On the way home from school yesterday we saw two cars pulled over on the side of the road. Two women and several kids were all huddled around something in the road. As I passed I saw that it was a turtle and in danger of getting run over. I pulled over too, and asked the women if it would be all right if I took the turtle to our pond. They said yes, but to watch out, it was trying to bite. I picked him up by the shell, avoiding his claws, and deposited him in the back of my van. The women were in awe that I was not scared to pick him up! I have to admit, he was quite ferocious and his claws were very long! We took him home and I washed him off in the tub so I could see if his shell had any damage. Besides a few little chips around the back edge of his shell, he was perfect. (A cracked shell can cause a turtle to get a serious infection and die. You can patch them with fiberglass, though, so they will heal) For the record, he really loved the bath. He stretched out and shut his eyes and just let me gently wash off all the mud and grass. After Chris got home, he and the boys took him out to the pond where he happily scooted into the water and swam off. He is a snapping turtle, indigenous to this area, and will live very happily eating little fishies in the pond. He will get quite a bit larger, though, so we won't be doing any swimming in there.
You can all call me The Turtle Whisperer!
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