That Turtle Place

That Turtle Place We are a public educational sanctuary focused on turtles! Also visit our Turtle & Reptile Zoo right here in Alabama!

We inform visitors about their ecological importance, the challenges they face worldwide, and promote proper captive husbandry practices.

06/25/2026

Come visit our Turtle Sanctuary! Over 95% of our Turtle & Tortoises are rescues and surrenders, and we focus on educating current, and future owners of turtles on what goes into keeping some of these amazing creatures. We also want to open people’s eyes on the real life struggles many face in the wild, such as our two resident Mountain Tortoises, Oliver, and Tree! 11926 Upper Columbus Rd Coker Al 35452

The Proven Winners Summerific Hibiscus are showing out! Not only are these great to look at, and amazing pollinator attr...
06/24/2026

The Proven Winners Summerific Hibiscus are showing out! Not only are these great to look at, and amazing pollinator attractors, they are a good treat for our Iguanas & Tortoises. If you have a full sun spot that hold or gets a lot of water, these are perfect. They die back to the ground every year and shoot back up bigger and better each year.

06/22/2026

It’s taken a ton of time and work to get Jar Jar, our Softshell Turtle to be comfortable enough to take food from tongs. He’s also quite picky, so we are trying many different food options to ensure he’s getting all the nutrients he needs to thrive. For now his favorites are shrimp, crawfish, and live minnows, but we will be trying some chicken livers, and gizzards later on this week. Make sure to visit Jar Jar this year at our little turtle Sanctuary!

06/21/2026

We have thousands of resident frogs and toads here, due to the many ponds for our turtles. We also have a few designated planted still ponds, which gives the frogs a safe space to lay eggs with a high survival rate for the tadpoles. We also try not to use pesticides, which would not only kill their food source, but could also harm them. We kinda look at them as our natural pest control here at the sanctuary. That being said, some nights you need ear plugs with how loud they can get!

06/21/2026

Although we’ve had him for a few months, this is our first time posting our newest iguana, a rhino iguana. We hope to put in as much work as possible to make him as friendly as we can. Our other rock iguana, the Lewisi iguana, was a few years old when we got him and has quite a bad attitude, but we still love him and will continue working to help him calm down with age and time. This new guy may be an animal we bring on traveling shows one day, but it will be on his terms as always, so we’ll see how he adjusts. These iguanas get absolutely massive, and once he’s adjusted and larger he will go into one of our large outdoor enclosures, just like Barczyk, our Lewisi iguana, during the warmer months. We still haven’t settled on a name, and will gladly take suggestions. These animals can live over forty years in captivity, so we’re in no rush. We love names with meaning, that represent important figures, especially in the animal or conservation community.

This place does amazing work and we want others to know about them. We know firsthand how hard it is to do what they do ...
06/20/2026

This place does amazing work and we want others to know about them. We know firsthand how hard it is to do what they do and how financially draining it can be when it's done right. There should be more places like this in the Southeast where people can reliably surrender sulcatas, but there aren’t and the few within driving distance often become overcrowded fast, at no fault of their own. Many rescues get multiple surrender requests every day, sometimes dozens.

Even though we post on our website and everywhere else that we do not accept sulcatas, we still receive multiple messages daily asking us to take them. We wish we could and we’d love to help with adoptions but our main goal is education, and we don’t have the funding, or man power. With our cold winters it would be financially, physically, and emotionally impossible for us to take on sulcatas. For those who say “we should take them all” do not understand that’s how you end up on TLC Hoarders, with hundreds of sick animals.

Please follow this page and share it to help spread the word. We hope people think twice before buying one of these animals that are cheap to buy but expensive to own. Many people don’t understand the extent of the challenges with this species, it’s understandable, but for those of us who get the daily calls and photos of abused, neglected, or near dead tortoises because of impulse purchases, it’s heartbreaking. Tortoises can be wonderful pets, but don’t get the cheapest species just because a child asks. Choose the species that fits your family, do extensive research before bringing one home, and be prepared for long term care. Unfortunately, metabolic bone disease is all too common, even expected…

If you currently own a tortoise and need ideas for an outdoor enclosure, we have several displays on site showing different setups depending on species. Remember, the cheapest tortoise to buy is often the most expensive and time consuming to care for. Make sure to follow their page!

06/19/2026

Visit our Turtle Zoo right here in Tuscaloosa County Alabama! We are a small family owned facility with almost 200 Turtles and Tortoises who call this place home, with 95% being rescued or surrendered previous pets. We also have other reptiles and animals who call this place home, so come visit! Check out our website for more information.

This is the perfect time of year if you enjoy plants, flowers, turtles, and other reptiles. As always, we strongly recom...
06/18/2026

This is the perfect time of year if you enjoy plants, flowers, turtles, and other reptiles. As always, we strongly recommend that visitors check the weather and arrive early on hot or overcast days for the best experience. Hope to see you this year!

Pictured is our Summerific Hibiscus planted last year from Proven Winners we now have four different varieties. These plants die back to the ground every winter and shoot back up bigger and better each year, producing hundreds, maybe even thousands, of flowers on each plant annually. They are also an edible treat for our turtles, tortoises, and iguanas.

06/18/2026

Turtle pond, or kiddie pool 🤔

We got a great picture of me with our newest resident, a male yellow-bellied slider named Ruffee! He had a wonderful fir...
06/10/2026

We got a great picture of me with our newest resident, a male yellow-bellied slider named Ruffee! He had a wonderful first half of his life with a loving family, and now will spend the next chapter here at our slice of turtle heaven. Although we cannot accept every animal in need of a new home, we give the ones who live here the best life we possibly can. We hope that what we do will make people think twice before purchasing these cheap, often illegal animals, or at least inspire them to help their future or current pets not only live, but thrive by building outdoor ponds. If you’ve wanted to give your slider or cooter more but have been deterred by misinformation and negative feedback online, we invite you to visit and see what’s possible, of course on a smaller scale. Your pets will enjoy a better life, and I assure you you’ll enjoy watching them live happier lives as well. Come see us Thursdays–Saturdays from 9:00am to 1:00pm we encourage you to arrive early for the best experience. Like most animals, reptiles seek shelter and sleep through much of the heat of the day. Hope to see you this Summer! To receive free entry as a member, you must do so before your visit.

Address

11926 Upper Columbus Road
Coker, AL
35452

Opening Hours

Thursday 9am - 1pm
Friday 9am - 1pm
Saturday 9am - 1pm

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