Yesterday Jared and I went to go get the mail and as he stepped out the door we found a little surprise!
It was the strangest thing how he was just sitting right on our door mat, right in front of our door. Luckily for him too, that Jared was paying attention and didn’t put his foot right down on top of him!!! 😛
We didn’t know if it was a ‘runaway’ or if he was wild. Both are practical options. We have been getting an unusual amount of rain and all of the green belts in the neighborhood are small lakes so it’s possible he was looking for a bit if higher ground.
We started to wonder though if he hadn’t just gotten loose while someone was cleaning his tank or something so we grabbed some rubber gloves (cuz turtles can carry salmonella) and put him in a box until we could figure out what to do.
I had remembered our neighbor had turtles so we knocked on her door to ask if she was missing one. She saw it was a turtle and not a tortoise so we were on own again!
We decided to put up signs on the mailboxes just in case before most people got home from work and checked their mail…:)
Here is a better look at the fella. Look at those claws of his! He was NOT happy in that box and tried to escape for the next few hours. He managed to succeed on one instances though. 😛 I Googled to find out what kind of turtle he was and we are pretty certain he’s a red eared slider. I named him Red for short. 😛
He seemed pretty strong and aggressive and by the time the kids got home from school we were feeling more sure this guy was wild.
It was getting close to bedtime and my heart started feeling like Red was homesick. He looked exhausted from trying to break free from his prison and seemed genuinely unhappy. So, we decided to set him free.
Jared and the kids walked down to the prettiest green belt in the neighborhood and set him loose. They said at first he wasn’t sure what was going on like, he couldn’t believe his luck and he was a free man. After a few minutes he realized he might better take advantage of his captors kindness and run as fast as his little turtle legs could carry him!!!! They said he seemed extremely happy to be back home! 🙂
Maybe we’ll see you around the neighborhood sometime Red!
I did a little digging online and take from it what you will but, for many Native American cultures, the turtle is an extremely sacred creature. It has the power to bestow healing and good health.Just as this creature can live a long life, it can also be a symbol of long life and even a good bit of wisdom.This animal’s symbolism is one of protection – it has a sturdy shell that into which it can retreat for its own protection.If a turtle appears when you or a family member is sick, you can assume that healing is on its way, possibly also allowing the person to live a long life.
Another site said, Turtles are believed to have Power over all kinds of Bad Magic.
A Turtle symbolizes the primal mother and Mother Earth. Turtles are also said to symbolize Longevity and one’s Hope and Wish for a long life.
Turtles are said to be a link between heaven and earth.
I thought it was pretty interesting! I’ll take a little bit of protection and good luck! 😛
