Chapter Five
For the next few weeks, Michael and Katie watched the turtles for hours every day. They became so used to being fed that when the kids came to visit they eagerly came out hoping for food. They were not disappointed.
Soon, they began to notice that each turtle was different in ways they did not expect. Just like people, each turtle had a special liking for one food over others. Tiny loved bananas the most. Timothy loved to bite into a juicy tomato and let the juices run down his chin. Tracy loved green things like kale, and lettuce. Other turtles loved the worms’ best, or carrots. Trudy was a fruit eater and she liked to eat plums and apples.
They often gave the turtles playtime; a time to get out of the pen and walk all over our backyard. Turtles are not fast animals but when you have 12 of them roaming free in the yard they seem to go so far and so fast especially when you are not looking. They might not be fast but once they make up their mind to move, they just keep going.
Dad had the children wash their hands after touching the turtles. Most reptiles, like turtles and lizards, carry bacteria that can cause sickness in people. Soap and water remove the bacteria so that it is not eaten with food or drinks.