Training Turtles

I have 6 water turtles and one land turtle. They live in my backyard and have a good life. I sit by their enclosure and watch them for hours. It's great therapy and they all have a different personality. Cooter - a Florida Cooter (hence the name) is the most friendly and aggressive and I think she's a girl. Big Al - a red eared slider is a boy and a bit of a wuss, something went wrong in his childhood. He used to eat right our of my hand but now he hesitates. Cracker - a Cumberland slider is friendly and inquisitive. Romeo and Juliet - yellow bellies are buddies and like to sun themselves, I think they are both boys? Scarface - a red eared slider is the baby and he is bold and goes where no man has gone before. He is the first to try something new.

I have two ponds and the gang can travel back and forth on their own free will. When I clean one pond they all have to be moved to the second pond and this is stressful for them. So, I have decided to train them to move their own carcasses to the other pond without any stress. And it is working. They are exploring their habitat and loving it.

I place food in the pond where I want them to travel and they comply. It takes awhile but I am expecting them to catch on and go a little faster. Sitting and watching the turtles is relaxing and very Zen like. It makes the fast paced world slow down a little bit and remember the race between the rabbit and the hare. Who won? Slow down and enjoy life.