[EasternBox Turtle] [Red-Eared Sliders] [Ball Python]
This is Mae. She's an Eastern Box Turtle I rescued while she was heading for a busy four-lane road in 1993. I estimated her to be about seven years old at the time, putting her into her twenties today. Chances are her habitat was disturbed by nearby construction. The direction she was headed wouldn't have provided a better habitat with food and water. Therefore, I decided to keep her. She lives in a large, heated vivarium with bark mulch or aspen shaving and a wading area. She occasionally roams the house. |
 In the photo - Mae was hungry and had come out of hiding for food. She found the cats' food dish and decided she'd have a little taste. Callie was eating and attempted to defend her dish, but Mae eventually had her way. Cookie always stays clear of Mae (smart cat,since rocks aren't supposed to move). Although Mae looks huge, her shell is less than five inches long. Callie was only eight weeks old then; but she's still no match for Mae. She, too, plays it safe around the"possessed rock." Click here to see more photos of Mae. |
This is Plop. Plop is a Red-Eared Slider. She was hatched sometime in late-January 2000. I got her in mid-February, shortly after her yolk sack disappeared. I was at my favorite reptile shop when I saw four slider hatchlings in a small container. It's illegal to SELL turtles that are less than four inches long, but I still asked how I could get one. The store owner said, "These are for my collection at home and I can't sell them; but I can GIVE you one." I was pretty thrilled to have her. I had an adult Red-Eared Slider through all of my teen years. Now that I have more resources I'm looking forward to creating an even better environment for this slider. |
 Sliders get their name from the fact that they're always in or near water so they can SLIDE into the water for refuge from predators. The Red-Eared Slider has a red stripe running along its ear. I named our slider "Plop" because that's what I hear each time I walk into the reptile room. She may be basking on an island when I walk in. She sees my movement and "PLOP..." she's swimming for cover! ;-) Now that she's in an indoor pond she makes quite a splash when running for cover. She's now full grown at about 11 inches and is quite heavy for her size. |
 This is my Ball Python, "Pretzel." He comes out at night to warm up under the heat lamp. Since reptiles need to thermoregulate, he has hiding areas on opposite ends of his tank. One side is heated, the other is room temperature. He moves back and forth as he desires. Ball pythons do not normally climb. But this log gives him something to rub on, especially when he's slothing. Ball pythons are nocturnal. He's usually out between 10pm and 3am. Ball Pythons are extremely misunderstood. They're very shy and docile, spending most of their days hiding - then roaming at night. They're nearly defenseless, even against the rodents they eat. They're named for the fact that they curl up into a ball when frightened. Like an ostrich, Ball Pythons cover their heads until their threat goes away. Pretzel has grown to about five feet. |
 I picked up Pretzel in December 1999. The store owner told me he was captive-bred (CB) and about six months old. I've since learned that Pretzel was probably two-to-four years old and wild caught, unless he had been in captivity his whole life. His markings aren't as sharp as most CBs and he has a couple of small battle scars from rodents that apparently fought back. Although I sometimes feed him live mice to awaken his appretite in the Spring, I normally feed him prekilled medium-sized rats.I house him in 65-gallon Lizard Lounge, an enclosed glass tank with several round vents. Click here if you'd like to see more photos of Pretzel, including several ofhim at meal time. There's even a 6MB video of him snaring a rat. Finally, here are a few links to learn more about Ball Pythons. Among the most important are the pages that discuss the most frequent cause of snake bites: STUPID FEEDING ERRORS (SFEs). |
VisitMELISSAKAPLAN'S HERP CARE PAGE for VERY comprehensive information about how to keep various reptiles as pets.
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