Shelled Friends

12/19/2024

Couple of spotted turtles from the wonderful Charlie at Moorcroft Conservation Foundation. I told them that eight spotted turtles, from a confiscation, have returned to the wild in Virginia and they appeared to perk up. Well, it was either the news or the tub of Timberline worms in my other hand 🙂

Congrats to everyone who worked hard to return those eight spotted turtles to the wild, including folks at .

12/17/2024

Loving this Dinosaur page.

12/15/2024

Reeves turtles, as a part of the Mauremys madness, have a special place in my heart. A hardy species that doesn't get too big, and pretty cold tolerant as well. Please note that while this species doesn't get big, like a slider, they are not a species I recommend for a tank unless you can get creative and provide a sizeable land area for them.

12/14/2024

A young Coahuilan box turtle, a species with a native range that is facing some serious challenges. Thankful for all the Turtle and Tortoise Preservation Group members who are sharing this species through the Chelonian Propagation Program (CPP). Also thankful for through Turtle Conservancy that is working to secure some of the land in the native range.

12/13/2024

The cold and dark days of winter are almost here. Perfect time to admire these spicy turtles that don't brumate. Tabasco mud turtles are one of my top recommendations for folks who want a colorful turtle that doesn't get too big.

12/12/2024

Some late season hatchling, Razorback musk turtles, from eggs that were not recovered on time. I am relieved to see these developed and emerged successfully.

12/11/2024

A love affair that started twenty years ago. Thankfully, the love hasn't waned even one bit. If anything, it is stronger. Kwangtung river turtle, Mauremys nigricans, are a medium sized turtle species that is cold hardy.

12/11/2024

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Credit: Dinos and Comics

12/03/2024

This Tuesday, give the gift of community to a turtle guardian in your life. Gift them a TTPG membership.

Today is is Giving Tuesday! We hope you’ll join us in helping preserve turtles and tortoises through captive breeding and education. To everyone who gives throughout the year, whether its money, time or your voice - we appreciate you! Your donation is tax deductible and helps us support International Turtle and Tortoise week(educational packages are shipped out to students, scout troops, 4H clubs, etc), support our newly launched rescue program (CRP), foster student projects in classrooms/schools, helps us bring speakers over for the conference and so much more. Donate or join us here:
https://ttpg.org/membership.php

12/03/2024

Map Turtles and terrapins took a piece of my heart early on when I started keeping Turtles. They still make me smile every time I see one. This little one is a Texas map turtle and I am blessed to be able to care for it for a while.

12/03/2024

12/02/2024

Double treat this week. Join Anthony, Steve, and EmmaLee on Monday for Pondcast and then join James Badman, Russ Gurley, Anthony, and myself on Friday for TTPG 2024 Conference recap.

Pondcast Episode tomorrow night (Monday 12/2) at 7PM EST!

Anthony, EmmaLee, and Steve will meet to discuss the highs and lows of the past year for theTurtleRoom. We will also be giving out FREE giveaways to people who join us for this episode. Don't miss out!

12/02/2024

Check out this reptile tent assembly video from Dawson. The Reptile Tents are light weight and easy to assemble, and work well for small species of toetoises and other small reptiles.

Visit and check out the bio for the link to his YouTube channel.

11/30/2024

A North American gem, the Painted turtle. A cold hardy species that is colorful and stays small.

11/27/2024

You read that right. The first ever Shelled Friends Giveaway and I can't think of a better gift to send to one lucky follower. Here is your chance to win a soft cover copy of Turtle Preservation, the latest book from Russ Gurley and Anthony Pierlioni.

How do you win? Follow my Instagram account (https://www.instagram.com/shelledfriends77/), the TTPG Instagram account (https://www.instagram.com/ttpg_turtlesandtortoises/), subscribe to the TTPG YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/?si=21wwLHU82_FP6Slt), tag your friends in comments, and please email screenshots showing you completed these steps to [email protected].

A winner will be selected on December 6th during the TTPG monthly livestream event, which you can watch live on the TTPG YouTube channel. The draw will happen close to 6 pm PST.

NOTE: Entries are accepted until 5 pm PST on December 5th and open only to residents of the United States.

Happy holidays!

11/23/2024

Visiting the today? Stop by the Arizona Tortoise Compound booth and check out Danny Bowlin's Reptile tent. Be sure to say hi to Dawson ( ) who can tell you all about how to raise tortoises in the reptile tents.