Happy #EarthDay and the final day of International Turtle and Tortoise Week #ITTW!

There are so many ways YOU can help protect the earth and the shell friends that live there today and EVERY day! 

Learn about and support, climate change & conservation policy and advocacy organizations. Find ways you can reduce reuse and recycle in your own life! Learn about small things you can do to protect our oceans, wetlands, etc. cutting up the plastic soda can rings, recycling bags, cleaning up shorelines!

Learn about all our shell friends and spread information about responsible pet adoption, the impact of the illegal wildlife trade, and how to protect their natural habitat. Support research organizations working to find solutions. 

SPREAD THE WORD!  Information yields action!

And of course, support wildlife rehabilitation and rescue organizations! Donate, Volunteer, and spread the word about the many amazing animals rescues doing everything they can to keep our shell friends, and other at-risk animals alive!

here are just a few shell supporting organizations we love:

Shell specific organizations:

For the earth

Spread the word and add your own! 

Meet Gamagorath! My boyfriend and i rescued him from an idiot who picked him up in the wild and wanted to keep him. Unfortunately, he had been in captivity for four months, without any sources of food besides green vegetables (I do know snappers need insects as well). I’m in over my head here… I don’t know what to do. I want to release him but he’s very small and I want to fatten him up but winter is coming… any advice you have would be of great help! Love your blog. We humbly request your guidance Zoya
PS his full name is Gamagorath eater of souls. He will be a great warrior of the turtpocalypse

Hello! Gamagorath and human friends!!! Thanks for messaging us! Zoya appreciates your kind words, she’s happy to know others see the greatness she sees when she looks in the mirror heeheee 

Wow you are one gorgeous little one aren’t you, Garmagorath! He is probably very thankful to be out of the hands of that kidnapper! Way to rescue him! Its so sad that people think they have the right to just snatch an animal from its habitat for their own amusement. Its simply not ok. Ever.   

So, my instinct is to get that little one back to his habitat. That’s my instinct, but we don’t have any real experience with snapping turtles and unfortunately can’t say for sure that its safe after 4 months in captivity. I would think that Garmagorath is young enough that he might be able to integrate just fine, but I’m hoping some of the turtle/ snapper experts here on reptiblr can give you some better advice! 

We do know that snapping turtle care is very detailed, not at all ‘easy’ (no turtle or tortoise care is really easy..), getting their diet and husbandry right is vital to their health and survival. Also? They grow pretty large and need to be handled appropriately (cause they’re snappers! snap those fingers look like noms!)  

Here is a care sheet from the Chicago Exotic Vet Hospital.  We can’t verify how great the info is here but we’ve heard good things about the hospitals work with turtles and torts so its the closest to a reputable care sheet I’m able to give you. http://www.exoticpetvet.com/breeds/Common%20Snapping%20Turtle.htm

Again we’re not snapper experts (we do think they’re awesome but sadly heart eyes aren’t the expertise you need! ha). I’d say, if at all possible, return your new friend to the wild (he’ll tell all his snapper friends how awesome you and your boyfriend are and you’ll definitely be on the right side of the turtpocalypse!) Keep checking this post and hopefully some of the awesome folks with snapper experience will have better/ more detailed advice for you! 

How about it, reptiblr, anyone with snapper experience that can help Gamagorath and his human rescuers out??

ARMY

i-m-in-love-with-turtles:

🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢

TURTPOCALYPSE!

PLEASE DO NOT CATCH WILD TURTLES AND KEEP THEM AS PETS

fortheloveofbettas:

I live in Michigan and I just had to have this conversation with a friend after he brought home 2 young painted turtles and posted it on Facebook.

Turtle populations are already in decline, and taking them from the wild means the won’t be breeding with other turtles. People taking them are hurting their chances. And you might think taking one doesn’t hurt, but if everybody took one there would be none left. Please, please, PLEASE, go to a breeder and purchase one. Don’t catch wild ones. Let them live happily with their families, and breed so that we don’t lose this beautiful creatures.

Also, if you see one in the road, pull over, pick it up GENTLY, and place it on the side of the street it was facing. don’t bring it elsewhere, don’t put it back, keep it going where it was heading. It is probably heading it’s breeding ground, and displacing it will cause it not to breed.

Lastly,@ turtles are not short time commitments. they are 30+ year pets that need certain requirements and that costs money. yes, turtles are cool, but make sure you can take care of one. Do your research, have the set up ahead of time, and make sure you’re stable.

Says it all. They’re made for the wild not our homes. Enjoy them from afar, help them stay alive, and adopt!