Research into turtle care has revealed some needs for Mort.
His tank should be kept at a temperature warmer than my house's thermostat is heating. (He needs 68-75 degrees - but I keep the house cool). So ... now there's a green submarine-looking heater in the bottom of the tank. Mort did a lot of lying on top of it and staying near it until the water got warmed up.
Today was a feeding day. While bringing him out of the tank, I forgot to make sure to hold him so he couldn't turn his head and reach me, and Mort gave me a nip. It wasn't bad, but it was a good reminder for me to be more cautious!
Turtles need more than just a heating lamp for basking (up to 95 degrees). This is important for the health of his shell. A new light which gives UVB light was ordered, which he would get from the sun if he was outside in his natural habitat. While waiting for the new light to come, I decided to take Mort outside for real sunshine on the warmest sunny day of the weekend.
First, I thought he should be in a fenced-in area. The fence borrowed from my neighbor was a problem, though, since Mort couldn't really see the wires. So, instead, he got to walk all over my backyard.
He walked back towards the majestic willow tree, heading for its roots. You'll see he keeps his head way up high to see and hear.
Once he got to the big root, he hunkered down next to it. There was a bird sitting on a branch just to the right, singing away.
Then Mort walked all the way around the willow tree. When he got stuck on a twig, he backed up, pushed with his foot, and got unstuck. It was a fun adventure. He found plants to sit under and get shade. He tried to go under a neighbor's fence and had to be brought away from there. In all, he had almost an hour and a half walking around getting lots of sunshine. When he scootched under daffodils and dug into the soil it was time to come in out of the heat. He isn't used to that.
Afterward, he decided not to eat any of his food. What is Mort thinking???
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