Meet Myrtle the Turtle

Myrtle the Turtle at one inch.

She’s a baby Alligator Snapping Turtle, and her soft shell is only about one inch long. This is an extreme closeup photo – she’s only about the size of a quarter. Despite her small start, the Alligator Snapping Turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in the world. Ranger Roscoe is fascinated by her tiny little tail. (you can see it in the above photo)

We’re keeping Myrtle in a tank until her shell hardens and she gets a little bigger – and looks less like a snack. Her little shell will grow to a couple feet across. She’ll also get a big, snapping beak, and may live as long as 120 years.

A few days ago we released “The Seven Dwarfs”, a brood of baby Red Eared Sliders we’d rescued and raised in a tank for a few months until they got big enough to fend for themselves. They were about the size of a my palm. I got to release them into the lake and watch them swim away. I think they looked a bit relieved.

This post is short, and poorly worded (more so than usual, no doubt) because it’s past my bedtime, and I’m still feeling under the weather with a sore throat. (By the way, to all you fellow homeopathic health nuts out there I highly recommend Oregano Oil. Tastes like crap, but it works wonders! I’d tell you were to get it, but I don’t know… someone I used to know gave me some a long time ago. And if you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know why I’m not taking cold medicine.)

Anyway, I wanted to post something to let you all know I was still here, wanting more time to write. I’ll post an update on Pye this weekend for our first anniversary – it’s been a year since she adopted me!