The Turtles

No this isn’t about the 60’s Rock Band, although, several years ago, I had some friends who had a couple of turtles named Flo and Eddie… LOL!

When I was a very young child, my impulsive dad brought home some baby turtles. He was a great animals lover, and would “bring me pets” that he could have in our ‘no pets allowed’ apartment. Of course at that age, I was too young to take care of the turtles and dad was too busy, so mom ended up having to do it. My mom loved animals too, but she really wasn’t into the turtles. I liked the turtles and enjoyed “helping” to feed and take care of them, but I really wanted a dog. When you’re four, you tend to have a one-track mind. After about a year of feeding and cleaning up after the turtles, mom had enough. She gave the turtles to a co-worker who loved them and could provide a better home for them. Since then I’ve shared my live with a variety of animals, but except for Flo and Eddie, that’s been my only experience with turtles.

Now that I have some turtle clients, I’ve found I really like the little guys. At first all of them were afraid of me and would hide and/or stay inside their shells when I was putting out their food and water. They wouldn’t come out until I left. But now two of the three have become used to me, and have come out of their shells… LOL. They no longer retract into their shells when I drop a mealworm in front of them. Instead they wait with their heads extended, watch me drop the worm, cock their heads to see it, and then dive in. They like veggies, but they love their mealworms! I find it fascinating to watch them hunt, catch, and eat the worms. They also really like blueberries, bananas and scrambled eggs, some of my favorite foods too.

Since I’ve been interacting with the turtles, I’ve noticed their individual personalities. Harrison is still very shy and hides from me, but the other two have decided I’m OK. Murphy is now very bold, and has actually taken a mealworm from my hand. Norman is interested in me, but not so sure yet. Although he likes it when I drop a worm in front of him. I’ve learned they are so very cute, active and interesting. I like to watch them walk around, they tend move slowly, but with great determination like they have a goal in mind. Yet, when they see a mealworm, they can really hustle to get it. They’re also very curious little creatures, they watch everything I’m doing, it’s so cute how they cock their heads to keep an eye on me. It’s intriguing to develop a relationship with these little holdovers from the dinosaurs.

I keep finding myself thinking about how cute they are, and how much fun it would be fun to have some turtles too. I also think it would be fun to try to clicker train them to do a trick or two… Turtle weave poles? I think it could be done! If I had the time to be a good turtle mom and trainer, not to mention the space to give them a happy home, I would be very tempted to adopt a couple of turtles. Who knows maybe I will one day, but until then I will enjoy my time with my little turtle clients.