Hello my name is TobyTurtle. Could some one write back to this family
that found me so that hopefully they will leave me alone.

I live on their creek which is really nice. It has a nice pond and
lots of vegetation around to hide and find lots of food.

Today was a nice beautiful San Diego day and they were nice enough to
bring me turkey and lettuce. He he, which one do you think I ate right
away?

Here are my pictures.
http://www.socalbreakers.com/images/Toby/Toby-001.jpg

http://www.socalbreakers.com/images/Toby/Toby-003.jpg

Can someone write back and tell them in plain english who am I and
maybe how old I am. Maybe you can tell by my size. What do you expect?
They do not speak turtle. I tried to tell him but he did not
understand me.

I do want to say sorry for hissing at him. The owner of the creek
tried to pick me up and I was not happy. He looked under my belly and
told his wife I was a male. Duh! my name is TobyTurtle.

Thanks!

____________________________
TobyDaTurtle

Toby looks like a painted turtle to mine eyes.
Cute!


k30a
and the watergardening labradors
http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...dors/home.html

Looks like a chicken turtle (Deirochelys reticularia) but I'm not sure how
it wound up in CA. I think they are an eastern species. I think they are
related to painted turtles but painted turtles are redish. Here's a picture
and info:

http://www.enature.com/flashcard/sho...dNumber=AR0139


"Fabio Soto" wrote in message
om...
Hello my name is TobyTurtle. Could some one write back to this family
that found me so that hopefully they will leave me alone.

I live on their creek which is really nice. It has a nice pond and
lots of vegetation around to hide and find lots of food.

Today was a nice beautiful San Diego day and they were nice enough to
bring me turkey and lettuce. He he, which one do you think I ate right
away?

Here are my pictures.
http://www.socalbreakers.com/images/Toby/Toby-001.jpg

http://www.socalbreakers.com/images/Toby/Toby-003.jpg

Can someone write back and tell them in plain english who am I and
maybe how old I am. Maybe you can tell by my size. What do you expect?
They do not speak turtle. I tried to tell him but he did not
understand me.

I do want to say sorry for hissing at him. The owner of the creek
tried to pick me up and I was not happy. He looked under my belly and
told his wife I was a male. Duh! my name is TobyTurtle.

Thanks!

____________________________
TobyDaTurtle

From the little bit I was able to find about painted turtles, I think the
newly-returned (yea!) K30a is right that it's a painted turtle. See:
http://www.tortoise.org/archives/chrysemy.html

I'm not quite sure if the size is right, though, since I had a bit of
trouble figuring out the second link below -- the 22" dimension is clearly
marked, but I can't tell what else I'm looking at!

Anne Lurie
Raleigh, NC


"Fabio Soto" wrote in message
om...
Hello my name is TobyTurtle. Could some one write back to this family
that found me so that hopefully they will leave me alone.

I live on their creek which is really nice. It has a nice pond and
lots of vegetation around to hide and find lots of food.

Today was a nice beautiful San Diego day and they were nice enough to
bring me turkey and lettuce. He he, which one do you think I ate right
away?

Here are my pictures.
http://www.socalbreakers.com/images/Toby/Toby-001.jpg

http://www.socalbreakers.com/images/Toby/Toby-003.jpg

Can someone write back and tell them in plain english who am I and
maybe how old I am. Maybe you can tell by my size. What do you expect?
They do not speak turtle. I tried to tell him but he did not
understand me.

I do want to say sorry for hissing at him. The owner of the creek
tried to pick me up and I was not happy. He looked under my belly and
told his wife I was a male. Duh! my name is TobyTurtle.

Thanks!

____________________________
TobyDaTurtle

From the little bit I was able to find about painted turtles, I think the
newly-returned (yea!) K30a is right that it's a painted turtle. See:
http://www.tortoise.org/archives/chrysemy.html

I'm not quite sure if the size is right, though, since I had a bit of
trouble figuring out the second link below -- the 22" dimension is clearly
marked, but I can't tell what else I'm looking at!

Anne Lurie
Raleigh, NC


"Fabio Soto" wrote in message
om...
Hello my name is TobyTurtle. Could some one write back to this family
that found me so that hopefully they will leave me alone.

I live on their creek which is really nice. It has a nice pond and
lots of vegetation around to hide and find lots of food.

