TurtleTails.com
Baby Turtles Pictures Gallery

 
 
A Baby Turtle Celabration
Last revised 1/9/2010
     This page is dedicated to baby turtles. It began September 14, 2001 when two baby box turtles were found as you will read below. If you have turtles, you will understand how very precious we think baby turtles are. On this page we will tell their stories. As they grow they will be featured in other picture galleries. It is risky featuring babies because we do not expect all of them to survive. That is the nature of these animals and we must accept it. Many hatch for a few to survive.

     The species of turtles are listed chronilogically as they were added. Additional sets of pictures are added according to species.

     To aid you in identifying your turtles and to see what is normal as babies are hatching, we will add additional sets of pictures featuring the same species of turtles.

     You can see more pictures of many of these turtles in the Raising Baby Turtles tours.

 

 
 
Eastern Box Turtles
Terrapene c. carolina
George and Bush
Friday September 14, 2001. In Washington D.C. the memorial service in the National Cathedral had ended. In Pennsylvania in a large backyard turtle pen the afternoon weather was beautiful. Thunderstorms dropped an inch of rain the previous night. The same rain fell on New York City. Undoubtedly stirred by the rain and warmth of the sun, a baby box turtle emerged from its nest and wandered several feet away. The turtle pen is large enough for the baby turtle to hide in for years without being found.

A person takes a minute to visit the turtles in the pen and by chance finds the baby turtle. A search for more babies began. An egg shell revealed the nest site. In the nest another baby was found along with two dried up eggs.

With the events of the week heavy on the heart, they were named George and Bush. They were also photographed and their pictures posted on this web site for the whole world to enjoy within two hours after emerging from the nest. George emerged first and is on the right on this page background.

George and Bush are probably eastern box turtles but could also be gulf coast box turtles. There is no visible difference at first. Nor were their sexes known.

Having photographed these turtles and shared them with the world so quickly, we have a very nice opportunity to continue sharing them with you. We think you will agree, they are precious and remarkable.

George and Bush | pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 |
George | pic 1 | pic 2 | Bush | pic 1 | pic 2 | minutes after emerging from the ground.
George | pic 3 | pic 4 | Bush | pic 3 | pic 4 | one day later.
George | pic 5 | pic 6 | pic 7 | pic 8 | pic 9 | pic 10 | pic 11 | Bush | pic 5 | pic 6 | pic 7 | April, 2002

Bush is the subject of our eleventh wallpaper picture taken in July, 2003. See the Wallpaper Pictures page.

 
 
Spotted Turtles
Clemmys guttata

W  Tuesday, October 2, 2001. Another warm sunny day and another very pleasant surprise, A spotted turtle hatched and was found. Immediately named W after President George W. Bush. W was not expected and is the offspring of Spot featured on the Spotted and Wood Turtles Pictures page. The nest was never found.
 

| pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5 | pic 6 | pic 7 | pic 8 | pic 9 | pic 10 | pic 11 | pic 12 |
| pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | October 24, 2001 W with George and Bush
| pic 13 | pic 14 | April 7, 2002
| pic 15 | pic 16 |  pic 17 | pic 18 | pic 19 | One year old
W is the subject of our seventh wallpaper picture taken in July, 2003. See the Wallpaper Pictures page. 
| pic 20 | At two years of age without hibernation, W has a long tail and shows all the behavor of a male turtle.

Pictures of W continue on the Spotted and Wood Turtles Pictures page.

 
 
Gulf Coast Box Turtles
Terrapene c. major
Laura
Thursday, October 25, 2001 just 52 days after being laid another miracle rolled out of its egg. The egg broke open two days earlier. One of four eggs laid on September 5 by Gulf. These eggs were unearthed and incubated at 84 degrees F. The other eggs were not fertile. Named Laura (could become Laural later).
 

| pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5 | pic 6 |
| pic 7 | pic 8 | pic 9 | pic 10 | April 7, 2002
Laura is the subject of our second wallpaper picture taken in April, 2003.
Laura and Mother | pic 11 | pic 12 | pic 13 | pic 14 | pic 15 | pic 16 | June 8, 2002
| pic 17 |
Laura is also the subject of our tenth wallpaper picture taken in July, 2003.
See more pictures of Laura on the Box Turtles Pictures page.
Five box turtles
These five baby box turtles are the subject of our Tour 8: Caring for Turtle Eggs. Go to that tour to read their story and see them hatch from their eggs.

After they were one year old, they were adopted into a new home.
 

| pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5 | pic 6 | pic 7 | pic 8 | pic 9 | pic 10 |

| pic 11 | pic 12 | pic 13 | pic 14 | pic 15 | In these pictures we can see the shells flaring out indicating that their mother was a Gulf Coast box turtle. It is also possible that some were fathered by a Gulf Coast box turtle and some by an Eastern box turtle.
Four baby Gulf Coast box turtles
The story of these four babies begins on Tour 20: Breeding Pet Turtles on the Raising Baby Turtles page when their nest was discovered. See pics 29 through 34. Here we continue with their hatching. Understand that what you are about to see would normally take place underground in the nest. In pic 1 the first turtle to hatch is the one that turned around and is hiding in its egg shell. This is typical.

| pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5 | pic 6 | pic 7 | pic 8 | pic 9 | pic 10 | pic 11 |
The large yoke sacks on these babies were almost completely absorbed one day later.

| pic 12 | pic 13 | pic 14 | The last turtle left its egg one day after the others.

