Dean’s Turtle Farm

09/02/2026

🐢 Winter prep is starting at Dean’s Turtle Farm!

This weekend I’ll be starting the yearly process of getting all of the turtles and tortoises ready for the colder months. There’s always plenty to do, and unfortunately plenty to buy!

A couple of the bigger projects this year are rebuilding the indoor Redfoot enclosure and replacing the substrate in the building where the Sulcatas spend the winter.

If anyone would like to help out with the cost of winter prep, any amount is greatly appreciated. There’s absolutely no pressure — even just following the page, sharing my posts, or coming out for a tour helps support what I do here.

For anyone who would like to contribute:

🐢 Zelle: [email protected]
🐢 Cash App: deansturtlefarm
🐢 Venmo: deansturtlefarm
🐢 Debit/Credit Card: deansturtlefarm.com under the Donate tab

Dean’s Turtle Farm is privately operated and is not a nonprofit.

As always, thank you to everyone who supports the farm and allows me to keep doing what I love. It really does mean a lot!

09/01/2026

These two are the best! That Turtle Place

RJ Bigham details how he and his wife Jessica created a sanctuary for dozens of turtles and tortoises in Coker, Alabama.

08/31/2026

08/30/2026

🐢 THE DEAN’S LIST 🐢

Week 13: The Red-Footed Tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonarius)

This week on The Dean’s List, we’re heading to South America for one of my favorite species to introduce during tours—the Red-Footed Tortoise!

📸 Pictured are residents here at Dean’s Turtle Farm.

And if you’ve taken a tour here, you may have heard my favorite Red-Foot tongue twister:

They “forage the forest floor for food!”
Try saying that five times fast. 😂

Here are some fun facts:

• Red-Footed Tortoises are native to South America, where they can be found in forests, savannas, and areas along forest edges.

• Their name comes from the beautiful red, orange, and sometimes yellow scales found on their legs, head, and tail.

• They are closely related to the Yellow-Footed Tortoise, but Red-Foots generally inhabit a wider variety of habitats.

• Red-Foots are omnivores. Along with leaves, flowers, mushrooms, and other vegetation, fruit makes up a significant part of their natural diet. They will also occasionally eat insects, carrion, and other sources of animal protein.

• As they forage the forest floor for food, they eat fallen fruits and help disperse seeds throughout their environment.

• Unlike tortoises from more arid environments, Red-Foots thrive in warm, humid conditions.

• Adult males often develop a noticeable “waist” or hourglass shape to their shell when viewed from above.

• Males can also develop a concave plastron, while females generally have a flatter underside.

• Adults commonly reach around 10–14 inches, although particularly large individuals can exceed that.

• They can live 50 years or more, making them a very long-term commitment when kept as pets.

🐢 Colorful, curious, and always looking for something to eat, the Red-Footed Tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonarius) is a great reminder that not all tortoises come from dry, desert-like environments. And remember—they forage the forest floor for food! 😂🐢

What species should make THE DEAN’S LIST next Sunday?

08/29/2026

I walk around Walmart all muddy and full of dirt looking like I worked today. Really I was just looking for frogs and turtles.

08/23/2026

🐢 THE DEAN’S LIST 🐢

Week 12: The Yellow-Bellied Slider (Trachemys scripta scripta)

This week on The Dean’s List, we’re taking a look at the Yellow-Bellied Slider!

📸 Pictured is a resident here at Dean’s Turtle Farm.

Here are some fun facts:

• Yellow-Bellied Sliders are native to the southeastern United States, particularly the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, and Virginia.

• Despite being commonly seen in the pet trade, they are not native to Maryland. Sliders found outside their natural range are often the result of released or escaped pets.

• They are a subspecies of pond slider, making them close relatives of the extremely familiar Red-Eared Slider.

• They get their name from their bright yellow plastron (bottom shell) and the yellow markings on their head, neck, and legs.

• The large yellow blotch behind each eye is one of the easiest ways to recognize a Yellow-Bellied Slider.

• Females can grow considerably larger than males, sometimes reaching around 10–12 inches in shell length.

