Dora Goes Exploring
Today was rainy and drab. I decided to clean Dora's habitat. While I was busy washing all her rocks and toys, I let her roam through one of my gardens. She enjoyed herself exploring one plant before moving on to another, until she was getting a bit far and I picked her up. She has grown quite a bit this past year. You might recall that she was the size of a bottle cap when she was found in the murky waters left by winter in the pool.
She had already gotten a bit bigger in this picture. She is just as spoiled as my canine loves. Her favorite food is mealworms. Not the dried ones, but the more expensive ones that have to be refrigerated. Not only that, she prefers to be fed by hand. She will thump the side of her habitat when she sees me in the morning. If I approach, she runs up the ramp out of the water and stretches her neck to look up at me.
I usually have her can of mealworms at the ready and carefully pinch one of the cold dead worms between my thumb and forefinger, then offer it to her. Her jaws open wide and she reaches her head towards my offering and clamps down on it. She gobbles it down and waits for another.
Feeding her can be a rather lengthy endeavor. This morning she ate 7 of them before I tired of feeding and tossed 3 more down for her. But wait, there's more! She likes tiny shrimp flakes and food pellets, too. They float on the water and she prefers to eat in the water. When she was a baby, two pellets would fill her tummy. She would grab it in her mouth, then use her front claw to break it, in order to fit in her mouth. Nowadays, she just grabs them as a snack.
I bought a different brand that had dried mealworms and bigger shrimp. The food is round and she spits them out. She will eat the shrimp and mealworms, but the round stuff must not appeal to her.
She doesn't look so big here in my garden!
She had fun running from me.
Look at the camera, Dora!! She knows my voice, I swear she does. She caught my finger in her mouth a couple of days ago. It didn't break the skin, but I drew my hand back quickly in reflex. She hung on! It felt like a tiny saw and I had to finally just yank my skin out of her mouth. She had a mealworm and my finger and was not letting go! Who could not love that little face?
Now she's a handful! Dora is quite a beauty, but she's not camouflaged very well in your mulch. Don't let a prey bird swoop down and snatch her! Also, good to know that you could catch her when she ran from you. Not sure I could keep up.
ReplyDeleteYes, she finally fills my hand! She is still comparitively tiny enough that her fast isn't so fast. A bird of prey would not stand a chance against Dora's prtective Mama!!
DeleteDora the Explorer roaming in the garden! She's beautiful. Any idea how big she might grow?
ReplyDeleteShe won't get too big. I am surprised at her personality coming through. Who knew I could love a turtle?
DeleteI bet she really enjoyed her time outdoors.
ReplyDeleteShe did. It was drizzling rain and she liked running around. I take her outside as much as I can. Mostly when I am cleaning her habitat. I have a fish bowl that she likes to sun in, too.
DeleteOh wow! Now you have a second character for your children's book: Dora. That is so sweet that she recognizes you.
DeleteYou keep trying to encourage me about writing a children's book! Maybe I will. Dora is quite a character. She must be having a growth spurt because she is eating several times a day. She begs by stretching her neck as far out of the shell as she can and staring at me!
ReplyDeleteOur 30 year old red slider is also hand fed and always has been. The drawback is that she doesn't necessarily distinguish between my fingers and food. She swims over the the side of her pond when she sees me outside. I give her a little pat but she does not like to be held.
ReplyDeleteDora has gotten my finger a couple of times. Feels like a tiny saw! She isn't big enough to break the skin, though. If she lives to be 30, I will no doubt be long gone!
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