My name is Tim, but if you didn't know that already you wouldn't be here. :) Stay tuned as this will be a work-in-progress!
A little about me.
I've had an interest in turtles for as long as I can remember. It either started with a Spiny softshell I purchased with my allowance, or an Eastern box turtle brought home from a family vacation. In both cases, it turned out to be a poor deal for the turtle and they didn't last as long as they could have. Growing up I lived near a large forested area in NE Illinois, so I was always surrounded by turtles that I'd caught and brought home, though I began to release them after a few days/weeks of capture. They were definitely a large focus in my childhood.
In my early teens, I worked for a dealer at the local reptile show. I went from catching turtles at the local pond, to owning a wide variety of species that I had only read about in books. I was pretty much obsessed by this point and took every opportunity to learn everything I could about turtles. I had a large library of literature (much larger than a normal 14 year old kid, anyways) and most of these books were read to death. Eventually, as things always happen, girls, cars and a thriving social life proved to be a formidable rival to my hobby interests and although never completely ignored, turtles did drop to the bottom of my everyday activities.
Fast forward to my mid-20's. I found Turtleforum.com which reignited my passion for chelonians. It was such an amazing community where like-minded individuals came to discuss the animals that intrigued them so much. I've made many friends that I would otherwise never of met, had many adventures I would vever have been on, and the forum still serves as a valuable learning tool to this very day. My motto is "You will never know everything" so always try to keep learning all that you can.
A little about me.
I've had an interest in turtles for as long as I can remember. It either started with a Spiny softshell I purchased with my allowance, or an Eastern box turtle brought home from a family vacation. In both cases, it turned out to be a poor deal for the turtle and they didn't last as long as they could have. Growing up I lived near a large forested area in NE Illinois, so I was always surrounded by turtles that I'd caught and brought home, though I began to release them after a few days/weeks of capture. They were definitely a large focus in my childhood.
In my early teens, I worked for a dealer at the local reptile show. I went from catching turtles at the local pond, to owning a wide variety of species that I had only read about in books. I was pretty much obsessed by this point and took every opportunity to learn everything I could about turtles. I had a large library of literature (much larger than a normal 14 year old kid, anyways) and most of these books were read to death. Eventually, as things always happen, girls, cars and a thriving social life proved to be a formidable rival to my hobby interests and although never completely ignored, turtles did drop to the bottom of my everyday activities.
Fast forward to my mid-20's. I found Turtleforum.com which reignited my passion for chelonians. It was such an amazing community where like-minded individuals came to discuss the animals that intrigued them so much. I've made many friends that I would otherwise never of met, had many adventures I would vever have been on, and the forum still serves as a valuable learning tool to this very day. My motto is "You will never know everything" so always try to keep learning all that you can.
CURRENT PROJECTS
Here's the thing. I don't really consider myself a turtle breeder. I keep a small collection of turtles simply because I enjoy them. I've done the large-gotta-catch 'em-all collection in the past, and didn't like it one bit. That being said, I currently focus on the Graptemys genus .
G. barbouri G. n. delticola G. geographica G. p. khonii. All my animals were aquired as hatchlings and grown up by me. If they eventually give me eggs, then great, but if not, I will keep adjusting my keeping methods until they do, but I'm in no hurry to rush them. Most of the turtles I offer up to the community are turtles that are brought to me from many different people. I'm known as the turtle guy by all my friends, and therefore, if someone finds a turtle that has been injured or unwanted, it inevitably winds up in my hands. In the case the turtle cannot be rehabilitated and safely returned to the wild, I'll find someone who is capable of adopting to care for it for the rest of its life. | OTHER
I enjoy the outdoors, and engage in a hobby called "Field Herping" which is basically going out in the pursuit of reptiles and amphibians for the sole purpose of photographing them within their natural habitat. "Take nothing but pictures, and leave nothing but footprints". There's something amazing about learning the natural history of a target species, and then using that knowledge to actually get out and find your target. It's never easy when you're targeting a hard-to-find species and often you'll spend countless hours wandering the wilderness, but there's always something interesting to find in between. Even if you never locate your target, at least your spending an enjoyable afternoon in the great outdoors.
I've travelled the East Coast with friends, sludged through the swamps of the South and walked the endless plains of the Midwest in pursuit of turtles in their natural habitat. I've knocked quite a large number of species off my lifer list in the past several years, but there will be many more to find in the years to come! I think I've amassed a collection of several thousand photos at this point, and accompanying each photo is a story of a great time out with friends.  |
