Published by Swiss James on 23 Apr 2008 at 12:44 pm
RIP Lambert
Bad news on the Turtle front. We’re a man down.
I returned last night to find one half of our pet duo sprawled out flat on a stone- turtle head stretched out of the water, eyes tight shut, looking a paler green than usual. Carefully picking him up by the shell, his floppy little body soon confirmed my worst fears. He was a goner.
Cause of death unknown although a small mark on the side of his neck which at first made me wonder if we were dealing with Terrapinicide (Miss Julie was being suspiciously quiet on the other side of the bowl), but I suppose we shall never know.
I wrapped him up in a kitchen towel shroud and sent him on his way.
We’re trying our best with these turtles, we really are; using filtered water in their bowl, giving them turtle food and lettuce but not letting it fester in the water. They’ve got rocks and tiles to clamber onto, we put them outside in the sunshine every now and then, but it’s harder than I thought though, and I don’t hold up much hope for Miss Julie making it now she’s all alone.
Maybe we’ll try again when the weather is warmer- they’re tropical I think, so presumably fair a lot better in the heat and humidity than, say, me. Chinese friends tell us we should be feeding them chopped up shrimp or possibly insects- seems odd to feed that to something so small though.
In the mean time, any tips on Turtle care, or coping with Turtle related grief are welcome.
Sorry for your loss James. It’s tragic when the go before their time even though I am not entirely sure what the right time is for these creatures …. but surely it’s Lambert Creegan-Mills!
There comes a time, where every man, woman and child should look into their heart, stop making silly jokes and respect those who lived among us for all these years, only to vanish into a swirling vortex of flashed water.
Dreadful news old boy, I’ll choose the black dryboard marker when I write on the board in my meeting this afternoon as a sign of respect.
Sorry for the lose of the little guy. I may never celebrate this day the same way, knowing the little dude went to turtle heaven on my birthday.
So sorry for your loss. Happy birthday Tina.
awwwww, poor lambert. was it a “burial at sea”? maybe he couldn’t take all the pressure of being domesticated and thought he’d let go his life the day after Earth Day as a symbol?
i read that turtles like to eat meal worms (but as the turtle is soooo small, you’re going to have to cut the meal worm in half or thirds . . .) =P
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happy birthday tina.
mills-creegan?
assert your maleness, surely creegan-mills?
Out-living your pets is one of the joys of owning them. It’s makes you feel god-like until you get kids of your own to be more powerful than.
Circle of life, my friend… circle of life.
I suppose this isn’t the place to post my turtle soup recipe? What? Too soon?
happy birthday Tina-
Mills-Creegan, Creegan-Mills what’s the difference? I would’ve thought coming second was better, he who laughs last, laughs longest etc.
T- too late now, we already binned him I’m afraid
Angie- do you know of a good meal worm supplier in the Jing-An district?
I had 2 of those turtles for 5 years back in Shanghai. Had to give them away when I came to the states.
The secret to getting the turtles to live longer is NOT to use purified water. Rather, get water from a pond (from a park) OR get tap water, put it in storage for ~a week and then use it. Precipitates out the chlorine/other chemicals in the water but not the nutrients. Purified water probably has too much chemicals.
there’s a pond in my apartment complex- great idea Jerry, thanks.
just throw the thing into the pond and be done with it!
Noooooooooooooo He was my favourite one. We used to chat for ages while you were at at work. I will miss him.
The weather is probably ok for now with these turtles, but in the winter months a heat lamp will be required to keep them warm. ..just an FYI if you don’t have one.
njd cheers for that, I think we’ll give it another go.