oh cripes!

ok everyone - i really hate admitting this, but you were right. it IS expensive to have a turtle, and the tank DOES smell, and i'm ALREADY sick of it.
OK!? mom, dad! you were right. not that you read this, but i said it, so lets just please move on.

i just called my brother and he is going to take her back in april when he is done working out on the rigs.

it's just been really really frustrating. i planned on putting any extra money toward my amsterdam trip (my theme for the next 8 months = "make do"), but i've already sunk almost 400 bucks into turtle supplies, and her tank STILL looks like a mud puddle. she doesn't seem happy either - it's kind of painful to watch her swim around in this little tank constantly. i can't get her to go on the basking thing, and its bumming me out. my place is a mess also, every time i start cleaning up i notice how gross the tank looks, or how sad she looks, so i get side tracked. ALSO, i'm sick of washing my hands every minute.

so there you have it - i'm the 8 year old who whined "i'll take him for walks every day, please please please buy me a puppy!"

i feel pretty shitty about this. and i'm DREADING really telling my parents, can't wait to get the big TYS (told you so).

cowabung....eh

fun fact about turtles:
they can take over your whole life AND make you crazy in a matter of weeks.

"don't say i didn't warn you"

i got some great advice from a library book today:

TURTLE KEEPING IN GENERAL

If you plan to keep turtles as pets, there are a few hazards you must be aware of. The first is tied to the diet of some terrestrial species. If a turtle that is accustomed to eating mushrooms consumes a poisonous mushroom and you eat the turtle, you could end up with mushroom poisoning. I know of only one recorded instance in the history of mankind, so your risk is somewhat remote, but don't say I didn't warn you.

- from the introduction to Turtles by Mervin F. Roberts (1988)

um...