By Arman

The most common and best turtle tank substrates are sand, river pebbles, and gravel. You must take extra care while selecting a substrate because some types of substrates may be pretty harmful to your turtle. 

Let’s take a deeper look at each type of substrate to discover which ones are potentially hazardous, as well as their other advantages and disadvantages.

Gravel

Select smooth river stones that are larger than your turtle’s head to prevent him from eating them. When your turtle dives into the water, large, smooth stones are less likely to injure his plastron.

Advantages of Gravel

There are some good things about using gravel; let’s discuss that:

Gravel has the unique advantage of being incredibly easy to clean. Food or algae will not be able to penetrate the gravel because it is so tiny. It’s also heavy enough that the siphon won’t suck it.

Gravel also has the benefit of looking great in a tank. Gravel is available in various colors, including white, black, blue, red, and fluorescent.

Disadvantages of Gravel

Gravel is a problem because turtles may easily mistake it for food and swallow it. If this happens, the digestive system may become blocked, or internal bleeding may occur. Both of these situations can lead to serious health issues and even death.

When turtles eat, they lunge at their meal and ignore what else they could ingest, so there’s a good possibility this will happen.

Another issue with gravel is that many sellers include calcium in it.  Calcium is beneficial to turtles, but too much can cause pyramiding, which you want to avoid.

River Rocks

River rocks are a fantastic alternative for tank decoration in general. They have several benefits and only one drawback.

Advantages of River Rocks

River rocks have several benefits that make them popular among turtle owners.

The first is that they are sufficiently heavy to prevent your turtle from moving them around. River rocks are the way to go if you want to establish a particular arrangement in the tank and don’t want your turtle to damage it.

The second advantage is that, unlike the other alternatives, they are effortless to remove. This will come in handy when it’s time to clean the tank.

Disadvantages of River Rocks

River rocks leave a lot of space between them, which is the one drawback. As a result, a lot of dirt will get in between them, causing the water to become dirty faster, and the tank’s appearance would not be too attractive.

Sand

Sand is also used as a substrate, having lots of advantages. 

Advantages of Sand

The first is that it fully covers the bottom of the tank, preventing even the tiniest particle of dirt from reaching the bottom. Cleaning the tank will be much easier as a result of this.

Many people are concerned that their turtles may eat the sand, and this is a valid concern. …read more
Read more here: Turtle Times

By Arman

It is a piece of crucial information to have if you are thinking about adding a second pet turtle to your household or if you currently have two turtles and want to learn how to better care for them.

Is it possible for two turtles to share a tank? The answer is yes.

Consider your options carefully before choosing a home for your pet turtles. Allowing them to do so can lead to various issues, including the spread of disease, severe territorial aggressiveness, and conflicting climate demands. 

It depends on the temperament of each turtle, as well as a few other things to be considered, such as species, size, sex, age of both turtles, and the tank’s size and equipment. 

Same Species Together

If you want to keep two turtles in the same tank, make sure they are the same species, or at least species compatible, and that their care requirements are the same or extremely comparable. 

Many turtles, particularly those of the aquatic species, have strong territorial streaks. If male turtles of the same species live in close quarters, there may be many fighting. Putting small and huge individuals together can also be exceedingly dangerous. Even if they are of the same species, young and mature individuals should not be kept in the same enclosure.

Hazards of Sicknesses

In most circumstances, turtles of various species should not be kept together in the same tank. While turtles of many kinds can live together peacefully, there is a possible health risk. If one turtle comes from a different place than the other, one may be immune to the diseases that the other carries. 

If one transmits anything to a cage mate of a different species by contact, there is no guarantee that the other will be protected in the same way. This could cause the other turtle to become extremely sick, and in some cases, they could die. By avoiding putting different species together, you can prevent these types of problems from developing.

Temperament Variations

Turtles from all over the world have a wide range of personalities, and some turtle species are more fearful than others. If a shy turtle is forced to live among a bolder and more outgoing species, it may be subjected to a great deal of harassment and even aggression. Aggression between turtles can quickly evolve into violence that can be deadly, or at the very least, cause serious injuries.

Size and Age

The size and age of your turtles are connected and crucial when considering housing them together. Aggression and fighting are more likely when one turtle is substantially larger than the other.

This can be lethal if a fully-grown adult turtle attacks a yearling or juvenile turtle or if two different species are significantly larger than one another. It may be possible to house your turtles together if they are of similar size and age and are of the same or similar species …read more
Read more here: Turtle Times

By Arman

Whether you’re a fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or not, there’s no excuse not to see the Turtles in their natural habitat. Turtles are one of the oldest creatures in the ocean and have lived on the land for 215 million years.