• Males have unusually long front claws, which they use during courtship by vibrating them in front of a female’s face.

• They are omnivores. Younger turtles tend to eat more insects, fish, and other animal matter, while adults consume more aquatic vegetation.

• Like other sliders, they LOVE to bask. They’ll often pile onto logs together and quickly “slide” back into the water when startled—which is where the name slider comes from!

• They can live for several decades, which is something people should seriously consider before purchasing one as a pet.

🐢 The Yellow-Bellied Slider (Trachemys scripta scripta) is colorful, adaptable, and full of personality—and another great example of why even some of the turtles commonly seen in the pet trade are fascinating animals in their own right!

What species should make THE DEAN’S LIST next Sunday? 🐢

08/22/2026

There has been a lot of discussion recently within the reptile community regarding potential changes to laws and regulations in Maryland regarding the ownership of reptiles. It definitely is something that we should all keep an eye on but I think it’s also important that we separate what is documented vs speculation about what might happen.

In November 2025 the Maryland Wildlife Advisory Commission (WAC) meeting minutes referenced verbiage to include “…eliminating the collection or possession of native and non-native herps…” which has understandably caused concern and spread like wildfire, spawning many theories and speculation, especially with how broad and nonspecific the language is. (See Meeting Minutes https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/WAC/01-21-2026-WAC-minutes.pdf)

In January 2026 the MD WAC met again and mentioned that DNR staff were working on proposed changes that “…involve moving forward to prohibit the collection, possession, breeding, and trade of native reptiles and amphibians, with exceptions for the bullfrog and red corn snake.”. Additionally it mentioned “…broad support for prohibiting collection from the wild, while there was considerably more pushback regarding prohibiting possession of captive-bred animals…” but it did not elaborate on the “non-native herps” verbiage previously mentioned. (See Meeting Minutes https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/WAC/02-18-2026-WAC-PACKET.pdf)

Fear and outrage are definitely feelings many folks can have and express, and it’s totally understandable, we felt them ourselves. But they can also make it harder for legitimate stakeholders and folks in discussion to be able to make decisions and to be taken seriously. What I believe we should be doing is respectfully asking questions, requesting clarification, participating in the regulatory process, and making sure that regulators understand the practical consequences of overly broad restrictions.

Maryland already regulates collection, possession, breeding, and commercial trade of Maryland herps (see the Captive Reptile & Amphibian Permit/License https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/pages/licenses/captive.aspx) There are already possession limits, permit requirements, restrictions on wild collection, protected species, recordkeeping requirements, and penalties for violations. And while that doesn’t mean those regulations can never be revisited, conservation concerns should be addressed and supported with evidence.

Regulations should always be proportionate and realistic to the problem they are trying to address or solve.

I also think it is important to distinguish legitimate concern from assumptions about intent. Based on the information currently available, we have not seen anything indicating that the intent is to confiscate and euthanize everyone’s animals, or that this represents the beginning of some broader agenda targeting dogs, cats, or other household pets. Those are significant claims, and without documentation supporting them they should be treated as speculation. BUT this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take the proposed changes seriously. It does mean we should focus our efforts on what is actually being proposed and make sure our concerns are heard while those decisions are still being developed.

With all this in mind: I encourage all of us as a community to connect and reach out to work with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Wildlife Advisory Commission, your state delegates and senators, and other relevant officials. We should not allowing speculation and fear to drive the discussion, we should be facilitating discussion, expressing legitimate concerns, asking for clarification, and helping those responsible for these decisions to make informed decisions.

Talking points to include in our discussions could be:

- Maryland pet stores and reptile-related businesses could lose substantial portions of their trade.
- Responsible breeders could be prevented from producing captive-bred animals despite captive breeding reducing demand for wild collection.
- Reptile rescues and sanctuaries could face difficulties accepting surrendered animals.
- Educational organizations, nature centers, zoos, and outreach programs could be affected.
- Existing owners would need clear answers regarding grandfathering and continued possession of animals they obtained legally.
- Enforcement would become significantly more complicated when animals can be legally purchased only a short drive across state lines.
- Overly restrictive laws can unintentionally encourage an underground market rather than improving animal welfare or conservation.

