A couple of weeks ago, I went to a turtle rehab seminar put on my my mentor and her mentor, detailing turtles, start to finish. This is pretty much everything I'll need to know that the regular certification class won't teach me. I took six pages of notes, plus all the handouts, and it really… Continue reading Turtle Rehab Seminar
Ironic, isn't it? The whole point of non-profits is that they don't make any money, and yet, you need a sizable wad of cash to become one. It starts out small. Pick a name, pay $10 to the town clerk to register it. Pay $50 to the state to register as a non-publicly-traded company. Another… Continue reading You need to have money first, to become a non-profit.
This is the list my mentor sent to me (some of which I knew I needed, some I didn't) of things I'd need for turtle rehab. I'll be adding what I still need from it to my wish list soon (which is a lot of it, actually). totes of various sizes (opaque preferred), a few… Continue reading Turtle Rehab Starter Kit
This isn't a super-exciting post, but I just wanted to write a little progress report for myself. The other weekend, we had unseasonably warm weather for January, and I decided that it was now or never if I was going to get those old turtle tank filters cleaned and sanitized. They'd been sitting with dirty… Continue reading Cleaning, studying, and prepping.
I had a bunch of plans with people this weekend, but instead my body decided it was sick and I slept for 12 hours. When I did finally wake up, I felt better, and I figured I'd try to be productive. One thing I knew I wanted but hadn't figured out yet was a logo.… Continue reading I am definitely not a graphic designer.
Over this Christmas holiday, my husband, Bobby, despite a recent knee injury that makes walking difficult and carrying things down stairs nearly impossible, surprised me by cleaning out a portion of our cellar and setting up six hospital tanks. He did enlist the help of our roommate to haul the heavy things in there, which… Continue reading Christmas Surprise!
This week I had my last visit with Pam, the turtle rehabber, for the year. It's already a slow time of year, and her kids are home from college for the holidays, so she said she most likely won't have time to do anything new with me, so it's a natural time to take a… Continue reading What do turtles want for Christmas?
This is the week that I spent more than two hours cleaning and disinfecting various filters, habitats, bowls, decór, nets, siphons, surgical instruments, etc. Not glamorous, but part of the job of a rehabber. First you must wash things regularly to get the dirt and gunk off. Then rinse. Then you have to soak them… Continue reading Bleach is your friend
During my first week volunteering for Pam, I was not shocked to discover that she had several non-native turtle species in her care, which she came by in the usual manner:Person with a pet turtle they can't care for anymore: You do turtles, right?Wildlife rescuer: Yes, I help wild turtles that are sick or injured… Continue reading Finding Homes for Wayward Turtles
I started during the slow season, when there were relatively few turtles left in Pam's care. The ones that remained were either injured late in the season or their injuries were so severe that they wouldn't be recovered soon enough to be released before it got too cold out. Turtles can hibernate, but they need… Continue reading First week…feeding time!
Turtle Haven 