Our Turtles

Molly:

Molly is our 24 year old female Red-Eared Slider Turtle. Let’s learn a little about her and her species!

Young Red-Eared Slider Turtles need a lot of protein, so they usually eat things like insects, minnows, and crayfish. Older Red-Eared Sliders, like Molly, are mostly herbivores and eat things like duckweed, algae, and parts of plants in or near the pond the turtle lives in.

In their first year of life, Red-Eared Sliders will grow between 4-5 inches. By the third year, they will have grown to be anywhere from 8-13 inches. Males can be as large as 8 inches while females can be 13!

Red-Eared Sliders are actually native to South Central United States, but due to pet releases, they’ve become established in other places too.  This means that they’re considered an invasive species and cannot be kept or sold in many of our states.

Did you know that Molly is also famous? The Tales of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reveals that the characters are specimens of the Red-Eared Slider Turtle. Who knows, maybe Molly is practicing her ninja moves when everyone goes home!

Pickles, Shelby, Hashbrown, & Scooter

Pickles, Shelby, Hashbrown, & Scooter are our Eastern Box Turtles! All four of the turtles are female and they were all seized by the PA Fish and Boat Commission from people who had them illegally. All seized turtles like the four of them are rehoused to educational institutions like our Children’s Museum! 

Their shells are made of hard plates that are covered with scutes. Scutes are made of keratin, like our fingernails or hair. The patterns on their shells come from melanin, which also gives our skin color. The underside of their shells is called plastron, and because they’re box turtles, their plastron allows them to almost completely shut their shell when they feel threatened. 

Male Eastern Box Turtles have red or bright orange eyes while females have brown, hazel, or yellow eyes. If you remember that, you can always tell them apart! These turtles are also really unique because their shell can actually regenerate. There’s even proof of a time when a badly burned shell completely regenerated!