T&J Turtle, Tortoise, and Terrapin Society

12/20/2023

Join the group for more details:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/329359209846773

12/20/2023

Please spread the word! Mrs. Claus is going to do a special reading of my book on Zoom for the kiddos and I get to discuss the inspiration for my book!~

Join the group for more details:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/329359209846773

09/28/2021

Let's get ready for the holidays! Time to teach the kiddos the difference between the three types of turtles!

The 3 T's Christmas Trees

08/30/2021

After 24 hours of rehydration and checks to make sure he was healthy, Clawd has been released into the Ausable River. Took him down to first bridge and let him go. I hope he has a long and happy life! Kind of going to miss the little guy.... But that's what this is all about. Making sure that the turtles that we run into are healthy, happy, and release back to the wild if that's where they came from.

08/29/2021

Meet Clawd. My neighbor found him in his garden dehydrated. Going to rehydrate and release. The water in the pool was from the rain the last couple days so I was surprised to see a dehydrated turtle.

07/17/2021

Sitting at We Care St Helen educating the public about the different turtles. And what can happen if you take a turtle from the wild.

05/12/2021

Remember that using small rocks or marbles can be very dangerous in a turtle tank. This is Leroy Jenkins and because of her size, I chose to go with a bare bottom tank.

04/07/2021

We have been working hard on getting ponds open and creating more space for turtles. The Red Eared Sliders have gotten to the point they need to be separated before issues and fighting begin. The remaining turtles have just a very few( more for the 2 tiniest) retained scutes as seen in the pictures. Esmeralda has many many layers of retained scutes and desperately needs to shed the remaining excess retained scutes in order to continue her progress . Leo also has some retained scutes and hard water stains from sharing his lighting with the sick babies. We are in DESPERATE need of some turtle items to continue helping these guys AND to have any supplies for this years newcomers. Please consider sending an item off the wish list. 15.0 UVB lights, heat bulbs, hikari turtle food (with wheat germ for shedding assist); and one heater are the most desperate items on the list. Any help is greatly appreciated!!!

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3P80PW5J67TC7?ref_=wl_share

04/03/2021

Well turns out Vinnie is Esmeralda. Just the MBD was so bad her shell is way smaller than it should be so the tail seemed longer...
Anyhoo.. Ezzy has been overloaded with lots and lots of calcium even if we couldn't raise the funds for her to get the injections. She has begin shedding and it is in LAYERS!! THICK layers. Normal shed turtle scutes are like paper thin totally clear things. In the first photo you can see the number of scutes( plus 2 found in basking area) shed from the area that should have been 2 scutes. They are thick yellow deformed things. In the other pics you can see the healthy shell underneath. It has no pyramiding is almost totally flat and completely smooth. You can also see the thickness and layers of the remaining scutes that are starting to loosen. Ezzy, we got ya girl and it will take awhile but you are going to be just fine.

04/03/2021

Remember the sickly little babies we rescued last winter? Guess who is all healthy and ready for adoption??? First couple pics are Rocky. The turtle we expected to have to keep. His MBD has corrected enough that he now swims wonderfully and seems to have no lasting effects. There are 4 turtles. 3 females and one male all over 4 inches and ready to be adopted by the general public. 2 still in baby turtle hospital and the rest of the survivors have been adopted out to schools and people from our wait list!!! Adoption fee is $25. Please research red eared sliders before asking for an application. Pm for more info or an application.

01/18/2021

Welcome to rescue Vincent aka Vinnie ( at the Ferguson house all painted turtles are named for painters) Vinnie is super small for his 5 years old and his shell is so damaged that I cant even tell you which type of painted Turtle he is. This is evident by the last 2 pictures which are my painted turtle Leo, almost 4. Vinnie will need extensive TLC and a SUPER calcium rich environment. Plus he needs a trip to a reptile vet with at LEAST one calcium injection. Possibly 2. Each of these trips will be approximately$150. ( the price of injection varies with weight and prognosis) He needs oyster shell as substrate which costs about $25 per bag( he needs 2) he needs dissolveable calcium added to his water about $13 per month. He needs other water additions which will cost about $50 total. He needs high output UVA/UVB lighting which can cost $20 per bulb and only lasts about 2 to 3 months before output will be too low for him. He needs juvenile food despite being an adult because he is so depleted. So, If you can spare anything or send even one item from the wish list, YOU can be one of Vinnie's heroes. He was severely failed by humans. Lack of proper set-up/ nutrition are the sole causes for this disease. Please dont let him be failed again.

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2PDTIZ7U87CZQ?ref_=wl_share

If you prefer to shop local ( like me) most items or a comparable substitute are available at Packy's Pet Supplies. In Houghton Lake. She knows what I need and will get any donated items to us quickly.

