I have a pool in my backyard where turtles live.  It’s a pond, now.  If you don’t add chemicals and don’t turn the pump on, your pool will become a pond.  When we moved in this house about a year ago, the pool was already a pond, turtles and all.  I started turtle watching from my kitchen window.  You had to watch them from a distance because when you came outside they would go to the bottom of the pool.  They were quite timid at first and since you couldn’t see the bottom of the pool it was easy for them to hide from us.  They would come and stay on top of the water and after watching them for awhile my husband and I were able to determine there were five turtles.  We started spending more time out near the pool so they would get used to use.  The largest one probably had a shell size of about 9 by 11 inches.  There were two little ones that were always together and they were approximately 2 by 2 inches (shell size).  There was a medium sized one about 6 by 6 inches.  And one snapping turtle at about 8 by 9 inches with a large head.  The snapping turtle was really timid.  I have always liked turtles.  I think they are so cute.  When I was growing up, I had one of those little ones you got at the pet shop with the plastic container with ramp and a plastic palm tree.  They have the cutest little heads and teeny tiny eyes.  The two little turtles reminded me of my turtles.  It was real important to gain their trust.  Eventually, one of the little ones started staying up on the surface of the water while we were out side near the pool.  All the other ones disappeared under the water.  Turtles are like grease lightning in water, they are unbelievably fast swimmers.  We would talk to the one that stayed at the surface and he would check us out from the center of the pool.  After a few days, he started to say up a little longer.  Because of his bravery, I named him Braveheart.  Then one day the other little one decided to join Braveheart and stay on the surface while we were by the pool.  I named that one Lulu.  No reason for that name just came in my head.  Braveheart and Lulu looked very much alike so I think they are siblings.  Don’t know their sex, either. I can tell the two apart, though.  Braveheart has an almost perfect round shell and Lulu’s shell is bent on the left edge a little.   The two other turtles and the snapper were still too scared to stay on the surface while we were there.  I was curious as to what their diet was because it sure didn’t seem like the pool and it’s contents offered much.   I assumed they were eating little bugs that got into the water and I watched Braveheart and Lulu eating algae off the sides of the pool near the surface.  I decided it was time to supplement their diet with a little bit of dog food.  I crushed some dry dog food and slowly through it in the water towards Brave heart.  I wanted to be careful not to startle him.  At first he wasn’t sure but eventually ate some of it.  To my surprise, Lulu really took to having food served to her.  They eventually started to get closer to the edge of the pool (and closer to us) to eat the dog food.  Before you knew it, they would swim towards when they seen us come to the pool in anticipation of food.  The two larger ones started staying on the surface longer, though at a distance, while we fed Braveheart and Lulu.  We did name the largest one Birtha and the other one Clem.  Birtha and Clem seem to hang together like Braveheart and Lula do.  I decided to buy turtle food and my husband nailed some logs together so they were able to get out of the water and bask in the sun on the logs.  As time went on they all would come to the surface to eat.  Birtha and Clem still kept their distance but eventually succumbed to their fear of us and realized we didn’t pose a threat.  Birtha would on occasion get as close as Braveheart and Lulu.  When Braveheart and Lulu would see us come outside, they would swim as fast as they could towards us.  It was great.  There was one more turtle and it took the longest to win his trust.  The snapping turtle was very scary looking.  You could get a glimpse of him on the pool steps.  Though, the water was about 10 inches over the top step and murky, you could still see him.  His head is huge compared to the other turtles, which he cannot completely retract into his shell.  His head, shell and long tail have spikes on them.  He is very prehistoric looking, a true dinosaur of today.  We named him Spike.

To be continued…