Giant tortoises found in South America and Africa are now very common in the United Kingdom. Six of the world’s seven species of sea turtles have been recorded in British waters, with Leatherback visiting the waters every summer to feed on jellyfish. Other species are often washed ashore or die on the shore in winter, and most often are young turtles lost in the cold waters of England.

Giant tortoises look exotic, but according to conservation groups, they visit our oceans often enough to be considered normal British animals. Leatherback turtle and turtle visits, usually associated with beaches in South America and Africa, are common enough to show that the waters around Britain are a home from home.

However, the number of visitors to the British Sea can be much higher, as turtles can swim quite deeply and be unobtrusive. The reptile and amphibian charities want sea turtles to be recognized as typical British animals.

Turtles in the UK

Studies show that most turtles are found in the western part of the UK, including the English Channel, around Ireland, and north of the Orkney and Shetland Islands.

A seemingly rugged five-foot Leatherback turtle was discovered off Wales by a fisherman who said he had never seen it in 20 years of fishing. Despite weighing up to 1 ton and 5 feet in length, an average of 15 leatherback turtles are most commonly found in British waters each year. Their heavier weight makes them more resistant to the cold waters of the coast, allowing them to travel to the United Kingdom.

Leatherback turtles are undoubtedly regular summer dwellers of the sea. The sea here is beautiful with lots of jellyfish, and there is a lot of food for Leatherback, so they travel to the UK.

Several species of water turtles occur in waterways. The most common is the red-eared-terrapin, initially in the UK 8,000 years ago, but now back. European pond turtles and freshwater turtles have also been observed along waterways. Studies show that most turtles are found in the western part of England, including the English Channel, around Ireland, and north of the Orkney and Shetland Islands.

A number of sea turtles can be spotted along the coastlines of Ireland and the United Kingdom. Leatherbacks, Juvenile loggerheads, and Kemp’s ridley turtles are usually the most common turtles spotted.

Head out to local lakes and ponds on sunny days to witness the turtles that come out to bask in lakes and ponds of the UK. Most turtles will be basking on the logs or edges of the river bank.

The Turtle Sighting Program is a great way to help understand turtles in UK waters, but you will …read more
Read more here: Turtle Times

By Arman

Best Sites To Buy Turtles

Have you ever thought about raising a turtle as a pet? If not, then this does it right now? Baby turtles are raised as pets all over the world. No matter from whichever part of the world, if you want your baby turtle, you can get your baby turtle. There are many sites where you can place your order online with all the specifications about the turtle species, and it will be delivered to your doorstep. Nowadays, finding a good, professional and trustworthy site is becoming more and more complex, but there are still some sites maintaining the caliber, providing excellent shipment and service.

My Turtle Store (https://myturtlestore.com)

This site has established its business of rearing, breeding, reproduction, and taking care of all unique, exotic, and rare species of turtles for more than 40 years. Their supplying line is stretched to the schools, zoos, aquariums, homes, and educational sectors. And if you have the foggiest idea about petting a turtle, they will guide you superbly. 

They have a lot of options for beginners as well as experienced turtle lovers. Either it’s a turtle or the turtle products needed for taking care of your pet, they cover it all. They have immense knowledge and experience when it comes to husbandry, and the advice is one of the best you can lay your hands online.

My turtle store is also very active when it comes to social services. They also have the membership of many national organizations which aim for the well-being of turtles. They believe in providing health services to every turtle and tortoise. They are also affiliated with teams specified for the rescue of this wildlife. Till now, they have saved almost three hundred endangered tortoises. They are actively researching to develop safer and much more reliable standards for the shipping of turtles.

Tortoise Town (https://www.tortoisetown.com)

Tortoise Town is known for its gorgeous colored tortoises and turtles. If you are interested in buying some baby turtles, then this site won’t disappoint you. They have many types and species of turtles. Turtles from specific habitats are also available here. They have a wide variety of turtles, including freshwater turtles and all kinds of aquatic turtles. 

They have also got some regular water turtle-like slider turtles and some pond water turtle species. They also offer box turtles like eastern box turtles and Chinese box turtles at a very reasonable price. They also have three-toed and ornaments in store for their customers.

Tortoise town aims to ensure the highest quality delivery and satisfy their customers because they treat their clients like their families. They have a variety of high-grade, hand-raised captive types of turtles. They offer a variety of captive-bred box turtles to their buyers. So, place your order online, and after overnight shipping, your turtle will meet you at your doorstep.

