Other pets (pics and discussions)

[guidofatherof5]

Steve you're his bouncer! "dad if you don't control your humans i will Hulk out"

The more I work with Tank the more I see the bond we have. When I'm filling his water he comes to me, resting his head on my forearm. If he comes out of his water and I'm not up stairs he goes looking for me. When he finds me he runs to me and wants picked up. If someone comes into his room and he doesn't know them he comes to me as if he's waiting for my approval. I had no idea we would have this relationship but after the thousands of hours I've spent with him I guess I get what I deserve(a good thing).
I always feared that he would drift away from me as he matured but the bond has only gotten stronger. I guess he's going to keep me.

[slipknot711]

i love the story between you both

[Charis]

Got some pictures of Zuko in the sunlight today. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out!

[guidofatherof5]

Very awesome.

[guidofatherof5]

Yesterday was a very interesting day with Tank. When I first checked on him it was obvious he needed his water changed. He was 24 hours late on his regular bowel movement so seeing this mess was a relief. After draining and refilling his water I left but noticed Tank wanted me to stay. Throughout the day I usually check on Tank 20 to 30 times. Some of those times would consist of me popping into his room and saying hello but today Tank was waiting for me, looking over the top of the tub. Each time I saw this I went in and sat down to talk with him. During these times he moved close to me stretching up to my face. As I talk he watched and listened as if he was getting some good out of the encounter. This wasn’t a “feed me” look, it was a “spend time with me” look. When I would get up to leave he would stretched up as if to say “don’t go”. This was repeated at least 20 times during the day. It was obvious to me he wanted attention. Night came and he went to sleep in his water. Late in the even one of my daughters want to get a shower so that meant Tank had to come out of the tub. I made his bed and tucked him in. Moments later I noticed his head sticking out from under the blanket. I laid down on the floor and talked with him. He got as close to my face as possible almost touching me. I cupped his head in my hand and continued to talk, telling him how he need to go to bed and so did I. As I talked I could feel the weight of his head increasing. After 45 minutes of nonstop talking he closed his eyes and fell asleep. I carefully placed his head on his pillow and covered him up. He slept all night, getting up at 6am when I got up.
I think Tank wasn’t feeling well all day and needed some comfort, much like many of our pets, us too. Today, Tank is more back to normal but still wanting that close contact, just not like the day before.
Thanks for listening to my rambling.

[slipknot711]

Steve I hope you are keeping all these encounters dated somewhere. you need a book deal!

[guidofatherof5]

Being a father of 5 kids I’ve wiped many a dirty face in my time. Most of that was met with the same resistance I gave my mother, pulling and twisting away from the offending washcloth or Kleenex. This isn’t a uniquely human response.
Bear with me, I’m getting to my point.
The other day I noticed Tank had some dead skin around his jaw hinge. I first showed him an open hand so he recognized this was not a food situation. Then I simply reach in and started rubbing the offending area. Tank did exactly what any kid would do, he pulled away to avoid the contact. Being a good parent I pressed on until the area was clean.
This wonderful 36 pound snapping turtle resisted but never became angry or aggressive. He had every opportunity to bite me but didn’t. To him, it’s just another day in his life. He’s the most trusting and relaxed turtle I have ever seen.

[BLUESIRTALIS]

Went out to the snake room last night to find this! This is a locale specific group of eastern milks that Mike Myers and I are breeding. They are a lot redder in person, but these pics don't do them justice. So far this morning only 4 are all the way out.

[slipknot711]

nice! i love milk snakes.. only got one tho

[guidofatherof5]

New life. Love it.