Spilling the tea on turtle and tortoise preservation
Wendy Born in San Jose and raised in Gilroy, California, Steven’s journey began in the 6th grade, after receiving his first Russian tortoise from his science teacher. He has been keeping and breeding tortoises since middle school. In 2019, after years of keeping “a little bit of everything,” Steven made the decision to focus his efforts … Read more
Unlock the secrets of breeding Bog Turtles as we break down everything from egg laying to hatchling care. In this episode, Wendy chats with Raul Gonzalez about the challenges and rewards of working with one of North America’s rarest and most coveted turtle species. Raul pulls back the curtain on his breeding program, sharing everything … Read more
Episode 11 & Episode 12: Coming soon Born and raised in Southern California growing up catching alligator lizards, fence lizards, king snakes, rattlesnakes, etc. I cannot recall a time that I was not keeping reptiles or outside looking for them. Growing up as the youngest of five, I received a lot of support from my … Read more
Tiny, elusive, and fighting for survival – Bog Turtles are one of North America’s most endangered reptiles. In this episode, host Wendy Montroy sits down with Raul Gonzalez to explore the fascinating and often stressful reality of working with bog turtles (Glyptemys muhlenbergii), a species few people ever encounter, let alone care for. Raul shares … Read more
Ralph Till and Turtle Tea host Wendy MontroyEpisode 3 & 4: Egyptian Tortoises: Tiny Survivors on the Brink and Egyptian Tortoises: Breeding to Save a Species Back in the late 50’s and into the 60’s (yes I’m that old) I was fortunate enough to live in farm country in northwestern New Jersey. Each summer was … Read more
Episodes 1 & 2: Tabasco Mud Turtles: The Turtle World’s Best-Kept Secret and Hatching Success: Tabasco Mud Turtle Breeding My journey with turtles started as a fascination, became a curiosity, morphed into an obsession, and has now matured into a mission. I was about seven years old when I first laid eyes on Star tortoises … Read more
Flippers, snouts, and a reputation as the “holy grail” of turtles – Fly River Turtles are unlike anything else in herpetoculture. In this episode of Turtle Tea with TTPG, host Wendy Montroy sits down with longtime keeper Raul Gonzalez to explore the fascinating world of the Fly River Turtle, also known as the Pig-Nosed Turtle … Read more
Breeding padlopers isn’t optional – it’s essential. In this episode, host Wendy Montroy sits down with Dirk Barnard to unpack what it really takes to breed parrot beak tortoises successfully. Founder of Tortoise Conservation South Africa and a keynote speaker at the 2025 TTPG Conference, Dirk shares hard-won insights into why captive breeding is now … Read more
Episodes: Padlopers: Small Tortoises, Big Conservation Challenges and Padlopers: Breeding for the Future of the Parrot-Beaked Tortoise (upcoming) Dirk is the founder of Tortoise Conservation South Africa. He has had a passion for chelonians since he was a little boy. His goal is to establish a sanctuary and conservation area for tortoises in the Western Cape of … Read more
Episode: Galapagos Tortoises: Living with Giants Jason and Tara currently live in the Sonoran desert NW of Phoenix. Jason has been a reptile keeper since he was 4, more than 4 decades ago. Even though they just celebrated their 21st anniversary, Tara didn’t consider herself a reptile keeper until about 10 years ago. They have been … Read more