Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Janie is the girl who sat in cold rain 2 years ago & got herself sick. She spent that winter indoors & with vet treatment for the respiratory infection the cold rain caused.
We have a major cold front moving in. It's supposed to be chilly tomorrow but freezing on Thanksgiving Day & the rest of the weekend.

This morning I open the front door & there's Janie sitting out in the open in pen. I went out to look her over, she was cold & wet from the water that's still on the grass from the sprinklers going off at 3AM.
She looked dehydrated but her breathing sounds normal.
I haven't seen Hobo since the 12th, the other girl box turtles have been under for at least 2 weeks, 2 of them longer than that.
I couldn't take it, I picked her up soaked her in tepid water then put her in the indoor enclosure. I can't leave her out there knowing that the weather is going to change drastically in less than 24 hours when all the other turtles went under & stayed under.
Maybe I'm too overprotective but I just can't risk losing her.
Hopefully she'll get it right next year.
:::sigh:::
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PHRatz

Your turtles are so lucky to end up w/ you. Your so conscientious. So I guess this means Janie is in for the winter?
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Patsy

Thank you Patsy.. yeah it does mean she's staying in.

I just oculd not risk having her sit out in the cold. I thought if she's out on a day like yesterday then she either wasn't underground at all but only under the pile of grass in the turtle house, or she wasn't under very deeply.

Then I began to wonder has she ever spent a winter outdoors in her life? After all she sat in cold rain & got sick 2 years ago when the rest of them knew to get out of the rain.
I don't know if she's ever spent a winter outside since I don't know where she came from. I just know it in my bones that she was not wild when I found her.
I've never had a wild one stalk me for food then climb up & sit in my lap like she's supposed to do that.

Yesterday once she got into the enclosure & sat under the heat lamp, she sprawled out & looked like she was as happy as can be.
Oh well.. we'll try again next year...
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PHRatz

Miss Janie has you very well trained, Ratz!

Janie is smart she thought sleep in the cold winter or come in and enjoy the holidays, listen to music, enjoy my family. I'm with Janie on this one.

She is one lucky turtle ! ! ! ! !

Sounds like Janie and Stubbie (one of my female boxies) are in the same boat presently. I went out to the pen this a.m. at 7:00 and Stubbie was under a cubbie but was not buried. All my others are under and have been for over 3 weeks now. I don't know why Stubbie isn't. Well, actually she was, but was only buried about 1 inch under the top soil and the cubbie she had chosen faced east and the early sun would shine right there. Yesterday was really warm out and I was out gathering tomatoes and happened to think about her and checked to see if she had buried further down. She hadn't. In fact she was sitting there sunning. Well, I checked her last night before it got dark and she was still sitting out. This a.m. she was too! So.....I am going to soak her in a few minutes......and I suppose she will be staying in the house just like Janie. I don't get it. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her. She wasn't gasping for air, her nose wasn't bubbly, her eyes are clear. I guess she just wants to get the last bits of warm weather before the cold sets in.

It is also supposed to get cold here starting tonight with temps dropping into the low 30's for the next 5 days or so with a chance to warm back up again later on next week. I don't know about our weather this year. Things are sure changing! Well, I better go get Stubbie and let her soak a bit to see if maybe she will decide to bury under later today. If not.....she will be an inside turtle I suppose. You all have a good day! Take care.......9boxies

Just a curiosity of myself but i would love to see pics of your enclosure area!!

We got up this morning & it was cold as it's supposed to be here for the next 5 days or so too, then around 9 AM it began to SNOW!
There's a lot of snow on the ground right now, after it snowed all day long.
Then it melted a little bit, just enough to make it ice over tonight.
I am soooo glad that I brought Miss Janie indoors because I really don't think she would have gone under deep enough. My turtle pen is so covered in snow right now that some of the turtle houses can't even be seen.

Yes she has me well trained all right LOL!!!

Cookie is also indoors, the foster turtle who'd been dog chewed. Ever since I made her come in she hasn't eaten very well for me.
Thankfully today she did. I cooked the yucky heart, liver & whatever that other thing in the turkey was because I'd hoped that giving her that would interest her. I have a lot of things to be very thankful for today, one is that Cookie had a good meal! I broke out the ceramic heat emitter today.. I think that heating her up more than she was heated helped a lot too.

I have some enclosure photos that I took this summer somewhere on my computer that I haven't uploaded to the gallery.. let me dig those out.

I hope you're all having a great holiday!
(I hate football so right now I have nothing to do but get on the computer lol)
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PHRatz

>>Just a curiosity of myself but i would love to see pics of your enclosure area!!

Dang it! I can't find the newer photos, I seem to recall they weren't all that good, maybe I deleted them?
I have some photos in the gallery from when the pen was first built. I think some of the turtle houses were up then..
You can see them in this link:

Pet Hobbyist Gallery

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PHRatz

Janie sounds like she knows a good thing when she sees it, lol! I wish I could keep one of my turtles up this winter but all are healthy and I wouldn't want them to miss out on their beauty sleep. I miss my turtles in the winter! Good luck with Janie