Painted Turtle, Green Alien And Bronze Freckles

What lies beneath the wire mesh cover? My life is so exciting, I’m sure you are gripping the arms of your chair in anticipation of the answer to that question and you can’t hardly wait to read this blog entry. (Humor me and just agree.)

It has been a little bit since I’ve said anything about Turtle. Since I just love the little stubborn creature, I don’t want him to feel left out in case he actually jumps out of his tank each morning so he can read my blog after I leave for work. (I often have a wild imagination.) However, I did prove to you last time that Turtle can read and my mother can attest to the fact. I’m just not sure about the “jumping out of his tank each morning” part.

As you know, I love Turtle’s bright orange tummy with the crazy design.

I also think it is so cute when he sticks just his nose out of the water. If you look really close at the edge of the brown part of his shell on top, you can tell that some of the pieces are about to pop off. Yeah, Turtle is sloughing again.

When I get up close, I can see his nose holes flare open ever so slightly. Of course, I’m wearing my bifocals when I’m looking because otherwise he would just be one blurry mess.

After I cleaned the tank and added some new fake plants to it, I pulled a chair close to the tank so I could watch Turtle swim. He was loving all the extra room because I took the big stack of rocks out of there and gave him a floating dock. Every time I talk about the dock, I keep saying “docking station” by accident. (rolling my eyes at myself)

The thing that keeps Turtle’s attention the most isn’t what is INSIDE the tank as much as what is now OUTSIDE of the tank.

Turtle has a friend. No, not a live friend because the last thing I need is another living thing that poops! However, I believe that Turtle thinks his new friend is a LIVING turtle. Don’t even try to tell me that Turtle can’t “think” because I know better. Turtle is a Super Turtle and different than ALLLLLL other turtles on the planet. (I might be stretching it a wee bit.)

Turtle’s pseudo-turtle-friend is Green Alien. Yeah, I named him something original too. (writing down the name of everyone that laughed at my lack of imagination)

There’s a whole lot of staring going on between the glass of the turtle tank. When Turtle gets really close to Green Alien sometimes he puts his front legs and claws kind of close together and draws his head in a little too.

Turtle gets closer and closer to Green Alien and when he is really close, his legs shake and flutter like he is scared. Mom thought he was in fighting mode, but when he is on the hunt, his head comes waaaaaay out of his shell. This is really very different than hunt-and-attack mode, but it is really very funny.

Most of the time I keep Green Alien’s big eyes facing Turtle. I think they both like it better that way. (No, I’m not insane.)

Sometimes Turtle gets still and just glides and floats through the water under the watchful eye of Green Alien. Turtle is really rather graceful in a turtle sort of way.

I think Green Alien has been a nice addition to the Tank Community. (Tank Community = everything in the tank and everything on the stand outside of the tank). Turtle spends plenty of time conversing with his friend, Green Alien. Sometimes if he stays there too long, I move Green Alien for awhile so that Turtle can be more turtlish. (Hey! I just made up a word! How’s THAT for imagination?!)

As you can see, the leafy plant that I bought for Turtle’s tank is BRIGHT red. It is tall enough to go from the bottom of the tank all the way to the mesh that covers the tank and it has a weighted rock bottom. Well, when I first put it in the tank, Turtle immediately started biting it. I was so glad it wasn’t my finger he was biting! When Turtle discovered that he couldn’t eat the plant, he started dragging it around the tank. Yeah, so much for the heavy weighted bottom! Turtle is VERY strong. I never know where the fake plants are going to be because he is constantly moving them all over the tank.

As you can tell in the previous photo, Turtle’s shell is brown and clean. However, when you look at his shell from a particular angle, it looks like Turtle has shiny bronze freckles! It is the wildest thing! When I take him out of the tank to brush his shell, I am amazed that nothing looks shiny and the top of his whole shell is just muted brown colors. Yes, I do brush his shell with a scrubby brush because it keeps it clean. Also when he is sloughing layers off his shell, I think the brushing scratches and feels good. Turtle usually isn’t squirmy once he realizes I’m brushing his shell and that’s why I think it feels good to him. (Proof that Turtle has “feelings”)

What an exciting little group we have become…

Bella and me sitting by candlelight watching Turtle swim around and play with Green Alien.

My life is so exciting that I have no idea how you are able to wait for a new post the next day. It probably keeps you awake at night wondering what fun I’m going to be up to next. (It’s time to humor me again.)