Friday, December 21, 2007

First there was Herkimer

The very first creature I was totally responsible was a three legged turtle named Herkimer. This was before digital pictures but if I am able to post a picture of him I will later.

I found Herkimer in my back yard in Ohio. He had had some sort of scuffle with maybe a dog or cat. One of his back legs was bleeding and missing from the knee (turtle knee that is) down. I took him to a vet and learned my first lesson in the cost of taking care of another living thing. The vet told me he wouldn't live long in captivity even if he survived long enough for his leg to heal and he wouldn't survive out in the wild with his injury. I insisted that I wanted to try to save him. After an $80 shot of antibiotics I took him home to see what would happen.

The vet had said that turtles are miserable living in a confined space. So I let Herkimer have the run of the house. Well not the whole house but the lower level. There he had carpet and tile to crawl on, furniture to go under and over, and stairs that he never gave up trying to climb.

Despite the vets prediction Herkimer healed and thrived.

He lived for 9 years. He was probably in his 20's when I found him. He was a great pet and very interesting. I have many fond memories of him. I hope that the time he spent with me was a happy time for him. I know that he never would have had bananas in the wild and he loved bananas.

1 comment:

  1. Very sweet story. I once saved a snapping turtle from a sure car accident

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