I've ended up with a pet turtle. As you do...

Yeah.
Seriously.
NOT kidding.

Basically, we had an empty fishtank (after the whole moon-moth thing) and we reckoned on getting some lizards, like baby bearded dragons. So we went up to a pet-and-garden centre to get some info on keeping them, but went to have a look at fish first (my brother likes them). Anyway, Mum found this Chinese Soft-Shelled turtle throwing himself around trying to get out of this really small, boring tank with NOTHING else in it. We asked the guy working if it was okay - his response was "yeah, he's keeping himself occupied". My ass he was...
Anyhow, we said we had a bigger tank at home and how much was he? Get this: he was FREE!!! They didn't want him there because he'd been dumped on their doorstep, so it was either that small tank or the bin for him. So we took him home.
He's a really funny little thing, but he's carnivorous, and by god I'm glad I was wearing padded gloves to handle him, cos he BITES BAD. It's not so much teeth as a sort of sharp rim, but even so, it's real strong - I could feel it through the gloves, and apparently he made one of the shop guys bleed. Plus, guess what we were told to feed him? Flipping prawns and mussels! Geez... he might've been free, but the food sure isn't!
To be honest, the tanks we've got isn't massive either, though it's way better than what he had, especially with stones, sand and fake plants (he'd eat any real ones). If we think he's not happy, we'll give him to a proper aquarium, but he seems okay for now, if rather shy.

We've called him Sqirtle (yeah, Poke'mon...), partially because whenever he pokes his nose out of the water to breath, he squirts water into the air.

I'll try and get some pics up soon!


On the downside, one of my beautiful, lovely cats was put down lately - he was hit by a car (lets face it Marble, sleeping in the road is really asking for it), and had a broken jaw and paralysed leg. The vet said they could have operated, but it was no guarantee, plus he was so lively before, it didn't seem fair to put him up to a crippled life, plus our other (already edgy) cat would've flipped. The real bummer was that we'd worked so hard over the last year to keep him alive and well with diabetes!