Lilly goes for a swim

[lisa]

Lilly is one of our resident Eastern Box Turtles...She and Leo, her husband, live in the flower garden next to the pool...Lilly decided this afternoon to take a dip...(she is a land turtle and has no business in the pool...)

They were abandoned by the previous owners of our home who lied to us and told us they took them with them...since I thought they were gone, I removed their chicken wire barrier to cultivate my garden...and now they, and their babies end up in the pool occasionally

I tried to rehome them but was unsuccessful...the pet stores would not take them because they are illegal to sell here in North Carolina...I called the previous owner who was not interested in helping out and told me to take them to the park next to my neighborhood...but had he known anything about his pets, he would have known that you simply cannot relocate box turtles because they have a built in homing device and they will return to their home...I felt it was too risky, that they would certainly get run over trying to get back, so I named them and put them back in the garden and we just keep an eye out...they don't come out very often...

Today my son saw Lilly swimming from the kitchen window and my husband went out in the pouring rain to rescue her...

Here are pics of soggy Lilly and her and Leo's garden paradise...

[angelwitch]

awww poor Lilly , i hope she has recovered!

I love your garden it really is very beautiful!!

x

[lisa]

Thanks...I really love planting things then watching them grow...it's such a sense of accomplishment...

[Jen]

Could Lilly have drowned if your hubby hadn't rescued her in time?
I get confused with you Americans and Canadians calling these animals Turtles - over here in Europe they are Tortoises and Turtles are the type that CAN swim.
Just outta interest - what DO you call these reptiles?



And WHAT A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN YOU HAVE!!!
The colours are amazing.

[lisa]

Well, now you got me thinking....so I googled...

apparently Turtles are water based animals...we would call your pic a sea turtle...where I used to live on the coast the aquarium was all about saving them...

but Tortoises are land dwellers...so I just figured as usual us Americans can't quite use our words right...and I felt a little silly...

So, I googled Eastern Box Turtle this is what I found...

The Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina) is one of two species of box turtles found in the United States. It is the only "land turtle" found in North Carolina and is also the state reptile. Box turtles are extremely long lived, slow to mature, and have relatively few offspring per year. These characteristics, along with a propensity to get hit by cars, make the box turtle a species particularly susceptible to human-induced problems.

There was a lot more but the jist was...they are primarily land dwellers but will soak in shallow water...but this didn't really explain anything so I went further and found....

Although the word "turtle" is widely used to describe all members of the order Testudines, it is also common to see certain members described as terrapins, tortoises or sea turtles as well. Precisely how these alternative names are used, if at all, depends on the type of English being used.

British English normally describes these reptiles as turtles if they live in the sea; terrapins if they live in fresh or brackish water; or tortoises if they live on land. However, there are exceptions to this where American or Australian common names are in wide use, as with the Fly River turtle.

American English tends to use the word turtle for all freshwater species, as well as for certain land-dwelling species (e.g. box turtles). Oceanic species are usually referred to as sea turtles, and tortoise is restricted to members of the "true" tortoise family, Testudinidae.

Australian English uses turtle for both the marine and freshwater species but tortoise for the terrestrial species

;D

Oh...and yes, Lilly would have eventually drown when she got tired of doing her oh so cute "doggie paddle"...we lost 5 of her 7 babies last year in the filter if you look at her feet you can see toes and claws, she really belongs in a forest, not my garden, and especially not next to a swimming pool...but like I mentioned before you cannot relocate them...once you take an adult box turtle from it's "home" you must keep it in a tank...I thought, despite the danger of the pool, her quality of life was much better in the garden rather than a glass tank with artificial light and heat (and my cats trying to get in)...this is the first time seeing her since last September when I scooped her out of the pool...

[Jen]

*hedge is more confused than ever!*

LOL!

I think it's great that you and your family have taken to "minding" these beautiful animals. Especially after the appalling way the previous owner behaved!

[Heka]

I think the Aussies are like the brits on this one. We don't have terrapins, but turtles are WATER and tortise are LAND with a little bit of water.


*mumbles bloody americans*

[lunaamor]

i want a little turtle but my mum wont let me

[shrine]

Awe Lillie is lovely, ive never seen a Easter Box Turtle before!!

And your Garden Is Lovely, love the colours.

Sorry to here 5 of her babies were lost.

Lets hope Lillie And Leo learn to put on rubber rings before a dip in the pool again:P

[koko]

Thanks for all the info...and I resemble that remark, Heka...we are not all that bad, I promise!!