Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well my boxies might have had their last meal today for the 2008 season. The weather is supposed to really cool off next week and this time of year it probably won't be getting any warmer. Typically this is around the time they start cooling off and spending most of their time underground preparing for winter brumation and then usually in late October when we are forcasted for a hard freeze, I will bring them into the basement for their 6-7 month sleep I was watching them today on my day off thinking I miss them already. So today they were weighed, turtle waxed, and photographed. I took a group photo of the easterns. I wanted to list there starting weights this spring in April and then their weights today for reference of what I think is good growth for sub-adults. I was looking back at my records, and I guess I forgot to write it down, so I am not positive but I believe they were born in 2003 or 2004, so this would have been their 4th or 5th summer. Left to right in photo:
Male #1: April weight 192 grams- today 287 grams Notice how light colored and how pink skinned he has stayed.
Female #1 April 262 grams- today 318 grams
Male #2 April 174 grams- today 306 grams
Female #3 April 210 grams- today 310 grams
Female #4 April 156 grams- today 236 grams
I would say those were pretty good weight gains, yet none of them are obese, they can all completely close their shells.
Except for the one that I am 99% sure is male(the pale pink skinned one) they all really put on good color this year, the brown areas got darker, almost black, and the radiant bands got bigger and brighter yellow. Well, hopefully next year they will be mature enough to breed. Congrats to all of you that did produce hatchlings this year, wish me better luck next year.

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Jeff Benfer
1.0 cinnamon pastel Python regius
1.1 pastel Python regius
1.1 mojave Python regius
0.3 normal Python regius
1.3 Terrapene carolina thriunguis
2.3 Terrapene carolina carolina
4.1 Kinosternon baurii
1.1 Malaclemys terrapin terrapin
2.2 double het albino and anerythristicThamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.0 anerythristic Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
2.3 Iowa snow Thamnophis radix
0.2 het Christmas albino Thamnophis radix
1.1 double het cherry erythristic, albino Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
1.1 melanistic Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
2.0 66% het snow Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
1.1 triple heterozygous for amelanistic,carmel, and stripe Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 anerythristic motley Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 butter p.h. stripe Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 carmel stripe p.h. amel Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 amelanistic p.h. carmel,stripe Pantherophis guttatus

Jeff-great job on the turtles! They ate well this year, as all captive turtles should! Most of my turtles are full grown now and have stable weights and I'm afraid a few are quite the piggies and can't close up completely!

Good luck next year with the breeding! Maybe next year you can take pictures of the tails of all the turtles so we can see who is looking more like a male Tess

Thanks Tess. I'm pretty sure it's 2.3 but the one is kinda iffy' tail wise even though the eyes were really red this spring. The light skinned one has bright red eyes and a long tail and is thick past the cloaca, but I could still be wrong. I have the weights for the 3 toes too I will have to post that as well, they are much heavier and older.
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Jeff Benfer
1.0 cinnamon pastel Python regius
1.1 pastel Python regius
1.1 mojave Python regius
0.3 normal Python regius
1.3 Terrapene carolina thriunguis
2.3 Terrapene carolina carolina
4.1 Kinosternon baurii
1.1 Malaclemys terrapin terrapin
2.2 double het albino and anerythristicThamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.0 anerythristic Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
2.3 Iowa snow Thamnophis radix
0.2 het Christmas albino Thamnophis radix
1.1 double het cherry erythristic, albino Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
1.1 melanistic Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
2.0 66% het snow Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
1.1 triple heterozygous for amelanistic,carmel, and stripe Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 anerythristic motley Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 butter p.h. stripe Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 carmel stripe p.h. amel Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 amelanistic p.h. carmel,stripe Pantherophis guttatus