Sending positive vibes and good thoughts that Panda gets better soon! Re: tortoises and turtles, I'm looking forward to the Snapping Turtles emerging in a few weeks. Such a fascinating reptile!
Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Neil. I was so optimistic with this post for a good outcome with Panda, but sadly I feel we are headed for the Rainbow Bridge. Thank you for your kindness.
I wishing Panda well and recovers God-speed! I love reading your stories and reminding us the importance of animals in our lives. Thank you do much for the shout out! Sending you much love and gratitude! I hope you have a magical day with all your critters! 🐱❤️
And how lucky was she that you turned up that day and how lucky were you to have been given the gift of such a companion too. We give them the absolute best life that we can and they reward us and teach us about unconditional love and loyalty and being in the moment and if we are wise enough we learn from them. Lots of love 🙏❤
This is so true, April. Thank you for reaching out and sharing this with me. It really helps during this time. She has always been and will always be a gift. 💜🐼🐾
Thank you for this! I wish Panda the best. Turtles are beautiful, and, like any pets, they need human help and support.
Green sea turtles look especially amazing. They are umbrella species, popular animals who represent their entire environment. In green sea turtles' case, it is the tropics and marine life.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment and sharing even more incredible educational turtle information! The term, umbrella species, is so important to recognize in our understanding of wildlife. Thanks for sharing this with us!
Our pets are the best, of course I wish the best for Panda. Thank goodness for vets who are specializing in exotic animals like turtles.
Umbrella species are important, who would not love beautiful tropical animals like green sea turtles when they are swimming peacefully in turquoise waters? Or jaguars, parrots, big cats? Mother Earth and its amazing animals are our responsibility.
Thank you so much for your good wishes for Panda. I’m sadly not seeing the recovery I had hoped for, but we are staying comfortable at home. She’s at least 16. A wonderful example of Mutual Rescue as a shelter adoption. And I really appreciate your insights and comments on veterinary specialists and umbrella species. So many of us are trying to do the right thing. It really can work.
Thank you so much. The longevity of turtles is truly incredible. Thank you for your sweet wishes for my little Panda. It really helps. We have a good vet and I worked in the field for many years, so I’m well versed in the caregiving, fortunately.
I am relieved to hear it. If you can tell what the exact issue is, or describe the symptoms that a specialist should hear, I will speak to such a specialist on Monday, I will ask her about my Bobcat, and since I will talk to her anyway, I may mention Panda to her.
Thank you, April. I was so optimistic for Panda’s recovery, but sadly she is heading for the Rainbow Bridge. Thank you for keeping her in your thoughts. I will keep everyone posted. She’s comfortable here at home.💜🐼🐾🐾
My mom started rescueing turtles starting when I was in 7th or 8th grade. We mainly had box turtles, but we did have another type of turtle-I can't remember which species but she was the same size as the box turtles!
Chris, both Salem and Nalia completely feel you as they both went to the vet recently (Salem last week and Nalia today). They're okay, but the vet implied that Salem also needs to lose a little more weight, and they're already on diet food for uti prevention and anxiety since November of last year.
Salem says to hang in there buddy! Nalia would give you lots of comfort grooming (she's the main one with anxiety and grooming is her way of coping...and sometimes she likes to extend that comfort to others whether they want her to or not. Salem has lots of stories about that!)
Thank you, Kimber, Salem & Nadia. Thank you very much for understanding me and my 282 kcal/day. Luvluvluv, Chris. P.S. We are staying tuned for more Salem & Nadia stories! Perhaps we need to form a Critter Literature Support Group. 😺🐾🐾😺
Pawsome. At your convenience. I’m tending to my little dog Panda who is sadly not recovering as I had hoped, so let me know what works for you going forward. You can also DM me here through the Substack messaging feature. Thank you and this is going to be fun!