01/13/2021

The 3 T's Christmas Trees

01/03/2021

Just a little story I wrote for Mrs. Claus during the epidemic. I also did the pictures. I know it's a little late for Christmas stories but this introduces kids and parents to the three different types of Turtles that inhabit our beloved planet and other creatures as well.! Please enjoy this video of my story! It will be published for the next holiday season so this is technically the world premiere!

A special Jingle Journals featuring the brand new story: "The 3 T's Christmas Trees" by Pat Foxx!

09/16/2020

Did you know it is about $250 for a starter enclosure for a baby turtle and they will outgrow that in less than a year? They are an under-estimated & complex animal, that require very specific care to thrive and to be happy & healthy.

Friends, as of late, we've seen an alarming number of inquiries on locally "found" turtles (sliders, snappers, maps & wood turtles to name a few).

While we understand you just want to help, the best way to increase their chances of survival is to let them be. If you find an injured wild critter, the A.R.K is always the best suited resource to consider. Their number is (989) 389-3305.

05/22/2020

Unfortunately little Popeye succumbed to his illness. RIP little guy

05/19/2020

05/18/2020

We are redoing tanks and switching up turtles again. These 3 are healthy enough and large enough to go to their teachers now. Im pretty sure 2 are girls. The other is a touch more difficult.

05/18/2020

Sorry we missed yesterday, but that's pic no. 1. WE HAD POO! Yes that is a big deal. So today Popeye is soaking and enjoying some brine shrimp water with a drop of vitamins. I do believe I saw him eat a few bites!!! Its hard for me to tell but when I refer to previous pictures we have definite improvement in both eyes.

05/16/2020

Baby Steps. Someone is doing 🐢 yoga for the first time. Soak up those rays Popeye!!

05/15/2020

May not seem like much , but to me this is thrilling!!! Popeye is improving and the left side is starting to look like an eye. Hopefully it will open soon and I can get him to eat instead of liquid vitamins and carrot soaks.

04/11/2020

Our star pupil meets her teacher today! I am so excited that she will be featured in the first lessons during Charlton Heston Academy's first week going online! The timing is absolutely perfect! Practicing social distance, but getting these Turtles to their forever homes one at a time! I will post pictures of the others later. Thank you Jennifer for such an awesome job with Big J!

03/08/2020

And this is the story that went through my head that started it all..

03/04/2020

Growing bigger starting to lose their scutes. These are the babies before medication. Just out of the bath!

03/04/2020

Blue drying out before medication

02/29/2020

Now little turtles don't be swimming over these waterfalls you could get hurt!

02/26/2020

Blue is not a happy Turtle right now. He loves swimming in the big tank but I had to dry dock him for the night and treat him. I wish people would pay attention when their Turtles get shell rot. It's a lot easier to take care of when it's just a little spot. People think that the shell rot is not painful but it is very painful to the turtles I do. It's like having an ulcer on your skin.

02/22/2020

I know most of you don't know this but I am a Michigan registered substitute teacher, and I also substitute as a school secretary. Today I took four of the healthiest of the turtles into school today because I was working with the young fives class for the first half of the day. I wanted to see how the turtles would do. The children were not allowed to touch them but I was able to teach a class about how important it is that we leave the turtles alone and when we see them in the wild we don't touch them. They learn the basics of what a turtle is made of and they asked lots of good questions! My favorite is when one of the young man asked me what the turtle does with his shell when he leaves his shell. I was able to show them that a turtle cannot leave it's shell. he actually thought that the turtle would put it in a garage and come back for it later.

It also helps that the teacher had a book sitting out that was titled What Lives in a Shell! The teacher was so tickled when she came into the class this afternoon, that she signed up to adopt one of the turtles for next year! The other young fives teacher has a rabbit. I took the turtles into the office to finish out my day as a secretary and the janitor hung out in the office most of the afternoon taking pictures of the turtles and sending it to his daughter. It just so happens that his wife is also a teacher at the school.

They had a good day and I know that these babies are going to be well taken care of when they get passed on! Mrs. Huspin was going home to do her research!

It makes me feel good to know that these babies are going to make a huge difference in people's lives as to how they interact with our shelled friends!

02/21/2020

It was time to add the apartments! It's really cool to watch them use it! And even neater to watch them slide down the ramp

02/20/2020

January 26th to February 18...

02/19/2020

Medicated and dry docked for the night. It's amazing how well these Turtles are doing I am so thrilled! We sure could use some new lights to spread the UVB a little further. With new Turtles coming in, I would like to be prepared for them.