wood turtles

The wood turtles eats both animal and plant food items, including berries, herbs, algae, moss, fungi, grass, insects, mollusks, earthworms, dead fish, tadpoles, newborn mice and other turtles‘ eggs. It will forage on the ground, in the water, in herbaceous vegetation, and on logs.

Habitat

Prefer lowland hardwood forests and open wet meadows associated with moderate to fast current streams and rivers with sand or gravel substrates. May forage in upland deciduous mesic forest and open meadows in summer. Use south facing sandy river banks or flat sandy soil openings adjacent to rivers for nesting sites, including gravel banks, roadsides, fields, and meadows. Hatchling and juveniles prefer alder thickets associated with shorelines and are considered critical habitat for this segment of the population.



Activity

The wood turtles is primarily diurnal, although Farrell and Graham (1991) have observed that mating and nesting can extend into the night. wood turtles regulate their body temperatures by basking in the sun or cooling off in puddles and mud. Depending on local climate, wood turtles begin hibernating in October or November and emerge in April or May.

Breeding and Propagation

Male and female wood turtles often engage in a courtship ritual that involves swinging their heads at each other. When the female is receptive, the male mounts her, usually in shallow water. They are most likely to mate in spring and fall, although they can mate at any time they are not hibernating. After mating, usually in the early summer, the female turtles build a nest in a sunny, sandy bank near water. She can only produce one clutch, usually consisting of between 5 and 13 eggs, per year. Most eggs fall prey to raccoons, shrews, skunks, and other animals. Eggs hatch after between 47 and 69 days of incubation. It is reported that unlike most turtles, the sex of the hatchling is not dependent on the temperature of incubation. It is estimated that fewer than 30% of the wood turtles eggs laid hatch each year.

Ecology

The wood turtles is one of the most terrestrial turtles in the United States, and is usually found inhabiting forested areas associated with rivers or streams. The species prefers streams with harder substrates, moderate currents and clear water. The wood turtles is omnivorous and may be observed eating insects, worms, and even strawberries and blackberries! Interestingly, researchers in central Pennsylvania and Michigan have also observed wood turtles “stomping” for worms! The activity involves an individual stomping with one front foot several times and then switching and stomping with the other front foot. Researchers speculate that the vibrations created by the turtles “stomping” the ground may mimic the vibrations produced by raindrops…and as most people know, worms surface during rainfall events. Once a worm surfaces, the wood turtles quickly eats it.

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Could A Homemade Diet Be Best for Your Dog?

A good formula for a homemade diet is one half cereal, rice, or kibbles, and one half meat, including its natural fat, with green or yellow vegetables added from time to time. Since they can be made to measure for each individual dog, these combinations would be ideal if they weren't to much bother. Aside from taking more time and trouble than the other methods, a homemade diet requires a sound knowledge of canine nutrition.

Table scraps are definitely insufficient for modern pets who we want to thrive, not merely survive. They are often the direct cause of obesity and various allied skin disorders too. Dogs with unusually big appetites or with a tendency to obesity will keep their figures if you cut down on the starch and increase the vegetables, to the proportion of one meat, one fourth kibbles, and one fourth vegetables. Older dogs may need reduced protein to spare their kidneys the task of nitrogen elimination.

Build your dogs meals around the foods that are highly recommended for dogs:
Beef: (ground or chopped for puppies in chunks for adult dogs, raw or cooked. Dogs prefer their meat a little tough, and they need the fat found in cheaper cuts).
Lamb and mutton
Chicken
Horse Meat
Beef Hearts and Kidneys
Beef Liver (no more than once a week, as too much or too often causes loose stools.
Eggs, hard-boiled or scrambled (The yolk may be given raw, but not the white, which in its raw state destroys biotin, a useful vitamin in the dogs intestine).
Rice, whole wheat, barley, oats, buckwheat
While wheat biscuits or toast
Carrots (cooked or raw, grated and mixed with his meal, or whole for chewing)
String Beans, spinach (chopped or mashed)
Cottage Cheese (excellent for weaning puppies)
Unfermented natural cheese, such as Swiss and Edam Apples and Pears

On the other hand, certain foods should be considered taboo:
White commercial bread
Cabbage (which causes flatulence and is difficult to digest)
Potatoes (hard to digest and not very nourishing)
Starchy Vegetables, such as dried beans
Spicy dishes and sauces
Uncooked egg white
Processed cheese
Pork (unless it is lean, well cooked, and served infrequently)
Raw fish
Delicatessen meats
Unboned chicken, rabbit and fish
Cake and candy
Alcoholic beverages
Chocolate of any kind

Which ever method you choose for feeding your dog, it is best to stick to it. Once he has become accustomed to a certain diet, he will be upset by any sudden change. The upset is apt to take the form of constipation if you change from prepared products to fresh ones, and diarrhea in the opposite case. If a change is needed, make it gradual by mixing the old with the new until his body adapts to the change.

How To Train Your Dog Not To Chew

Chewing is something that comes naturally to every dog. Every dog feels the instinctual need to sharpen its teeth and hone his biting skills. Chewing on the right things, like specially designed chew toys for instance, can even help the dog clean his teeth and remove plaque.



Even though chewing is natural and healthy, that does not mean that the dog should be given carte blanche and allowed to chew everything in sight. It is vital for every dog to learn the difference between the things it is OK to chew on, like toys and ropes, and the things that are off limits, such as carpets, shoes and other items.

When working with a new puppy, it is advisable to keep the puppy in a small, puppy proofed room for at least a few weeks. This is important not only to prevent chewing but to properly house train the puppy as well.

Older dogs should also be confined to a small area at first. Doing this allows the dog to slowly acquaint him or herself to the smells and sights of the new household.

When you set up this small, confined area, be sure to provide the puppy or dog with a few good quality chew toys to keep him entertained while you are not able to supervise him. Of course the dog should also be provided with a warm place to sleep and plenty of fresh clean water.

As the dog is slowly moved to larger and larger portions of the home, there may be more opportunities to chew inappropriate items. As the dog is given freer access to the home, it is important to keep any items that the dog or puppy should not chew, things like throw rugs, shoes, etc. up off of the floor. If you forget to move something and come home to find that the dog has chewed it, resist the urge to punish or yell at the dog. Instead, distract the dog with one of its favorite toys and remove the inappropriate item from its mouth.


The dog should then be provided with one of its favorite toys. Praise the dog extensively when it picks up and begins to chew its toy. This will help to teach the dog that it gets rewarded when it chews certain items, but not when it chews other items.

Teaching the dog what is appropriate to chew is very important, not only for the safety of your expensive furniture and rugs, but for the safety of the dog as well. Many dogs have chewed through dangerous items like extension cords and the like. This of course can injure the dog severely or even spark a fire.

Most dogs learn what to chew and what not to chew fairly quickly, but others are obviously going to be faster learners than others. Some dogs chew because they are bored, so providing the dog with lots of toys and solo activities is very important.

It is also a good idea to schedule several play times every day, with one taking place right before you leave every day. If the dog is thoroughly tired after his or her play session, chances are he or she will sleep the day away.

Other dogs chew to exhibit separation anxiety. Many dogs become very nervous when their owners leave, and some dogs become concerned each time that the owner may never come back. This stress can cause the dog to exhibit all manners of destructive behavior, including chewing soiling the house. If separation anxiety is the root of the problem, the reasons for it must be addressed, and the dog assured that you will return.


This is best done by scheduling several trips in and out of the home every day, and staggering the times of those trips in and out. At first the trips can be only a few minutes, with the length slowly being extended as the dog’s separation anxiety issues improve.