Turtles

Two days ago, as I was walking around the yard, I happened to come across some old uncooked corn tortillas. As with most other bread-like substances that have been rendered inadvisable for human consumption, I sent it to sleep with the fishes. Well, more like sleep in the digestive tract of many, many fishes. As I threw piece after piece into the water, I happened to see a dark shape, like a large, flat rock swim along the bottom toward the sinking tortillas. This rock had a large shell probably sixteen inches long, covered in alga and detritus, with a tail about eight inches long, a long and thick muscular neck, and a head that was as large as my two fists held together. My guess is that it was a common snapping turtle. It looked so like a moss/algae covered boulder, that I have decided to name it "Golgomath," after one of the giants in JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. This thing was huge, ugly, and huge. But it was surprisingly docile and sluggish. All it did was open its mouth and in went the tortilla piece. Then Golgomath saw me and turned tail and zoomed away with surprising speed. I have not seen him since.

We also have two yellow-bellied slider turtles, each with a shell of maybe eight inches in length. Those things sure are cute. I came across one trapped under the fence leading into the chicken pen. It stared at me, and I stared at it, and then I found a large bucket. I put the bucket in front of the turtle and gently nudged it forward. The turtle, a she, I assume, that was looking for a place to make a nest, moved forward into the bucket quite easily, as if she knew I was trying to help. I carried her over to the pond, and in she slid, under the cover of the water. And then earlier today, I was throwing some bread to the fish and up she surfaced. She swam lazily after the floating bread chunks until I started throwing them near her, and then she zoomed around happily (I think) after each one. And then after, she just looked at me as she swam around lazily on the surface, as if to say, "I say, old fellow, could you spare a morsel or two more?" Sadly, I didn't have any more, but I was glad to see that she was not afraid of me, and did not retreat under the water at the sight of me, as she and her hubby have been want to do. Maybe I can tame her (or him - I am not sure which one it was, as we have at least two yellow-bellied sliders that domicile in our pond). Well, I don't want to tame her much, just enough so that I might be able to get close to her, maybe have her eat from my hand. I'm such a nut. I have read that common snapping turtles, when bred and raised in captivity, can make surprisingly good pets, and can even learn tricks. We shall see!