But, we do have to deal with this: HE IS STILL GROWING.
Turtles shed their shells during growth spurts. In anticipation of a lazy hibernation, his body will be busy getting even bigger. Great. He should really be living within his means and that means is a 36x17x15 aquarium.
See that darker square in the centre of his back? That is where one of these came off.
Something's gotta give, they are like fingernails and very thin and almost transparent. Tortoiseshell ornaments will also peel if they get too dry. But we don't have any of those, do we?!
In other news, it is now official that Lonesome George will have no progeny this time around as all the eggs have been verified as infertile. But, he has to deal with this: another turtle (tortoise, actually) that is 176 years old. Apparently Jonathan posed for a picture with some Boer War soldiers and he has been outed as the oldest of his particular species. Not sure how he was recognized - Boer War? So George could have many more years of interference in his social life.
Every time I hear of aged turtles, I give an inward sigh ... how long will Otis decide to keep growing?
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I don't have a Christmas Tree, but I do have some twigs I decorate. And I have a plant stand I use for poinsettias and storing small gifts on so that as I buy them, I can easily remember what I have bought (yes, I have been known to forget. sad, isn't it?).
And this year, I was given an early present of TWO Amaryllis. Now their growth spurts and the way they shoot up with such magnificent majestic blooms are a joy to watch.
And this year, I was given an early present of TWO Amaryllis. Now their growth spurts and the way they shoot up with such magnificent majestic blooms are a joy to watch. 
I need to find a good spot for a photo shoot to chart their progress.I also need to pick up some stuff left lying on the floor and get my laundry bag downstairs to the laundry room.
So, you mean they just shuck off their shells and run around naked for a while until a new one grows on them or is there a new one underneath already? I think it would be fun to see a shell-less turtle. Take some photos. Of course even as I'm writing this I realize how ridiculous that would be and that they obviously have another shell underneath, right?
ReplyDeleteXUP: I do not allow nudity in my aquarium. Some decorum must be shown.
ReplyDeleteI have included a picture to show his shell shucked body.
I never realised they shed their shells, but it makes perfect sense.
ReplyDeleteLove your poinsettias, they're so gorgeously Christmassy!
News to me too about the shell.
ReplyDeleteI love me some amaryllis, but haven't had any in a couple of years. I kept one and got it to bloom again the next year once. By ignoring it. :|
I didn't know turtles shed either! How fun to have one as a pet! They have such friendly faces.
ReplyDeleteThose poinsettias are beautiful. Maybe I'll get one to kill.
Ah ha I didn't know that was "just shucked" My sister had a little turtle once and my brother gave it a hot bubble bath. My mother insists he was young and didn't know any better, but I know it was one of the first signs...
ReplyDeleteVanilla: interesting you say that - don't you have poinsettias grwing 'wild' where you live (as they do in Australia)?
ReplyDeleteRuth: ignoring Easter Lilies does that for me!
ReplyDeleteSusan: I don't do well with flowering plants - they bloom once, then usually have an abundance of leaves.
- am so glad someone else sees their 'interesting faces'!!!
XUP: I have heard of so many ways to kill a turtle - I'll add that one to the list! (it is sickly funny, though)
ReplyDeleteI too never realized that turtles shed their shells. Can you use the shedded shell for anything afterwards? It looks beautiful ...
ReplyDeleteE Goose: looks are deceiving - they dry up and become very brittle afterwards. I don't know how they made tortoiseshell ornaments back in the day when it was legal to do so. Hm, will research.
ReplyDelete