Turtle store (https://www.turtlestore.com)

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Read more here: Turtle Times

This female Kimberly Rock Monitor is just hanging out in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user bob! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Such a lovely contrast against the blue, this Angolan Python takes the spotlight in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user EdCB ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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This is a hatchling Russian Rat Snake

In bygone days the Russian Rat Snake Elaphe schrencki was the nominate subspecies, with the Korean Rat Snake, Elaphe schrencki anomala, being the second subspecies. Each were elevated to full species status several years ago.

Talking about this pretty constrictor should make all of the diehard wannbe users of the genus Elaphe, happy, because it, as well as several other Eurasian species, remain in that genus. Although commonly known as the Russian Rat Snake by USA enthusiasts, it is also commonly referred to as the Manchurian Rat Snake. The range of this white banded black snake includes Russia, Mongolia and Northern China (Manchuria).. Like other rat snakes, including those of the USA, the Russian Rat Snake’s preferred habitats include open forest, scrublands and farmlands. It is an agile climber and swimmer that does not hesitate to use lakes and streams as escape routes if harried.

As mentioned above, the ground color of this snake is black. This is interrupted by numerous widely separated narrow white (often dirty white) to yellow bands. The head is black but the labials are white to yellow(ish) with black interscale sutures. The venter is cream to pale yellow with numerous black spots. Adult size ranges from 4 ½ to 6 feet in total length.

Prey includes rodents and other small mammals, birds and their eggs.

Clutch size varies between 4 and 25+ eggs. Incubation duration is less that with other rat snake species, varying from 38 to 50 days. Ground color of the 10” long hatchlings is brown with black-edged lighter bars.
Continue reading “That Other Black Rat Snake, the Russian Rat Snake” …read more
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Celebrating the start of Croctober with this head shot of a Nile Crocodile in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user CDieter! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Loving this Dumeril’s basking in the sun for a photoshoot in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user liljenni ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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There is no denying the extreme cute factor of this Xenopus laevis in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Krallenfrosch ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Here is to hoping this hatchling albino Siamese Crocodile our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user crocodilepaul helps you survive this Monday!! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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The infamous “stink eye” is glaring here with this Tegu in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user MrSickle ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Often associated with India, the snake also ranges into Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and other nearby countries. Despite the terrible toxicity and efficiency of the venom, when the Russell’s Viper Daboia russelii is available to hobbyists and zoos it is usually quickly purchased. Admittedly, this rough-scaled, grayish to brownish snake is a beautiful species.

To the pleasing ground color add 3 rows of lengthwise black and white edged oval, russet, markings. Dorsally these are occasionally elongated into a broad stripe. The top of the head has a dark edged half oval above each venom gland and the crown is outlined by light scales forming a V with the apex on the nose. Overall, what you now have, is 3 to 5 feet of beauty along a moderately heavy body.

This snake is ovoviviparous, birthing from 5 to 40 neonates. The largest substantiated litter contained 75 neonates. The babies are about 9 ½ inches long at birth.

Russell’s Viper is preferentially crepuscular to nocturnal.

The habitat of Russell’s Viper may vary from relatively dry, overgrown suburban areas to scrublands and open woodlands. These snakes are often seen wherever there are the rodents, their preferred prey. Ricefields form an ideal habitat and, sadly, workers are often bitten.

What seem to be bright colors when captive blend remarkably well with this snake’s natural habitat.
Continue reading “Deadly Beauty, the Tic-Palonga or Russell’s Viper” …read more
Read more here: King Snake

A great shot of a live (as they should be) Pygmy Rattlesnake on concrete in the field in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user JARHEAD1969 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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This Box turtle is loving life in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Jen350 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Alert and always keeping his eye on you, this Basiliscus plumifrons shines in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user kus! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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The camouflage in this Fleischmann’s glass frog in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user rockrox83 is amazing! Awesome field shot! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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A male Barker, content and vocalizing.
We have in the southeastern USA a treefrog, Hyla gratiosa, that is not only large, but is capable of chameleon-like color changes, and that when vocalizing from a flooded ditch or woodland pond has a call that is unmistakeable. Then it is an oft repeated, loud, hollow-sounding, “woooook.” However, while waiting in the warm weather for breeding sites such as ditches and vernal ponds, to be filled by spring and summer rains, this treefrog may ascend high in woodland trees and produce a very different sound, one that is more like a “whirrrrr” than a “woooook.”

