Uh Oh, A Turtle Habitat Obsession Forming

Some weeks ago I posted about the newbie, Leo The Turtle. He is a 5 year old Red Eared Slider who has definitely outgrown his 20 gallon aquarium and the guilt I feel watching him live in this boring small watery habitat without a lot of "frills" (although the online literature assures me he's fine...how do you gauge fine in a turtle? But I digress)..it can't be good for my overall health.

They say nothing in life is free. It's true. The adoption of Leo and his 20 gallon habitat did not involve the exchange of $ -- his previous guardian just wanted him to have a good home as her lifestyle was changing to a lot of travel -- and my daughters really were THRILLED.

But now a subtle mania is setting in and I find myself spending time I don't really have researching turtle habitats and pondering accessories. I already found a 55 gallon aquarium for sale on The Cleveland Craig's List and it wasn't free. I paid $100 cash and had to schlep to get it and then solicit help to get it ensconced on my daughters' window seat. I never really thought about how heavy a 55 gallon aquarium is. And it doesn't even have water in it yet! So figuring out how best to set it up is key.

I'll keep ABetterDogBlog updated as the habitat develops....

Taking Har-Vest™ "Off Road"

Spring is springing and I decided to take Har-Vest on a test drive for off road work a.k.a. hiking. Kids are on spring break, and 1/3 of them wanted to go explore nature, so off we went -- Callie, SpokesDog Bean and I.




First we let the boy run around sans vest and when it was time to "dress" him, I opted for his purple version. In the pockets I put treats, a poop bag, my keys and I even put my digital camera in (within a ziploc bag, just in case!) too. And then it was time to expore nature on our hike.



I missed a lot of potential "heavy duty" off road since my camera was in the pocket, but after we got sweaty/dirty, Bean was happy to pose in Har-Vest and I'm happy to report that as an off road hiker's aid, it was two thumbs up from me!

New Addition

Leo's been here now for nearly 3 weeks. We've changed the water in his 20 gallon aquarium twice, scrubbing the faux "sunning" rock that adheres by suckers (can you call it sunning when it's under a 60 watt light bulb?), as well as scrubbing the Fluval 2 filter. I'm already exploring the acquisition of larger tanks so I can get a bigger filter and not have to change the water. I also think he'd be happier and I'd be aesthetically pleased as well if I could make a habitat for him that isn't so bleak. I'd really like to let him go in a lovely outdoor habitat to be with his people, but my kids, especially 10 year old Callie, would be devastated.



He's amusing when he clanks across the hardwood floor, and the dogs don't seem to mind him much. We'll see how it goes.