Today was a nice beautiful San Diego day and they were nice enough to
bring me turkey and lettuce. He he, which one do you think I ate right
away?

Here are my pictures.
http://www.socalbreakers.com/images/Toby/Toby-001.jpg

http://www.socalbreakers.com/images/Toby/Toby-003.jpg

Can someone write back and tell them in plain english who am I and
maybe how old I am. Maybe you can tell by my size. What do you expect?
They do not speak turtle. I tried to tell him but he did not
understand me.

I do want to say sorry for hissing at him. The owner of the creek
tried to pick me up and I was not happy. He looked under my belly and
told his wife I was a male. Duh! my name is TobyTurtle.

Thanks!

____________________________
TobyDaTurtle

Not painted. Wrong color and design on the ear.

Try the net on California turtles.

J

--
__________________________________________
Check out Jog-A-Thon fundraiser (clears $140+ per jogger) at:
www.jogathon.net
See our pond at: http://www.home.bellsouth.net/p/pwp-jameshurley
"Fabio Soto" wrote in message
om...
Hello my name is TobyTurtle. Could some one write back to this family
that found me so that hopefully they will leave me alone.

I live on their creek which is really nice. It has a nice pond and
lots of vegetation around to hide and find lots of food.

Today was a nice beautiful San Diego day and they were nice enough to
bring me turkey and lettuce. He he, which one do you think I ate right
away?

Here are my pictures.
http://www.socalbreakers.com/images/Toby/Toby-001.jpg

http://www.socalbreakers.com/images/Toby/Toby-003.jpg

Can someone write back and tell them in plain english who am I and
maybe how old I am. Maybe you can tell by my size. What do you expect?
They do not speak turtle. I tried to tell him but he did not
understand me.

I do want to say sorry for hissing at him. The owner of the creek
tried to pick me up and I was not happy. He looked under my belly and
told his wife I was a male. Duh! my name is TobyTurtle.

Thanks!

____________________________
TobyDaTurtle

Another Ca turtle.

This site has a list of Ca turtles.

http://www.californiaherps.com/turtl...s.elegans.html

J
--
__________________________________________
Check out Jog-A-Thon fundraiser (clears $140+ per jogger) at:
www.jogathon.net
See our pond at: http://www.home.bellsouth.net/p/pwp-jameshurley
"Fabio Soto" wrote in message
om...
Hello my name is TobyTurtle. Could some one write back to this family
that found me so that hopefully they will leave me alone.

I live on their creek which is really nice. It has a nice pond and
lots of vegetation around to hide and find lots of food.

Today was a nice beautiful San Diego day and they were nice enough to
bring me turkey and lettuce. He he, which one do you think I ate right
away?

Here are my pictures.
http://www.socalbreakers.com/images/Toby/Toby-001.jpg

http://www.socalbreakers.com/images/Toby/Toby-003.jpg

Can someone write back and tell them in plain english who am I and
maybe how old I am. Maybe you can tell by my size. What do you expect?
They do not speak turtle. I tried to tell him but he did not
understand me.

I do want to say sorry for hissing at him. The owner of the creek
tried to pick me up and I was not happy. He looked under my belly and
told his wife I was a male. Duh! my name is TobyTurtle.

Thanks!

____________________________
TobyDaTurtle

Not painted. Wrong color and design on the ear.

Try the net on California turtles.

J

--
__________________________________________
Check out Jog-A-Thon fundraiser (clears $140+ per jogger) at:
www.jogathon.net
See our pond at: http://www.home.bellsouth.net/p/pwp-jameshurley
"Fabio Soto" wrote in message
om...
Hello my name is TobyTurtle. Could some one write back to this family
that found me so that hopefully they will leave me alone.

I live on their creek which is really nice. It has a nice pond and
lots of vegetation around to hide and find lots of food.

Today was a nice beautiful San Diego day and they were nice enough to
bring me turkey and lettuce. He he, which one do you think I ate right
away?

Here are my pictures.
http://www.socalbreakers.com/images/Toby/Toby-001.jpg

http://www.socalbreakers.com/images/Toby/Toby-003.jpg

Can someone write back and tell them in plain english who am I and
maybe how old I am. Maybe you can tell by my size. What do you expect?
They do not speak turtle. I tried to tell him but he did not
understand me.