As mentioned, Barkers (they’re called this by many) are capable of rather rapid color changes. When “content” such as when inflated and floating on the water surface, often while holding on to an emergent or floating plant stem or sitting on a grassy shallow, they are of some shade of green and have very visible rounded solid or open-centered dorsal spots or ocelli. These may be darker or lighter than the frog’s dorsal ground color. If stressed or for other reasons known only to the frog, the green may quickly become gray or brown, again with or without very visible dorsal spots or ocelli. There is often a white labial and lateral stripe and the belly is usually dark with irregular light spots.

When adult Barkers are of heavier build than most other treefrogs and are also larger, usually being 2 to 2 ½ inches svl (snout-vent length). The skin appears granular.

Most common on the southeastern coastal plain and lowlands from extreme eastern Louisiana to central-eastern North Carolina, there are disjunct populations in more northerly states.
Continue reading “A Most Wonderful Treefrog, The Barking Treefrog” …read more
Read more here: King Snake

What do you mean it is a lizard, it ain’t got no legs! Check out this field shot of a Glass lizard in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user rosycorn found in Florida! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! Massive support is needed in the conservation of the gorgeous Massasauga Rattlesnake all across the country. That is why they take the spotlight today in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user ratsnakehaven ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Although often called incorrectly a rubber eel, this Rio Cauca Caecilian (Typhlonectes natans) in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user chrish is all amphibian! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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This sassy lil watersnake had to stop and eat a toad in the yard before the photographer captured it for our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user dinahmoe ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Through all the years, corn snakes remain our favorite for a great beginner snake! After seeing this one in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user cochran, it is pretty obvious why! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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The Northern Leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) is an fairly widespread US Native species that get a spotlight in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Terry_Cox!

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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! To end the week, this Jackson’s Tree Snake (Thrasops jacksonii) comes in to represent rear-fangs for our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Claus ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here! As always on Friday, we celebrate all of our venomous reptiles for their contribution to the world.

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Back to our roots with this alterna found in Sanderson in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user StuTennyson! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Welome this little Chondro in our Herp Photo of the day to the world, uploaded by kingsnake.com user MikeRusso! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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What a stunning boa in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user Sharkman20 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Good things come in small packages, like the Rough Earth Snake in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user gdy! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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A great shot of a live (as they should be) Pygmy Rattlesnake on concrete in the field in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user JARHEAD1969 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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What a stunning headshot of a Diamond Python in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user CincyGrady ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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It is a whole lotta squee for this pair of hatching Hognose in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user caracal ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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What an awesome shot of this pair of Common Toads in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user Krallenfrosch ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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This lacerta is loving to lounge in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user krloucks . Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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This is a young adult of the brown-checkered phase of the Eastern Garter Snake.
It was perhaps a year, or possibly 2 years, ago that Jake and I began to notice that in North Central Florida we were no longer seeing garter snakes. This was strange because in one form or another, one color or another, one subspecies or another, garter snakes were one snake that we had always counted on seeing.

We looked most for the Eastern Garter Snake, T. s. sirtalis, and often on a normal drive we’d see a couple. Today (midJune 2021) we feel lucky if we see one at all.

Dr. Sam Sweet, who is conducting rat snake studies along FL’s “Nature Coast”, has told me that the Blue Striped Garter Snake, T. sirtalis similis, remains relatively common in his study area.

On the other hand Jake and I (or I alone) have seen only a single Eastern Garter Snake in the last year. The actuality of this paucity was brought home to me when earlier this year I started a serious search for a specific color phase in ncFL. This is a brown, checkered, phase. I had photographed this color phase about 5 years ago when we saw one on almost every trip but wished now to take new photos. But now, after couple of thousand miles of driving and poking about, I have seen only one and it was a DOR example. Is the reduction in sightings real or contrived?

Seems the only solution is to keep looking, racking up the mileage, and hoping to see a garter snake population resurgence. In the meantime here are a few old pix.
Continue reading “Mention of Florida’s Garter Snakes” …read more
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Happy Rattlesnake Friday! All venomous snakes need our support! This Cottonmouth is screaming it from the field in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user BowieKnife357 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Get Naked! Ok maybe not, but this Ball python was slipping into something a little more comfy in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user tylerwork ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Bearded Dragons are always such characters like these two in our herp photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user TazziesMommy is all amphibian! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Look closely or you might miss the Uroplatus pietschmanni hiding here in our Herp Photo of the day, uploaded by kingsnake.com user mcamo3 ! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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Look at what a good momma this blood python is in our herp photo of the day uploaded by kingsnake.com user AJ01! Be sure to tell them you liked it here!

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