Something in the Water

There must be something in the water. Well, actually I know there is. I just saw them tonight. Babies. Little fish babies.

It all started a month ago when a small red slider turtle was added to the menagerie. My daughter brought it home in a tiny little plastic box. It looked so unturtley. Definately not turtley enough for the turtle club. Research was done. It turns out that turtles need not a tiny plastic box to live in, but a full sized tank; a UV light so that his shell receives simulated daylight in order to avoid shell rot; a turtle dock that he can climb up on in order to bask under the UV light; a filter to keep his water clean; gravel to dig in; a snail to help keep the tank clean; and feeder fish that he can chase and eat in order to get excercise and not be a dock potato.

He never chased the two miniscule fish. He never excercised. They did. They excercised their primary programming - be fruitful, MULTIPLY. How could it be that the very last two guppies in a huge tank at the local pet store were a male and female? How could it be that the turtle would end up disobeying his instinct to chase fish? Fate? Coinky dink?

I thought the little fish were just being overfed, especially one of them. That was until intense scrutiny at quarter inch specks of mostly transparent matter turned out to be little Mini Feeder Fish That A Lazy Turtle Didn't Eat.I'm not going to name them. I'm going to start shoving the turtle off his dock and into the water where his intended prey is slowly but surely taking over his turf. His pond?

I heard a nasty rumor that snails don't require a mate in order to breed...