Dylan

Dylan is the sole survivor of the eggs laid by Carol and Terry in 1999.  He had a soft shell and I sent him out to Julie Zickefoose for more natural light.  There, he was cared for by both Julie and one of our students, Leslie Ritchie.  His soft shell did not get better and he was sent off to a rehab center.  The rehab center did wonders and his shell firmed up.  He came home to Julie with a new friend, another young box turtle.  Julie is taking care of both, with ample help from Phoebe and Liam and a special $75 light bulb.  The plan is to put these two turtles in the turtle garden to allow them to pick up some extra size before their eventual release at Julie and Bill's farm.  Of course, that will have to wait until we have new babies for Phoebe and Liam to take care of.  By raising the babies for a few years we hope to limit the number of predators that could harm them.  An adult turtle is safe from almost any wild animal, but the small ones are preyed on by a variety of animals, including chipmunks.  As I look at him I am convinced that he is Carol's offspring - though his eyes look like Terry's.  The picture at right was taken in the fall of 2002 - he grew considerably over the winter.