Tank the Turtle

The Third Day Of My New Life

I've spent the entire day inside my burrow. I was quite comfortable and happy for a while anyways. My new owners keep digging me out of my burrow and looking at me in a strange way. They rub my shell and watch my little legs move like a roller coaster and then place me right back in my home with the glass walls. They place me right next to a food dish and then start talking real quietly.

Of course - me - being a box turtle that likes to burrow - I dig down and away I go. I hear their voices and they sound concerned about something. I think they don't understand why I keep hiding in my burrow. I don't know what to say to them so they feel better? I am getting a little annoyed about being snatched out of my burrow every couple of hours.

Tank the Turtle

The second day of my new life

I had a great sleep in my soft and snuggly burrow. I felt safe and secure and the night light my new humans left on for me gave me comfort. After such a rest full night in my new digs I came back to the surface. I know the humans were worried that I would suffocate so I needed to show them I am not a baby. And I am almost big enough to take care of myself. Not that I am all that big - not much bigger than the large silver coins that humans use. Instinct is inside me and they need to understand that about me. I have decided not to be a cry baby.
So, I peak out into the new world and there she is just standing there with a distressed look on her face. I popped my head through the nice soft black dirt and looked straight on at her. This big smile spread across her face and I think she was starting to be a cry baby herself. How strange is that? A human crying because they are happy. I wonder if she knows that I am happy without shedding any tears.
I’m feeling brave and adventurous so I crawl under the huge shell in my new home and turn my head and watch her. She spritzes me with a mist of water and it feels so refreshing. I notice fresh fruits and vegetables in my food dish. This is going to be a good gig. I still miss my old home but I am adjusting to this new environment.
Time for me to go back ‘down under’: It’s not that I don’t want to stay topside it’s just my comfort level is beneath the soil. The darkness eases a little and my eyes adjust to my small burrow and then amazingly out of the corner of my right eye – I spy a movement. I sniff the air. I’m a good smeller. As a matter of fact I know my dad is nearby just waiting for me to get big and join him. A long pinkish thing is wiggling into my burrow. Yehaw – it’s an earth worm. Breakfast buffet at Tiffany’s.