video: pet turtles enjoy outside & relaxing sound of cicadas

Pet turtles really like to bask and get some rays. During the warmers months of the year, I let my turtles get sun exposure where they can acquire important vitamin D for their shells, while they relax in tubs on my deck. I try to keep my talking to a minimum in my ASMR-type video, let the turtles have fun and let my cats watch the action!

Please note: Make sure you let your turtles out only in an enclosed fence area. Turtles can get out of their tubs! Also, use discretion in areas where there might be predators that might attack your turtles, like raccoons!

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Have a great Labor Day Weekend, everybody!

video: challenge your pet turtle to work for its food

Even though pet turtles are happy swimming, eating and sunbathing, being in an aquarium may get monotonous for your pet turtle. So how about stimulating the turtle’s mind and body by making it work for its food? In this simple challenge, I let my turtle solve a puzzle to get some green leaf lettuce that is just out of reach. An eager turtle is amusing to watch. Check out my video and enjoy!

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The following are used in my video:
Inomata Japanese Plastic Basin Tub
Fluker Farms Repta Clamp Lamp Ceramic 8.5″
Fluval Underwater Filter
Sony RX100
Panasonic HC-V800 HD Camcorder
GoPro Hero 8 Black

sketch: box turtle

The Box Turtle (Terrapene Carolina) is native to North America, and is easily identified by their high dome-shaped shell, colored yellow, orange and brown. They grow up to 7 inches and can live as long as 40 years.

My drawing of the turtle, which primarily lives on land, is enjoying itself in safety of the grass. Have you seen a box turtle lately?

illustration: turtle on log

My Red Eared Turtle is enjoying life by basking on a log, under the sun. All by itself. A kind of “social distancing”, shall I say? On that note, be safe everybody. We will pull through this tough time. My job has closed down for 2 weeks. So I am home, trying to lift my spirits by drawing, and keeping busy. I also plan to go outside and take in the warm sun, just like my turtle!

What are you doing to stay positive? Let me know :)

video: provide a basking area for your pet turtle

When caring for Turtles or any reptile, provide a spot for basking under a heat lamp and UV lamp. Even better, position the aquarium near a window for natural sunlight, if possible. In this video, I try out two kinds of log platforms – fake and real options, which turtles can enjoy and rest between swimming in the tank. Check out my video and enjoy!

The following gear are used in my video:
Zoo Med 78098 Turtle Dock (X-Large)
Zoo Med Turtle Dock (Large)
Zoo Med Turtle Dock (Medium)
(2 Pack) Exo Terra Swamp Glo Basking Spot Lamp, 75 Watt
Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0 UVB Fluorescent Bulb, 15 Watts, 18-Inch
Fluker Farms Repta Clamp Lamp Ceramic 8.5″
Fluval Underwater Filter
Sony RX100
Panasonic HC-V800 HD Camcorder
GoPro Hero

red-eared turtle

This is my little drawing of a Red-Eared Turtle, commonly found in the fresh waters of North America. It is inspired by my pet turtles.

It has been a rather cold winter and I made a short video of How to Keep Your Turtle Warm. If you have pet reptiles and an aquarium too, please feel free to check it out: https://youtu.be/yJQiEjiZ5bY

Let me know what you think :)

illustration: red-eared slider

The Red-Eared Slider is another common fresh-water turtle in America. They can grow to a size of about 16 inches and can live up to 30 years, in the wild. Being cold-blooded reptiles, Red-Ears rely on the warmth of the sun to maintain their body temperatures. That is why is they can be found basking in large numbers on rocks or logs around ponds or lakes. My drawing shows one turtle enjoying a stone platform all to himself.

illustration: painted turtle

The Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) is the most common turtle in North America. They are omnivorous, eating aquatic vegetation, insects and small fish. Their preferred habitat is in slow-moving bodies of water. During the winter, they hibernate in the muddy bottom of ponds and lakes. Wild painted turtles can live as long as 50 years.

My drawing shows the painted turtle’s favorite past-time which is bathing under the warm hot sun, an important source of vitamin D, ensuring a healthy hard shell.

illustration: snapping turtle (v2)

Peak-a-boo!

drawing: snapping turtle

There is a bumper sticker that says “I Stop for Animals” to display, warning drivers that are behind. That statement holds true in my driving. So far, I’ve stopped for deer, geese, squirrels, and a chipmunk. But my crowning achievement, this summer, was stopping before a whopper-sized snapping turtle, and saving it. It just sat in the middle of the road, thinking that its shell will protect it. Sadly, a turtle shell is not that strong. Some truckers even find pleasure in running them over.

Anyway, for my turtle, I ran out of the car and was ready to pick it up by its tail. (Warning: never pick up a snapping turtle near its head, or even its side! They can and will chomp!) But as I approached it from behind, happily, the turtle advanced to the other side of the road to avoid me catching it. No harm to either of us. Whatever works, right?

Snappy went on his merry way toward a serene lake, nearby.

My drawing is of the snapping turtle, enjoying its home in a pond.