RAUK - Archived Forum - Bit of lust!

I don't really know if this is of interest to anyone else? First shell banging of the year from my elegants this week.  I only have one male now so maybe he's getting an early start as he's with 9 females!

Over the past 2 years terrapin hand ins and rehomes have slowed down here. Only 6 in so far this year. (4 female red-ears wild caught and a pair of maps as a re-home, they were both long term malnourished.) I haven't had a male elegant come in for as long as I can remember. All are longer term wild females, some fairly elderly with snags, most with historic shell damage and more than one with top and bottom matching damage that has since healed. Dogs I think?

I've lost two to death this year, both up early and didn't really re-settle. (3 of the female hand ins came at the same point in time, a warm spell followed by slight frosts.) One death from a hand-in, and the other an elderly female yellow-belly. Most years I have to bring the yellow-bellies in the house at some point. (The larger male Y/B spent a week living in the hall after the above mentioned weather period and even basking under the radiator!) 

All the girls are out basking now with the male kind of stalking them from the water! First really good basking morning for a while, too much cloud so they're a bit restless and with the male in gear a bit much perhaps for the older girls!?

Martin.

PS - Mike, that female red-belly from Brickfields is still going strong and in fact is my fave 'pene. She's not overly shy and is quite interactive if I sit with them awhile. Hard to believe but she will come often if I 'call' her! I still have an image clearly in my mind of her sitting blinking at me sat on the island after all the red-ears had legged it when we caught her.

Martin.  

I still can't get over that one, just sat there and looked at you, come and get me!, or is that come over and see me sometime. Some of those red eared were a bit sprightly, had a devil of a job with a couple of them, after you making it look so easy, still the missus liked me in the rubber gear!

Interactive ? , just what DO you do to get a terry to "interact", the mind boggles. Perhaps a training program is in order for bored terries, "catch the frisbee" or "chase a mate" although that seems to be coming naturally.

Come when you call, call her what ? - oi you!.

Any more evidence of nesting / viable young, especially in this heat ?

That large Aligator Snapper in Manor Park was eventually caught when the pond was drained for repair, that bu..er was large!.

Mike.

Mike