I do want to say sorry for hissing at him. The owner of the creek
tried to pick me up and I was not happy. He looked under my belly and
told his wife I was a male. Duh! my name is TobyTurtle.

Thanks!

____________________________
TobyDaTurtle

Another Ca turtle.

This site has a list of Ca turtles.

http://www.californiaherps.com/turtl...s.elegans.html

J
--
__________________________________________
Check out Jog-A-Thon fundraiser (clears $140+ per jogger) at:
www.jogathon.net
See our pond at: http://www.home.bellsouth.net/p/pwp-jameshurley
"Fabio Soto" wrote in message
om...
Hello my name is TobyTurtle. Could some one write back to this family
that found me so that hopefully they will leave me alone.

I live on their creek which is really nice. It has a nice pond and
lots of vegetation around to hide and find lots of food.

Today was a nice beautiful San Diego day and they were nice enough to
bring me turkey and lettuce. He he, which one do you think I ate right
away?

Here are my pictures.
http://www.socalbreakers.com/images/Toby/Toby-001.jpg

http://www.socalbreakers.com/images/Toby/Toby-003.jpg

Can someone write back and tell them in plain english who am I and
maybe how old I am. Maybe you can tell by my size. What do you expect?
They do not speak turtle. I tried to tell him but he did not
understand me.

I do want to say sorry for hissing at him. The owner of the creek
tried to pick me up and I was not happy. He looked under my belly and
told his wife I was a male. Duh! my name is TobyTurtle.

Thanks!

____________________________
TobyDaTurtle

If you go by eastern reptiles and amphibian guides it is not a Chicken, not
enough lines on the face for an adult and it could be a Stinkpot or a kind
of Mud turtle. It is hard to tell with the mud on the shell covering up the
pattern.

Tom L.L.
"Fabio Soto" wrote in message
om...
Hello my name is TobyTurtle. Could some one write back to this family
that found me so that hopefully they will leave me alone.

I live on their creek which is really nice. It has a nice pond and
lots of vegetation around to hide and find lots of food.

Today was a nice beautiful San Diego day and they were nice enough to
bring me turkey and lettuce. He he, which one do you think I ate right
away?

Here are my pictures.
http://www.socalbreakers.com/images/Toby/Toby-001.jpg

http://www.socalbreakers.com/images/Toby/Toby-003.jpg

Can someone write back and tell them in plain english who am I and
maybe how old I am. Maybe you can tell by my size. What do you expect?
They do not speak turtle. I tried to tell him but he did not
understand me.

I do want to say sorry for hissing at him. The owner of the creek
tried to pick me up and I was not happy. He looked under my belly and
told his wife I was a male. Duh! my name is TobyTurtle.

Thanks!

____________________________
TobyDaTurtle

This is not a species that is native to California, nor is it native
to the U.S. Scute and neck patterns suggest a member of the genus
Trachemys (pond sliders). My guess is an escaped pet, commonly known
as the meso-american slider (or Costa Rican slider or Mexican slider):
Trachemys scripta venusta. These are not uncommon in the pet trade,
and are a a close relative to the much more popular red-eared slider
(Trachemys scripta elegans), which, by the way, is also not native to
California (but is native to eastern U.S.).

Oh, and Toby is a girl. Males are smaller and have exceptionally long
foreclaws. And watch the turkey. As an adult, she doesn't need a
high protein diet.

"Phyllis and Jim Hurley" wrote:

Another Ca turtle.

This site has a list of Ca turtles.

http://www.californiaherps.com/turtl...s.elegans.html

J

You might try calling your vet or the manager
of a pet store in your area and ask if they know of a turtle rehabber.
These kind folks are turtle experts and take in unwanted and/or sick turtles.
They would probably know what species the turtle is and if he is native to your
area and give you information about the turtle's needs.


k30a
and the watergardening labradors
http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...dors/home.html

You might try calling your vet or the manager
of a pet store in your area and ask if they know of a turtle rehabber.
These kind folks are turtle experts and take in unwanted and/or sick turtles.
They would probably know what species the turtle is and if he is native to your
area and give you information about the turtle's needs.


k30a
and the watergardening labradors
http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...dors/home.html

I appreciate your help. I finding out that it is a tricky thing to
identify a turtle. I am worried about the condition of the shell. It
looks pretty beat up, but I assume that is from being out in the
elements.