Questions for us to ask could follow along the lines of:

- What issue is this regulation attempting to solve or contain that is not being addressed via current regulation?
- Will regulations distinguish between wild-caught and captive-bred animals, even to include species native to Maryland?
- How will individuals tasked with enforcement be able to differentiate between captive specimens and wild collected specimens?
- Which species would actually be affected? Native species? Non-native species? Both?
- Would legally possessed animals be grandfathered?
- How would breeders, pet stores, rescues, educational organizations, zoos, and nature centers be affected?
- What scientific criteria would determine whether a species presents an ecological or invasive-species risk?
- Could targeted permitting, documentation, possession limits, or species-specific restrictions accomplish the same conservation goals without a blanket prohibition?

The most important thing is that we as a community approach this with professionalism, level-headedness, and maturity. If and when legitimate concerns become mixed with unsupported claims or worst-case speculation it damages the credibility of the community and make constructive engagement with regulators more difficult.

08/20/2026

This guy came for a turtle tour this week because he said he’s been sad lately. Dalton Aint Worried told me while he was here that he definitely ain’t worried about being bit.

** I should probably add this disclaimer that this is a satire post, and he did not come here. It’s a joke due to his recent viral content, and I hopped on the trend! Maybe he’ll see it and visit for real! 😂 **

08/17/2026

Hey everyone! Look at Toby! Isn’t he big and majestic and wise and awesome?

Now that I have your attention….. about once every month or two, I’ll share my Amazon wishlist. Well, it’s been over a month. And if you buy something on there I’ll sent you unsolicited turtle pics.

I’m out of reptomin, heat basking bulbs, and there’s lots of other stuff on there as well. Anything helps! And if you’re independently wealthy and bored and just love turtles a lot, there are a few pricier items on there with the idea behind them; here’s hoping!

Thanks for following the page! And thanks for the visits and support and everything as always!

Here’s the list

Check out this Gift List. https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/27CYXM8RLJ1WD?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_ggr-subnav-share_WWWZ66Z4BW712XV99J77&language=en-US

08/16/2026

🐢 THE DEAN’S LIST 🐢

Week 11: The Northern Red-Bellied Cooter (Pseudemys rubriventris)

At Dean’s Turtle Farm, I’m a bit of a cooter expert. I have big cooters, small cooters, young cooters, and old cooters.

But seriously…

This week’s species is the Northern Red-Bellied Cooter, and it has a special Maryland connection!

📸 Pictured are residents here at Dean’s Turtle Farm.

Here are some fun facts:

• The Northern Red-Bellied Cooter is Maryland’s only native species of cooter. Other cooter species you may encounter in Maryland have been introduced outside their natural ranges.

• I’ve personally had the opportunity to observe Northern Red-Bellied Cooters in the wild along the C&O Canal here in Maryland.

• They are large freshwater turtles, with big females capable of reaching around 12–16 inches in shell length.

• Their name comes from the reddish or orange coloration found on the plastron (bottom shell), which can be especially vibrant in younger animals.

• They are primarily herbivorous as adults, feeding heavily on aquatic vegetation, although younger turtles tend to eat more animal matter.

• Like many of our aquatic turtles, they love to bask and can often be seen piled onto logs or other objects sticking out of the water.

• Females are considerably larger than males, while males have noticeably longer front claws and thicker, longer tails.

• They are powerful swimmers and inhabit rivers, ponds, lakes, marshes, and other slow-moving bodies of water with plenty of vegetation and basking opportunities.

• Northern Red-Bellied Cooters can be distinguished from some similar-looking turtles by their reddish plastron and distinctive markings on the carapace and head.

🐢 The Northern Red-Bellied Cooter (Pseudemys rubriventris) may not get as much attention as some of Maryland’s other native turtles, but it’s a beautiful species—and one I always enjoy spotting in the wild.

And remember: when it comes to cooters, Dean’s Turtle Farm has you covered. 😂🐢