Arya has a message for his non-hooman animal friends and hoomans, too. He confessed that he slipped on his healthy avian diet a couple of times (ok, maybe a few). He took a few beaks of some sweets and some salty food (not good for him, but tasted good on the beak!). Now, that he is back on track, with hooman help and encouragement, he says we all can do it. Eat healthy; stay healthy.
Turtles are fascinating—and oddly beautiful! Thank you for always making such interesting topics so fun to read about.
Snapping turtles were always a back-of-the-mind fear when I swam in lakes as a kid. Another time I released a fish I’d caught, the snapping turtle must’ve been there waiting.
Thank you, James, we so appreciate your positive feedback and contributions to the conversation! Snapping turtles are a force of nature. Yeah, we’d be afraid, too. They are living dinosaurs. In terms of your fishing incident, that was a major assist or as Jasper Kitten would say, oh no oh no!
Tortoises and turtles are among my favorite animals in the world, as they look so goofy.
When I was a kid, we were driving in Sullivan County, New York, near a lake. We saw a giant tortoise trying to cross the road. He or she didn’t want follow our hands. He was too big to be picked up.
Dad got a large branch from the ground and slowly walked across the road. The tortoise followed him and clambered into the lake.
Twenty-five years later, my daughter and I were driving on a road in the same county, near White Lake. We stopped to get sodas for the party. A giant tortoise emerged from bushes and started to cross the road to get into the lake.
I realized history was repeating itself. I didn’t have a branch, but I walked into the road and stood by the tortoise as it plodded along. I held up my hands to hold up traffic until it reached the lake and dived in.
In 2000, my wife and her best friend went to the Galapagos, and met many tortoises. Those guys are very friendly. They got a photo of themselves standing with a tortoise between them. I tell people that’s me.
Finally, a few years ago, I met a turtle in the nearby park. He looked like a moving rock. I took photos and picked him up, as he was surrounded by roads, and I did not want him to become road kill.
I carried him over to the lake, and put him down. He started trying to cross the road. I picked him up and put him down again. He started trying to cross the road. I picked him up, carried him over to the lake, put him down facing it, and this time he got the point.
“Wrong Way” Corrigan promptly clambered into the lake.
He turned out to be a species from North Carolina, doubtless dumped there by jerks who did not want to raise turtles any more. However, the expert who studied the photos said he would do fine in the Newark park’s lake.
Love it! This is a great story and thank you so much for sharing it with all of us. Thank you for helping the turtles in so many special encounters over the years. This is how we can all make a difference.
After reading this, Chris is my spirit animal. Love as always
Thank you, Kristin. Thank you very much. I am truly humbled. Luvluvluv, Chris🐾🐾
Sending positive vibes and good thoughts that Panda gets better soon! Re: tortoises and turtles, I'm looking forward to the Snapping Turtles emerging in a few weeks. Such a fascinating reptile!
Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Neil. I was so optimistic with this post for a good outcome with Panda, but sadly I feel we are headed for the Rainbow Bridge. Thank you for your kindness.
Pure reading enjoyment each time.
Thank you, Tonya! Thank you very much! Thank you for reading Critters, we are so happy you are here.🐾🐾
Sounds like you have a house on the mend! I hope all continues to move in a positive direction!
Thank you so much, Cindy. We really appreciate your kind thoughts!
I wishing Panda well and recovers God-speed! I love reading your stories and reminding us the importance of animals in our lives. Thank you do much for the shout out! Sending you much love and gratitude! I hope you have a magical day with all your critters! 🐱❤️
Thank you so much, Charlotte! Thank you for reading Critters and for being here with us!
Johnathan is the oldest tortoise at 191.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_(tortoise)#:~:text=Jonathan%20(hatched%20c.,oldest%20known%20living%20land%20animal.)
Thank you so much for sharing this news about Johnathan! This adds so much more to our story! 191 is truly incredible.
