SCL: 2 & 5/8 inches
Weight: 67 grams

BOLD
SCL: 3 & 1/16 inches
Weight: 103 grams

Preliminary Analysis / Comments

Bold's SCL is now 7/16" (just under 0.5") longer than Pinstripe's SCL.

Up to this point, it looked like Pinstripe was in an active growth spurt and gaining on Bold's lead. This time, however, Pinstripe only gained 7 grams, compared to the 15 grams gained by Bold. That difference might be (at least partially) attributed to the "tough love LITE" that I have been trying to implement with Pinstripe, in an attempt to get her to eat more commercial diet pellets.

Feeding Note

As of three or four days ago, I have started including the Hikari Sinking Carnivore Pellets in the mud turtles' regular diet.

It works out conveniently because we're out of the Omega One Juvenile Turtle pellets, and I haven't been able to find them lately at either of our local Petco stores (like I used to).

Bold took to the new pellets immediately. Pinstripe's initial response was less-than-eager.

However, last night... I don't think Pinstripe wanted to admit that Mom was right about the new pellets being yummy... I think she was trying to NOT let me see her eating a few of the pellets.

Lol. Good Shot.

Thanks! I guess Bold's built-in sleep mask is remarkably effective!

I really wanted a picture of Bold doing her periscope impression out of the top of their artificial tree this morning, but this is the only one that came close.

Bold finally decided to leave the tree, vs. deal with the Turtle Paparazzi. I felt kind of bad, because the tree may be Bold's roundabout way of getting onto the basking area. I don't know for sure, because she's never successfully gotten onto this artificial basking rock with me watching.

I did manage to get a shot of Pinstripe's periscope impression this morning. You can tell it's Pinstripe because she does not have the U-shaped yellow "necklace" that Bold has on her neck.

LOVE this shot.!!

I want to give a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to @Moozillion for all of her dietary detail on food for Jacques and Nelson. Specifically, THANK YOU for mentioning the Hikari Sinking Carnivore Pellets. Apparently that was about the only commercial diet that Jacques (who was extremely picky) would eat at least SOME of...

And now... SO WILL PINSTRIPE!!!!!

She even let me watch her eating them last time... and she came back for MORE!