A Spotted Turtle Oasis in Los Angeles

We traveled to Los Angeles with my friend Michael to visit a truly incredible private turtle collection — and what we found was beyond anything I expected. Diane has spent decades building one of the most impressive turtle setups I’ve ever seen, focusing on North American species and long-term success in human care. For more on the amazing work that Diane and Michael do for the California Turtle and Tortoise Society, check it out at https://turtlesociety.org In this video, we explore: Spotted Turtle breeding groups Box Turtles including Gulf Coast and Coahuilan species Red-eared Slider rescue care Northern Red-bellied Cooter Map Turtles Vietnamese Black-breasted Leaf Turtle We also talk about: Why feeding turtles outside their enclosure keeps water cleaner The importance of captive breeding vs wild collection How to design naturalistic habitats that actually work Why some turtles thrive even outside their native climate This isn’t just a collection — it’s decades of experience, patience, and understanding of turtle behavior. Subscribe to jusTURTLES for more turtle tours, conservation content, and real-world husbandry insights. #turtles #turtlecare #boxturtle #spottedturtle #reptiles #herpetology #turtlecollection ⸻ Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:18 Driving through Los Angeles 00:30 Arriving at Diane’s collection 02:01 Clemmys and turtle taxonomy explained 02:43 Spotted turtles up close 04:40 Feeding strategy & water quality 07:11 20-year enclosure ecosystem 08:07 Outdoor turtle habitats tour 09:00 Box turtles and hybrid discussion 12:25 Long-term turtle keeping insights 14:47 Rescue sliders and pet trade reality 17:52 Northern red-bellied cooter 18:59 Unique slider species 20:07 Florida box turtle habitat 22:25 Elevated tub system design 24:03 Blanding’s turtle encounter 25:13 Indoor nursery tour 25:23 Map turtles 27:09 Juvenile box turtle setup 29:30 Stripe-neck musk turtle 30:30 Vivarium species (Geoemyda spengleri) 32:20 Final thoughts ⸻ Tags turtle collection, turtle care, turtle setup, reptile collection, spotted turtle, box turtle care, red eared slider care, turtle breeding, graptemys, clemmys guttata, terrapene, geoemyda spengleri, turtle habitat design, reptile husbandry, turtle oasis, los angeles reptiles, just turtles