Unusual companions

[urbpan]

Tito and the snapper share a common interest in water, and not much else. Scales. Overeating.



Ducks slumber in the background.



You can't beat an owl with a rat in its mouth!

Comments

[pipu.livejournal.com]

That fist picture is so... meta?

[matthewdh.livejournal.com]

is the turkey wearing a red bowtie?

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

That's funny! It does kind of look that way.

What looks like a bow tie is her lowest caruncles. Caruncles are the warty bare skin that changes colors with the turkey's mood. (from pale pink to red, sometimes whitish, and sometimes purplish bluish in aroused males)

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

As seen a little better here: http://urbpan.livejournal.com/417525.html

[kittybomber.livejournal.com]

:)! They make such a cute couple chillan in and next to the pool. They must be thinking: Oh yeah... This is the good life!

[teratologist.livejournal.com]

I must confess that I'm sort of surprised that the turtle doesn't just bite the turkey's head off.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Snapping turtles are the victims of a smear campaign. They never eat on land, and I've never heard a reliable report of one biting a human in the water. On land they hiss and puff up when approached (for good reason--their shells do not cover them completely) and will bite if touched.

The snapper in the picture has been in captivity for his whole life (an unknown amount of time, no less than 20 years) and is handled frequently, so he is used to it. He has never *knocks wood* bitten a human.

[ziggysinamerica.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm sure you could beat an owl with a rat in its mouth, but I'd imagine you'd have to be fast so it didn't fly away, and you'd probably feel really bad about yourself afterwards.

[maybethecat.livejournal.com]

i love great horned owls, i miss the one i used to work with.

[aemiis-zoo.livejournal.com]

I miss the one I worked with too, and I also miss the screechies!

[gryfindormia.livejournal.com]

I had the same friggin' exact turtle pond as a kid. Except mine wasn't full of nifty tutle, of course.

I love the Tito in the first couple of pictures, in what looks like he's eerily eying Mr. Turtle and thinking "If I touch it, will it dance?"

How often do owls eat, btw?

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

We feed ours once a day. Wild owls probably eat much less frequently, with greater hunting success in summer than in winter.

[martianmoons.livejournal.com]

Looks like the turkey thought better of getting a drink at the turtle pool (and where else, I ask, would you expect to find a turtle other than in a turtle pool!!? ;D

[ndozo.livejournal.com]

Do you have a turkey-shaped cage for the turkey?

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I laughed out loud at that one, dozo!

[aemiis-zoo.livejournal.com]

How do Tito and the snapper get along? And how much does that snapping turtle weigh? It looks pretty large.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

They pretty much ignore each other. Honestly, almost all the animals I take care of ignore all the others, it's kind of weird. The exceptions are the male mallard, who attacks any other bird or anything that he thinks is threatening his woman, and the rabbits, who seem to have a flailing hatred for one another. Oh, and the wood turtle, who would eat all the other turtles if he had a chance. The snapper is very chill, but he'd probably eat the other turtles if they were in the water with him. He weighs about 30 lbs.

I think "Tito and the Snapper" would make an interesting comic title and concept!

[aemiis-zoo.livejournal.com]

That's a pretty heavy turtle how do you pick him up? Base of the tail supporting under the plastron and at the base of the carapace? That's how we picked them up/held them for presentations at the VLM but none of them were that BIG. Or is he in a permanent enclosure? I'd imagine you'd have to move him in and out depending upon temperature at least...

Re: I think "Tito and the Snapper" would make an interesting comic title and concept!

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

We pick him up by the sides of his carapace, to move him from his tank to his carrier. On demos he's either set down in a plexi (clear plastic enclosure) or just on the ground, allowed to wander a bit.

Re: I think "Tito and the Snapper" would make an interesting comic title and concept!

[aemiis-zoo.livejournal.com]

So, does it take two people to lift him?

Re: I think "Tito and the Snapper" would make an interesting comic title and concept!

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

No, one person can lift him. Sometimes teachers pair up to carry the carrier, though.

Re: I think "Tito and the Snapper" would make an interesting comic title and concept!

[brush-rat.livejournal.com]

Watching him pick that giant turtle up the last time was back east was a truly amazing sight. I've seen a snapper about that size chomp on a stick poked on the very back of the shell, so I knew just how long his reach was, and how much it must be used to Urbpan.

Re: I think "Tito and the Snapper" would make an interesting comic title and concept!

[aemiis-zoo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they really do have an insanely long reach. When I handled them, we would only touch the very tip of the top part of the shell, right next to the base of the tail. That was supposedly safe. Well, I never lost a digit anyway! =)

[bellelvsbeast.livejournal.com]

Aw the first few pics are so adorable! :)
I love watching owls eat...

Love your turtle

[(Anonymous)]

(I was reading Andy's blog, and came here to see what you were up to....) We just can't resist a turtle. My older son worked for a year or so as a volunteer at a raptor rehab center, which also had a dozen or so turtles that were sufficiently injured to be confined to the care center. On sunny days we would set up fences (essentially a big baby playpen) and let the turtles out to soak up some sun. I would not have thought it possible, but they honestly looked like they were going "wheeeeee!!!" The biggest box turtle was the ringleader, and always trying to escape. Ben also had a kestrel that would sit on his shoulder (padded) while he walked around, which is just about nirvana when you are 12....or perhaps any age...

love
joanna (the lurking cousin)

Re: Love your turtle

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Hi, Joanna!

I had no idea you were lurking! Your mom said hi on the journal once, and still need to get back to her and let her know I appreciate her kind words (she said my mom would be proud).

It's great to hear from you! Don't be a stranger. :)

Re: Love your turtle

[brush-rat.livejournal.com]

I don't know if you recall, but our cousin Joanna has always had a great love of turtles. I'd kind of forgotten that until she blogged on.

[zipotle.livejournal.com]

My goodness I like me some owl feet.

[aemiis-zoo.livejournal.com]

They are really cute!