Here is another exciting tortoise story, one that's albino! (https://www.livescience.com/albino-galapagos-giant-tortoise) I think this is really awesome, personally :)
Thank you for this incredible story, too! That’s amazing. Love the photos! We wholeheartedly agree that this is really awesome.
I’m still laughing at this “The part about water is simply a non-starter for me. It’s too aquatic and I could get wet.” Too funny.
Best to Panda and hungry Chris, and Jasper too.
Thank you, Sabine, thank you very much. Thank you for reading Critters. I feel deeply understood. Luvluvluv, Jasper Kitten🐾🐾
And how lucky was she that you turned up that day and how lucky were you to have been given the gift of such a companion too. We give them the absolute best life that we can and they reward us and teach us about unconditional love and loyalty and being in the moment and if we are wise enough we learn from them. Lots of love 🙏❤
This is so true, April. Thank you for reaching out and sharing this with me. It really helps during this time. She has always been and will always be a gift. 💜🐼🐾
Thank you for this! I wish Panda the best. Turtles are beautiful, and, like any pets, they need human help and support.
Green sea turtles look especially amazing. They are umbrella species, popular animals who represent their entire environment. In green sea turtles' case, it is the tropics and marine life.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment and sharing even more incredible educational turtle information! The term, umbrella species, is so important to recognize in our understanding of wildlife. Thanks for sharing this with us!
Our pets are the best, of course I wish the best for Panda. Thank goodness for vets who are specializing in exotic animals like turtles.
Umbrella species are important, who would not love beautiful tropical animals like green sea turtles when they are swimming peacefully in turquoise waters? Or jaguars, parrots, big cats? Mother Earth and its amazing animals are our responsibility.
Thank you so much for your good wishes for Panda. I’m sadly not seeing the recovery I had hoped for, but we are staying comfortable at home. She’s at least 16. A wonderful example of Mutual Rescue as a shelter adoption. And I really appreciate your insights and comments on veterinary specialists and umbrella species. So many of us are trying to do the right thing. It really can work.
Probably she will recover, we hope for the best. And turtles can live over 20, some species over 150 years! Way to go, beautiful Panda!
Probably some vet specialist can offer online advice if they are not locally available for you.
Thank you so much. The longevity of turtles is truly incredible. Thank you for your sweet wishes for my little Panda. It really helps. We have a good vet and I worked in the field for many years, so I’m well versed in the caregiving, fortunately.
I am relieved to hear it. If you can tell what the exact issue is, or describe the symptoms that a specialist should hear, I will speak to such a specialist on Monday, I will ask her about my Bobcat, and since I will talk to her anyway, I may mention Panda to her.
Great fun post thanks Heidi. Best wishes for Panda's speedy recovery
Thank you, April. I was so optimistic for Panda’s recovery, but sadly she is heading for the Rainbow Bridge. Thank you for keeping her in your thoughts. I will keep everyone posted. She’s comfortable here at home.💜🐼🐾🐾
I'm so sad to hear that Heidi. They are our light and our joy. You are all in my thoughts. ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you, I really appreciate your support and understanding. I adopted her 15 1/2 years ago out of the shelter. She’s a wonderful companion.💜🐼🐾
My mom started rescueing turtles starting when I was in 7th or 8th grade. We mainly had box turtles, but we did have another type of turtle-I can't remember which species but she was the same size as the box turtles!
Chris, both Salem and Nalia completely feel you as they both went to the vet recently (Salem last week and Nalia today). They're okay, but the vet implied that Salem also needs to lose a little more weight, and they're already on diet food for uti prevention and anxiety since November of last year.
Salem says to hang in there buddy! Nalia would give you lots of comfort grooming (she's the main one with anxiety and grooming is her way of coping...and sometimes she likes to extend that comfort to others whether they want her to or not. Salem has lots of stories about that!)
Thank you, Kimber, Salem & Nadia. Thank you very much for understanding me and my 282 kcal/day. Luvluvluv, Chris. P.S. We are staying tuned for more Salem & Nadia stories! Perhaps we need to form a Critter Literature Support Group. 😺🐾🐾😺
We love that! Let's do it!
