Happy New Year!

    It's a new year and perhaps time for new beginnings. 

     In the summer of 2003 our much loved iguana, Napoleon, passed away. We think he was 12 or 13 years old when he left us. In the last 6 months I've been thinking more and more of getting a new iguana.  We miss Napoleon very much and we miss the interaction with such an intelligent creature.  We'd love to give another iguana a new home.  Which means of course- that we are thinking of adopting an iguana from a rescue org.  I'm thinking that sometime in the early spring we'll start looking for an iguana.

     Right now we just have two box turtles.  Spaz is an eastern box turtle.   He thinks he's a lizard though.  I'm amazed at how well he climbs and how strong he is.  He's also in LOVE with Myrtle our ornate box turtle.  Myrtle is the dominant turtle.  She's was approx 35 years old when we adopted her, and we've had her since 1996, so she's approximately 46 years old!   Spaz was purchased at a reptile show in '97 (or was it '96?) and he was about 2 years old when we got him, so he's over 10 years old now.

    Myrtle and Spaz used to live in the same enclosure.  But Myrtle was quite bossy and used to try to bite spaz' toes everytime he came near her.  As a result , spaz spent most of his time in their enclosure with his feet tucked in. 

     One day, six or seven years ago, I came home from work to find blood all over the substrate in their cage.   I examined both turtles carefully for injuries but I couldn't find any visible damage.   Spaz seemed quieter than normal though so I suspected he was the victim.   It turned out that he must have exposed his privates and for whatever reason, Myrtle must have bit that blood engorged organ!  Poor Spaz!  That's what our vet thought anyway.  We had taken him to the vet the day after finding the blood, noting that his normally bright red eyes were very pale.   Our vet kept him for observation for a couple of days, partly in the hopes that he would expose himself again so that he could access the damage.  He didn't want to force spaz to evert his privates.

     When Spaz came home from the vets we had a seperate enclosure set up for him.  Over the next few weeks his strength gradually picked up.  I was also giving him antibiotic injections to ward off infection.   It took a few months for his eyes to regain their normal red glow.   It's very strange to look at a turtle or any animal with absolutely white eyes.  He must have lost a LOT of blood.

     These days, Spaz and Myrtle live in the same large enclosure but they are seperated by a sheet of plexiglass.  Hence, my earlier statement that Spaz is in LOVE.  LOL  Whenever Myrtle comes out of her shelter he runs out of his and scratches at the plexiglass trying to get her attention, trying to get over to her side.  Doesn't that boy remember what she did to him???  He lives for his "Myrtle Sightings".   Myrtle on the other hand totally ignores him and goes about her business of bathing in her shallow pool of water or going over to her food and slowly eating.  Then she goes back in her shelter and burrows into the earth again until she decides to come out later or the next day.

    Both turtles get outside each day in the summer for some sunlight, fresh air and excercise in the yard.  They love to climb into my garden plants and eventually try to burrow down into the earth.  Once a turtle climbs into the garden I have to have eagle eyes.  They disappear so quickly!  I'm looking forward to Spring when they will perk up again and start the interesting business of turtle interaction.

   Perhaps in the Spring the turtles will have a new reptile friend to share the house with.  Maybe an iguana ....

    Have a great New Year!  Tricia