 
 
Snapping Turtles
Chelydra s. serpentina
Tinytwo
Tinytwo was wild caught in a dirty polluted water hole in a draught. The area normally has major wet lands and many ponds. This is one lucky turtle to survive. Note the black and white markings on the underside of Tinytwo and see how the markings change as Tinytwo grows as shown on the Musk, Mud, and Snapping Turtles Pictures page.
 

| pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5 | August 25, 2002
| pic 6 | pic 7 | pic 8 | pic 9 | pic 10 | December 7, 2002
Tinytwo is the subject of our first wallpaper in April, 2003.
| pic 11 | September 14, 2003 - one year without hibernating

 
 
Red-eared Sliders
Trachemys s. elegans
Six baby red-eared sliders
These six babies were from a patch of several dozen confiscated from a street corner vendor. They were turned over to a herp society who found them homes. Their relationships to each other are unknown. Even with pictures of their plastrons, it is very confusing telling them apart.
 

The Babies | pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5 | December 7, 2002
Baby No. 1: | pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4  | pic 5 | pic 6 |
Baby No. 2: | pic 1 | pic 2 |
Baby No. 3: | pic 1 | pic 2  | pic 3 | pic 4 |
Baby No. 4: | pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 |
Baby No. 5: | pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5  | pic 6 |
Baby No. 6: | pic 1 | pic 2  | pic 3 | pic 4 |
Three of the babies | pic 6| September 14, 2003 - one year old without hibernating.

 
 
Eastern Painted Turtles
Chrysemys p. picta
Eight eastern painted turtles
Eight eastern painted turtles hatched out of eight eggs laid. One did not survive. They hatched over a five day period beginning 7/23/2004. A young woman traveled over four hours to adopt these babies. She was very pleasently surprised to find that these seven were joined by another three from a second clutch of eggs that hatched a few days later. She felt the drive was worth it.

Seven babies | pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5 | pic 6 | July 25, 2004
| pic 7 | pic 8 | pic 9 | pic 10 | pic 11 | pic 12 | pic 13 | pic 14 | pic 15 | pic 16 | August 1, 2004
More eastern painted turtles
Here are more pictures of another clutch of babies. Notice there is no pattern on the plastron (bottom shell). The white point under the nostrals is the egg tooth used to break open the egg.
 
 

| pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5 | pic 6 | pic 7 | pic 8 | pic 9 | pic 10 |

 
 
Western Painted Turtles
Chrysemys p. belli
Pincushion
What do you name a baby turtle when its mother is named Davenport and its father is named Sofa? Pincushion! Pincushion was found in the Spring of 2005 which means Pincushion overwintered in the nest. The nest was not found nor were any siblings. Sofa jointed Davenport in 2003 for the purpose of mating, but Davenport never appeared gravid nor was seen laying eggs. What a thrill to find Pincushion. Pictures of Davenport and Sofa may be seen on the Sliders, Cooters, and Painted Turtles Pictures page.

| pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5 | Spring, 2005
| pic 6 | pic 7 | pic 8 |Pincushion and Davenport September, 2005
Pincushion also appears in Tour 19 A Floating Island Planter

 
 
Forida Mud Turtles
Kinosternon s. steindachneri
Two mud turtles
These two Florida mud turtles hatched at Thanksgiving, 2007 and are five months old in the first pictures. They are so very small. After hatching they were placed in a vivarium with some baby box turtles where they quickly buried themslves. They were not seen for a month. Then they were noticed entering the water bowl in late mornings and eating turtle food sticks. Mud turtles are semi-aquatic turtles that walk the bottoms of shallow waters looking for food. Our baby turtle safe water bowl provides more than enough water for them to eat.

Notice the dirt caked to the smaller turtle. These turtles spend most of their time buried in soil or mud.

| pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5 | pic 6 | pic 7 |

 
 
 
Forida Box Turtles
Terrapene c. bauri
Nine box turtles
First there were six and now there are nine. These nine baby Florida box turtles are not all siblings and did not all start out living together. Some hatched in 2007 and some in 2008. After many months of being available for adoption they ended up joining us. We look forward to watching them grow and sharing pictures of them with you. 
 

Pear: | pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5 |
Kiwi: | pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5 |
Marley: | pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5 |
Blackberry: | pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5 |
Mater: | pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5 |
Pinky: | pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5 |
Monster Man: | pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5 | pic 6 | pic 7 | pic 8 |
Monkey Doodle: | pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5 | pic 6 | pic 7 | pic 8 |
Snoopy: | pic 1 | pic 2 | pic 3 | pic 4 | pic 5 | pic 6 | pic 7 | pic 8 |
 

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