HCA: Hermit Crab Association

My other half works at a large animal shelter, and the dog manager comes running into his office yesterday with a turtle barely larger than a coin. She had pried it out of a pitbull's mouth! The stupid tiny thing had wandered into the kennel runs and the dog picked it up.

Thankfully the turtle is so small and the dog was so big that seems to have missed any teeth. I think it may have a broken ankle because of swelling, and it's not reacting to movement like it should. It's also hard to tell if the eye swelling is age or something else. It is so tiny no vet can treat it (at least here) so we are feeding him and keeping him clean for now to see what happens.

Fingers crossed he is okay! If need be he can become number 4 on my permit, and would be the last painted turtle I can take in.

I turn into a baby talk spewing babbling idiot around it, it is so freaking tiny! Like, teensy tiny. The pictures do not do justice, it's like a little toy!

Oh.

My.

GOODNESS!!!!

I love him already. So itty bitty! Poor baby. I'm sure he'll do great with you looking after him!

Sooo small and cute

OMG!!!!!! ADORABLE!!!! So stinking cute!!!

I DIE.

He has really got a lot of strength back and no longer looks puffy. Has been eating like crazy, too! (I just have him in a simple hospital tank that I can tear down and clean daily, so it looks really bare.)

Forgive my bad manicure. I only bother doing my nails on Friday. Too much tank scrubbing during the week.

Wow - what a difference!!! Great job!! SO STINKING CUTE!!!!

I clearly don't spend enough time looking at turtles, because he looks the same to me in both sets of pictures (that is to say, adorable).

It's like when you first start crabbing, and all species look the same to you*. What sort of tell-tale signs do you look for in turtles?



* but a year later it's one in in the morning and you've just got home from some friend's wedding and you should to go to bed but instead you're inexplicably on iNaturalist.org pedantically trying to correct all the missidentified compressus and clypeatus sightings for absolutely no reason at all for two hours what are you doing what is wrong with you you are an adultGOTOBEDRIGHTNOW.

The swelling has improved for sure! He's more alert as well. I used to think the same, that they all look the same, but once you start realizing that it's because so many other people unknowingly are keeping ill reptiles (mainly because of poor husbandry) it all sort of clicks.

Mostly it's their attitude and the way they look at you when they are feeling normal. They are an ancient species and they know it. They look upon humans with mild omnipotent disdain. You are lower than pond scum. Now bring food while I splash around like a graceful idiot.

I took this photo of my two big idiots the other day and it is just so TURTLES, ya know?

He is so cute!! I'm glad to hear that he is recovering well. Do you have any names for him yet?


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I am not sure if he is staying or if we will be releasing him at the end of the month, so no names for now. (Not that that helps any! Of course I want to keep him, but that may not be the best thing for him.)

My two big guys are Anna and Chris. The other smaller dude fom last month is nameless as well. He has some pretty decent MBD from bad diet and no UVB since someone grabbed him from the wild last summer. I got him because 'his water kept turning black and stinking' so they threw his tank away thinking it was bad and I got him in a litteral coffee can. I can't even.

I am only allowed four by state law, but Hubby is so into them he is looking into whether he can apply for his own permit so we can take in a few more that may need help.

So, he is not swimming normally. His back end wants to float and it is giving him a lot of mobility issues and grief. Have to wait it out and see if its just gas or if there may be something more going on.

He is now impossible to photograph or hang onto for long. So much spunk in such a tiny package!

Oh man!! He is so stinking cute! I hope that he is okay!

SO ADORABLE! I love reptiles - this turtle is so cute so glad you and your husband were able to give him a loving home.


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This is going to end up being a year! Found an adult milksnake with a bad infection today. Treating here until I can either confirm I am capable of continuing, or can get ahold of a good rehabber to hand off to.