50 Cents

No, I'm not into rap music. Since Dollar was the name of our first turtle, Nate likes the name 50 cents for our new turtle (who actually is about half the size of our first turtle) ...Wait, wait...I feel another turtle story coming on!

So, we decided last weekend to buy a new turtle. After all, we had $200.00 worth of turtle equipment, and no turtle. Turtles were a whopping $15.00 at the pet store, so we made the commitment to turtle #2...and aside from picking a name, it didn't appear this would really turn into a story.

With his tank filled (50 gallon with about 50 extra pounds of rocks inside), 50 cents (or whatever his/her name will be) was enjoying his new, albeit artificial environment when his ever so attentive 12 year old owner discovered the tank was sitting on top of the cord to the all important UVA/UVB artificial full-spectrum lighting. Our solution (after not being able to move the tank) was to let the turtle live without the all important artificial lighting until Tim got home to help move the tank. Forget emptying the tank...that would have been too much work. So Tim got home, grabbed the fully loaded tank and pulled. The tank didn't move, but the glass down the back of the tank broke from top to bottom. Instantly there was water leaking out the back of the tank and the next few minutes were a blur of towels, shop vac suctioning water (which also got too full and flooded) and more towels. The poor turtle spent the day in the sink while we debated returning him because he no longer had a home, or buying another tank. But being the devoted parents we are, we replaced the tank (we're now a whopping $321.00 into turtle supplies and have only ever spent $15.00 on a turtle...but who's counting?)

We're still trying to name the turtle...suggestions are 50 Cents, Peso, Penny (since based on internet pictures "it" looks female), and I think Yen, Euro, and Pound were also thrown out as suggestions. Please don't ask why we're naming our turtles after money...Dollar was a name that stuck so we seem to just have a theme going on here. Feel free to cast your vote!