Toby got a piece of turkey today and came up to me and grabbed it. Now
I know they eat better in the water. I know that I am not supposed to
feed him but maybe he will stick around. I am really interested in
figuring whether he came up river or from the lake. Nevertheless it is
a treacherous trek either way.

When I was a kid we used to have turtle around all of the time, but
this guy took me by surprised when he hissed at me because I picked
him up for the photo op. He also peed at me. A sign that he was
"****ed" or stressed.

The second picture was for showing his size. I think he is about 11
inches or so. Right now he is the king of the pond.

I want to thank all of your responses. K30a has the right idea. I
probably need to call the local vet. I do not want to take him
anywhere. Frankly we need to treat him like the Bobcats and raccoons
that we see. Enjoy them and let them be. We have native vegetation
and it is incredible how much wildlife it attracts. It helps to live
near creek also.

Thanks again,
Fabio & TobyDaTurtle



(Fabio Soto) wrote in message . com...
Hello my name is TobyTurtle. Could some one write back to this family
that found me so that hopefully they will leave me alone.

I live on their creek which is really nice. It has a nice pond and
lots of vegetation around to hide and find lots of food.

Today was a nice beautiful San Diego day and they were nice enough to
bring me turkey and lettuce. He he, which one do you think I ate right
away?

Here are my pictures.
http://www.socalbreakers.com/images/Toby/Toby-001.jpg

http://www.socalbreakers.com/images/Toby/Toby-003.jpg

Can someone write back and tell them in plain english who am I and
maybe how old I am. Maybe you can tell by my size. What do you expect?
They do not speak turtle. I tried to tell him but he did not
understand me.

I do want to say sorry for hissing at him. The owner of the creek
tried to pick me up and I was not happy. He looked under my belly and
told his wife I was a male. Duh! my name is TobyTurtle.

Thanks!

____________________________
TobyDaTurtle

**Update**

Toby has been gone for 3 days and just in time. Last night I heard a
commotion and I found 2 raccoons playing in the tree (looking for
eggs) anyway they had disturbed the pond and they ate every crayfish
in the place. I am glad that Toby was gone for at least two day. Now
the big question is where did Toby go? Up river or down river. Lake
Hodges is down river so that is my vote.

Fabio

(Fabio Soto) wrote in message . com...
I appreciate your help. I finding out that it is a tricky thing to
identify a turtle. I am worried about the condition of the shell. It
looks pretty beat up, but I assume that is from being out in the
elements.

Toby got a piece of turkey today and came up to me and grabbed it. Now
I know they eat better in the water. I know that I am not supposed to
feed him but maybe he will stick around. I am really interested in
figuring whether he came up river or from the lake. Nevertheless it is
a treacherous trek either way.

When I was a kid we used to have turtle around all of the time, but
this guy took me by surprised when he hissed at me because I picked
him up for the photo op. He also peed at me. A sign that he was
"****ed" or stressed.

The second picture was for showing his size. I think he is about 11
inches or so. Right now he is the king of the pond.

I want to thank all of your responses. K30a has the right idea. I
probably need to call the local vet. I do not want to take him
anywhere. Frankly we need to treat him like the Bobcats and raccoons
that we see. Enjoy them and let them be. We have native vegetation
and it is incredible how much wildlife it attracts. It helps to live
near creek also.

Thanks again,
Fabio & TobyDaTurtle



(Fabio Soto) wrote in message . com...
Hello my name is TobyTurtle. Could some one write back to this family
that found me so that hopefully they will leave me alone.

I live on their creek which is really nice. It has a nice pond and
lots of vegetation around to hide and find lots of food.

Today was a nice beautiful San Diego day and they were nice enough to
bring me turkey and lettuce. He he, which one do you think I ate right
away?

Here are my pictures.
http://www.socalbreakers.com/images/Toby/Toby-001.jpg

http://www.socalbreakers.com/images/Toby/Toby-003.jpg

Can someone write back and tell them in plain english who am I and
maybe how old I am. Maybe you can tell by my size. What do you expect?
They do not speak turtle. I tried to tell him but he did not
understand me.

I do want to say sorry for hissing at him. The owner of the creek
tried to pick me up and I was not happy. He looked under my belly and
told his wife I was a male. Duh! my name is TobyTurtle.

Thanks!

____________________________
TobyDaTurtle