CHICAGO TRIBUNE (Illinois) 02 February 06 A soft spot for turtles - Members of a Chicago club gather monthly in honor of their favorite pets (Jon Anderson)

Some looked like Pet Rocks. Others stuck their necks out. Several even walked around a bit.

In a large room with a toasty fireplace, it was a time for some "warm turtle camaraderie," as the Chicago Turtle Club describes its gatherings. Many of its 80 members met last weekend, as they do on the last Sunday of every month, at the North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N. Pulaski Rd.

There was no turtle racing. That comes in May at the club's annual festival.

But there was a chance to talk over turtle issues. These included their preference for early-morning feedings, the danger signs of dry, cracking or flaky skin and the need for safe housing that dissuades predators, notably dogs, skunks and raccoons.

"And turtles make good pets because ...?" a reporter asked Lisa Koester, the group's founder.

"Because you don't have to walk them and in Chicago, in the winter, that can be a real plus," she replied.

As club members agreed, their shell-encased companions require considerable care to keep them healthy. They need fish and worms, enough but not too much sunlight, appropriate hygiene and warm surroundings. In turn, they can display affection, especially toward those who feed them.

"These are my babies," said Don Rustemeyer, who has been raising red-footed tortoises for four years.

"They look like loaves of bread," he said. "But," he added, "that's the way they grow."

Nearby, Steve Spitzer, the club's box turtle guru, was demonstrating his technique to safely trim overgrown beaks and nails. Turtles in the wild attend to such personal chores by scraping their nails on rocks, but homebound pets need help with primping, he explained.

The turtle club was formed in 1988 "to serve the needs of turtle and tortoise enthusiasts of all ages," Koester said, caressing a red-eared slider turtle with a somewhat battered shell. Something, it appeared, had tried to eat it.

The turtle meetings are open to the public and are described on a Web site, .

Nor are they without excitement.

"Make room! We've got a turtle tank coming in," Steve Spitzer shouted at one point, as the Hack family arrived with their box turtle, cared for by daughter, Abby, 6. Its name, Abby reported, was probably Aaron. But, she added, it could be Erin.

"Looks like a male to me," suggested Spitzer, noting its brown eyes and masculine shell configuration.

"Couldn't you, well, um, you know, just look at its private parts?" a reporter wondered.

"No," Spitzer replied, noting that turtles discreetly hide such information inside their shells.

Nor are turtles really that much into racing, other members said.

At last year's festival, a number of them were placed in the center of a ring of rope and set free. Sometime later, one made it to the periphery and was declared the winner. But as Spitzer reported, "being turtles, some were more interested than others."



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