New Christmas Family

You know the little big and good shaped male Reeve's I posted in Dec, 22nd.
I posted him in some Korean Turtle Cafe too.

I received a message from somebody who desperately has been looking for a mael Reeve's for about a year.
I wanted one so bad that he asked me to sell him him if ever I'm willing to release him.

He said that he really envies me because the Reeve's who I just got was so wonderful.

I gave it some thought and decided that I already some Male Reeve's, I better let him have one he's been looking for so long.

I asked him if he can care for him with love.

He said "Absolutely.".

I made an arrangement with him to pass him my male Reeve's.

I was happy to see him so happy with him.

Honestly, since I release him to another turtle lover, he sometimes came upon my memory.
Even my mother used to call him in some cute name like "Bawkdoly" which would be translate into "Luck Dear".

Just around one week or so, he was fonded memory for our family.

However, I was very happy that somebody who really loves Reeve's turtle brought him and keeping him in good conditions with love.

I met my a train-buddy from military and was on my way home back by bus.

I suddenly felt like calling a turtle-selling middle-aged lady in very far southern local fish market where I visited in Autumn.

I just called her to check how things are going.

I heard some real unexpected news from her.
She said that a couple of male Reeve's are around in neighboring fish stores.

I was floored because it's Christmas eve in the middle of coldest period of a year.

I decided to visit there the next day, I mean "Christmas".

I was floored there were a couple of them available.
This is coldest period of the year, how could it be possible?

They said that they were the wild ones brought by fishermen.

It was too cold for them to stay that way.
I brought all three of them from 2stores.

This one was the biggest with the carapace measured 17㎝.
At the first sight, I knew that his tail had been nipped off. Is it possible that some turtles get their tails nipped off in the wild?
His carapace right up on the head had been broken in the wild. But it is very beautiful reddish color.
He showed his curiosity.
This one was little bit shy but in the best shape of all 3.

Started feeling comfortable very soon

When I first saw him, with all the apology to this dude, I thought he isn't as cute as a male Reeve's would be. Because his upper head seems little bit flat not silm as other male Reeve's.
But the more I saw him, the more I gradually was feeling that he's cute in his own way.
I measured his carapace 16㎝ quite large for a male Reeve's.
When I put him in my room, he was crawling curiously as if he is feeling comfortable as home.
I felt that he seems very mild mannered. I started being fond of him like any other my turtles.

New Big Brother

I saw him in an ad of Turtle Adoption section in a turtle cafe.
From the picture posted, all I could see was his carapace.
I called him that I decided to purchase him.
He sent me via express bus to Suwon outside the city bus terminal.
I got my mother get him for me because I was doing my business in Seoul.

Up and around!

I'm really relived and glad that he's got his vigor back. He hardly close eye eyes and spread his legs loosely, basking on the log now.

Recovering from serious illness~

He was lying down on the log droopingly with closed eyes and spreaded legs. He also lost his appetite. I took him to one of a few vets who examine the reptiles. He was given shots of glucose and assumingly antibiotics and also was dropped eyewater on the eyes. I have given him eyewater-drops from two different eyewater bottles at a couple of minutes interval.
Several days after, he became active.
I was exclusively giving him fleshes of shrimps, dried anchovies and porks that he used to gorge on when he was healthy. For the first several days, he would try on bites but couldn't swallow successfully. The foods were springing back out of the mouth. However, now he can swallow and is moving around inside tank as usual.

May they live long healthy and happy!

Larry was ill, so I took out all of Larry's tankmates and fed Larry alone. These are my young kids who I wish long lives.
This was before I took him to a vet. I put him in a bowl so to see how he was.
My northern Diamondback Terrapin. I thank her for never bothering her tankmates.
Now I got to believe that this one is a male. His eye is gradually darkening.
You can tell maleness by the tail.

Larry being on the cure~

His a eye has been in part layed with thin flim lately and his under-lip skin seem to have wounded.
So, he lost his appetite little bit these days.
I put some reptile medicine on the wounds.
I fed him slices of porks to recover his appetite.
I'm really glad that he's gorging on them.
He's is exhilarating, always showing his curiosity.
Camera-loving as always been!

Time to change her(his) name?

What about the eyes.
They seem to have been blacked at least in a different tone from the female's.
I really like her(his) oval shaped carapace.
We can get a closer look at her(his) tail.
What do you think?
Is it female's like everybody thought before or the proof that everybody was wrong?

Still confusing if she is a male~

You know, I named her "Maria" in the first place.

Why have I always been confused if she was male?
Since many people agreed that the tail distance from the plastron was females, I have been keeping her with females.

But one day, she was climbing on other females in a mating stance.

I really was interested, thinking this one might've been a male.

From the moment right on, I put her with males and no male seems to have courted her.

Now, I'm getting a feeling that I have to start call this one not her but him.

Well, from this angle, the tail seems thick enough of male.
She(He) is always very actively moving around, it always takes quite an effort to get her(his) whole body in a picture.
When I posted the picture of her tail location off plastron a couple of years ago, everybody said that it just looked like female's.
If she(he) has a round eyes.
The eyes seem to have been blackened, haven't they? Which is the distinctive sign of a male.

The Stallion

Look at his tail! The length and thickness epitomize the fertility very well.

To breed up new babies, this could be the perfect male.

He impregantes the females ones better than other males I've ever seen.
Behind all male dominant character, he has innocent eyes.
I like the way his carapace is convexed.

Her tail has been bealed but still wish it would grow back a bit longer...

She's grown recognizably. One proof is that she used to pass through the holes on the sides of the log, now she can't. One day, she got stuck in there, so my mother pull her out.
I always like her long carapace. If not her tail was nipped off, it would've been perfectly balancedly slim feature.
She is very tamed and always very curious.
I'm fond of her because she is very feminine.
I always feel a deep affection for her. because her mildness incurred her tail nipped off more by constantly courting strong a male than other females.

A Bachelor

He's doing fine but looks little bit lonely.
When I have proper setting for breeding, he will play the role as a stallion.