About Mine
How We Got Started
In the summer of 2001, Erika and I ran across a vendor in Chinatown (NYC) selling baby turtles, and I thought they were the most adorable creatures on the planet. Erika isn’t much for pets, but even she agreed that they were cute. They weren’t much larger than a half-dollar coin, swimming around in a big bowl. Not even fifteen minutes later, we ran into a woman on the street who was carrying one home in a little plastic aquarium, and we talked with her briefly.
The next weekend, Erika went back to New York City with a friend, and she surprised me with two turtles! Neither of us knew much about turtles, but I love animals, so we started learning. Frank Sinatra & Fred Astaire, as we named them, are red-eared slider turtles: they live in the water, hop out a few hours a day to bask, and they eat both meat and plants. (We didn’t know at the time that they were both females, and I still call ‘em by the male names. I’m sure they’ll develop an identity crisis.)
In late 2002, we inherited another baby red-eared slider, Mini. She’s named for the Mini Cooper sports car that I so desperately wanted before I sat down in one. (Man, those things feel so cheap inside.)
About The Girls (Turtle Gender Confusion)
They have distinctly different personalities: Fred was outgoing, laid out on the patio most of the day, and loved to climb to the highest thing around. He loved crawling around the apartment, climbing things. When I sat on the floor, Fred would amble right over, scale my leg, and head up my chest to perch on my shoulder.
Frank, on the other hand, was low-key. He spent most of the day underwater, but he’d climb up onto the patio if there’s no movement in the room for an hour or two. When I worked (I telecommuted full time in front of the computer, right next to their tank), and I wasn’t talking to anyone on the phone, he sometimes made his way up, but not often. When I wasn’t home, though, I left my webcam focused on the tank and I saw him climb up and spend plenty of time out of the water.
When we got Mini, I decided to put more of an effort into making her more people-friendly. Frank & Fred loved me, but they didn’t exactly embrace other people. I hand-fed Mini and held her as much as I can, at least once a day. I can definitely tell the difference in the way she acted, but somehow she’s still very timid.
I often get asked how outgoing turtles are supposed to be. In a nutshell, they’re not. They’re afraid of you. It’s that wild and crazy look in your eyes. Okay, maybe not, but it’s the fact that you’re a big, quick animal, and out in the wild, you would probably be a predator. They’re programmed to be scared of predators, and that’s not something you’re going to change overnight. You have to be slow, gentle, patient, and a provider that brings food and goodies. Then they’ll get used to you, and even get excited by your appearance.
Giving Them Up
In mid-2003, we had to give the turtles away. Erika attended flight school in Dallas for six weeks, during about half of which I was also in Dallas. Our travel schedules made it harder and harder for us to give the turtles the attention they needed, and since I love animals, I felt guilty that I couldn’t provide for them.
I keep these turtle pages online because I get tons of comments & questions from people. When I first got my turtles, I had a tough time finding information on the net about them, and I hear the same from others. If you’ve got any questions about your turtles, feel free to drop me a line.
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