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Snappy is the turtle I've had longest. Stacey got Roxy a couple months earlier, but we have no idea how old Snappy was when we got her. But I'll digress and tell her story...
Years ago my then-gf now-wife, Stacey, wanted to have pet turtles. She wanted the dwarf turtles that they sold in Chinatown. We started looking around and learned a lot in the process. For instance, no one breeds dwarf turtles. The little turtles were hatchlings. The most common ones sold were red eared sliders. While sliders are very hearty animals, they need special lighting, warmth and diet to grow up to be healthy animals.
After Stacey got Roxy on Myrtle Avenue in Queens, she decided she wanted another turtle to keep the first company. At that time some lady walked into my brother's pet shop in Howard Beach, Queens with a crusty turtle lagoon that was too small for the poor, dirty half-dollar-sized RES hatchling it contained. The lady wanted to drop the turtle off. My brother told her that he couldn't accept animals he couldn't sell. This turtle was clearly under legal size. The lady informed my brother it wasn't her problem, left the bowl on the counter and stormed out of the store.
My brother, Roger, remembered that Stacey was looking for another turtle and gave me a call. Stacey and I went to have a look. I immediately felt terribly for this poor animal. She was cold, filthy, frightened, and unwanted in this world. She was very protective, snapping a little bit. Stacey immediately felt no connection to this poor wretch and refused to take her. Taking pity upon the young turtle I decided to keep her for myself.
When I got home I cleaned her up and put her in a larger bin with a nice stone and warm water. For the months that came afterward I dedicated many hours of attention to this turtle. Spent at least twenty minutes each evening just getting her used to human touch.
I was all set to name her, perhaps Gammera or Godzilla or some other vicious beast name. But it was Stacey, who had no faith that this turtle would ever become docile, who came up with the unimaginative name of Snappy. Reluctantly, I went along with it.
Some ten years later the name Snappy remains although she's very domesticated. She enjoys being fed by hand, as well as being touched by humans. She is about FIVE POUNDS, and one of the two largest turtles in the tank. She responds to her name and scrutinizes her visitors very carefully.
Snappy has laid clutches of eggs almost every year for about five or six years now. Since I don't provide a sandy area in the tank, she lays the eggs in the water which are usually devoured by the others immediately. Eggs laid in water can never survive.
Years ago my then-gf now-wife, Stacey, wanted to have pet turtles. She wanted the dwarf turtles that they sold in Chinatown. We started looking around and learned a lot in the process. For instance, no one breeds dwarf turtles. The little turtles were hatchlings. The most common ones sold were red eared sliders. While sliders are very hearty animals, they need special lighting, warmth and diet to grow up to be healthy animals.
After Stacey got Roxy on Myrtle Avenue in Queens, she decided she wanted another turtle to keep the first company. At that time some lady walked into my brother's pet shop in Howard Beach, Queens with a crusty turtle lagoon that was too small for the poor, dirty half-dollar-sized RES hatchling it contained. The lady wanted to drop the turtle off. My brother told her that he couldn't accept animals he couldn't sell. This turtle was clearly under legal size. The lady informed my brother it wasn't her problem, left the bowl on the counter and stormed out of the store.
My brother, Roger, remembered that Stacey was looking for another turtle and gave me a call. Stacey and I went to have a look. I immediately felt terribly for this poor animal. She was cold, filthy, frightened, and unwanted in this world. She was very protective, snapping a little bit. Stacey immediately felt no connection to this poor wretch and refused to take her. Taking pity upon the young turtle I decided to keep her for myself.
When I got home I cleaned her up and put her in a larger bin with a nice stone and warm water. For the months that came afterward I dedicated many hours of attention to this turtle. Spent at least twenty minutes each evening just getting her used to human touch.
I was all set to name her, perhaps Gammera or Godzilla or some other vicious beast name. But it was Stacey, who had no faith that this turtle would ever become docile, who came up with the unimaginative name of Snappy. Reluctantly, I went along with it.
Some ten years later the name Snappy remains although she's very domesticated. She enjoys being fed by hand, as well as being touched by humans. She is about FIVE POUNDS, and one of the two largest turtles in the tank. She responds to her name and scrutinizes her visitors very carefully.
Snappy has laid clutches of eggs almost every year for about five or six years now. Since I don't provide a sandy area in the tank, she lays the eggs in the water which are usually devoured by the others immediately. Eggs laid in water can never survive.
1 comments:
Geez is she HUGE!! What's up Snappy?!
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