~Kimber, Nalia, and Salem
We are all ears. How shall we go about forming this incredible group?🐾🐾
Hmmm, let's think about it and email each other tomorrow? You should have my email since I'm a subscriber😸I can also email you sometime tomorrow too!
Pawsome. At your convenience. I’m tending to my little dog Panda who is sadly not recovering as I had hoped, so let me know what works for you going forward. You can also DM me here through the Substack messaging feature. Thank you and this is going to be fun!
Best of luck to those two struggling critters!
Thank you, Diana! Thank you very much. 🐾🐾
Arya has a message for his non-hooman animal friends and hoomans, too. He confessed that he slipped on his healthy avian diet a couple of times (ok, maybe a few). He took a few beaks of some sweets and some salty food (not good for him, but tasted good on the beak!). Now, that he is back on track, with hooman help and encouragement, he says we all can do it. Eat healthy; stay healthy.
Thank you, Perry and Arya! Thank you for sharing this incredible personal experience of the importance for all of us to eat healthy and stay healthy.
Turtles are fascinating—and oddly beautiful! Thank you for always making such interesting topics so fun to read about.
Snapping turtles were always a back-of-the-mind fear when I swam in lakes as a kid. Another time I released a fish I’d caught, the snapping turtle must’ve been there waiting.
Thank you, James, we so appreciate your positive feedback and contributions to the conversation! Snapping turtles are a force of nature. Yeah, we’d be afraid, too. They are living dinosaurs. In terms of your fishing incident, that was a major assist or as Jasper Kitten would say, oh no oh no!
Tortoises and turtles are among my favorite animals in the world, as they look so goofy.
When I was a kid, we were driving in Sullivan County, New York, near a lake. We saw a giant tortoise trying to cross the road. He or she didn’t want follow our hands. He was too big to be picked up.
Dad got a large branch from the ground and slowly walked across the road. The tortoise followed him and clambered into the lake.
Twenty-five years later, my daughter and I were driving on a road in the same county, near White Lake. We stopped to get sodas for the party. A giant tortoise emerged from bushes and started to cross the road to get into the lake.
I realized history was repeating itself. I didn’t have a branch, but I walked into the road and stood by the tortoise as it plodded along. I held up my hands to hold up traffic until it reached the lake and dived in.
In 2000, my wife and her best friend went to the Galapagos, and met many tortoises. Those guys are very friendly. They got a photo of themselves standing with a tortoise between them. I tell people that’s me.
Finally, a few years ago, I met a turtle in the nearby park. He looked like a moving rock. I took photos and picked him up, as he was surrounded by roads, and I did not want him to become road kill.
I carried him over to the lake, and put him down. He started trying to cross the road. I picked him up and put him down again. He started trying to cross the road. I picked him up, carried him over to the lake, put him down facing it, and this time he got the point.
“Wrong Way” Corrigan promptly clambered into the lake.
He turned out to be a species from North Carolina, doubtless dumped there by jerks who did not want to raise turtles any more. However, the expert who studied the photos said he would do fine in the Newark park’s lake.
Love it! This is a great story and thank you so much for sharing it with all of us. Thank you for helping the turtles in so many special encounters over the years. This is how we can all make a difference.
I left out the time we met a large Box Turtle walking through the park, headed for a copse of trees.
Branch Brook Park was built by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, pronounced "Vox," as the test bed for Central Park.
So I named the turtle, "Vaux the Box."
They sun themselves on a log in the park...I call it "Turtle Terrace."
We luvluvluv this story, too! It keeps getting better the more you tell us! Love the name, Vaux the Box. Perfect.
We just got two Crocodile Skinks from Indonesia.
"Crock" and "Doodle."
Thank you, Alan! I’m so glad you understand me. Luvluvluv, Chris🐾🐾