It is day 3. We think she’s ready, but how do we really know? She seems more tired tonight, but is it just that 
inward concentration that women find when they are about to give birth? WE HAVE NO IDEA! But we’re guessing, and we’re encouraging her, and we’re soothing her, and we’re patiently waiting.
If you happen to know anything about Red-Eared Slider Turtles, we’d love to hear your thoughts….truly. Currently we are gently moving her from her tank to a soil-filled enclosure that we imagine is suitable for egg-laying.
This turtle, her owner, and her owner’s mother (also one of my dearest friends) moved in with me recently. As far as pets go, a turtle seemed pretty easy. As far as I could tell, you feed her, watch her hang out in the water and on her rocks, clean her tank every so often, and that’s it. Uhhhhh, that is until you collectively decide that the turtle is about to lay eggs. Immaculate conception? Apparently not, but that’s not entirely relevant tonight.
Aside from the excitement of the possibility of babies (okay, just eggs, but still), there is the fact that all of the “knowledge” we’ve gathered thus far, to aid this living being in the potential of creating new life, or at the very least, completing a process that nature intended, has been obtained from the source that I lovingly refer to as “Dr. Google”.
Every time I find myself judging someone else for anything, I try to take a hard look at how I might be doing something similar. I do my best to use it as a personal growth opportunity. So, I have to admit that I used to DESPISE when someone would sit in front of me and tell me about the solution to their issue that they found on the internet. Good ol’ Dr. Google. However, I have to be honest. I do the same thing. I google my plumbing issues and fix them myself. I google gardening tips for my ailing plants and help my plants grow. As you now know, I google veterinary issues about turtles and think I might know how to help a turtle lay eggs.
The other thing that I am VERY cautious about is that if my Google knowledge is even close to its limit of helpfulness, I will….call the plumber, text the gardner, or take my pet to the vet. And, yes, I risk the chance of it being too late, but I also really do trust my intuition in these cases.
Over the years, my perspective has shifted. I really, truly appreciate when patients look things up on Google and bring them to me to talk about. I absolutely LOVE when people are willing to do whatever they need to do to truly fix their health issues. I also get to learn what is out there in the world of information. I will gladly take it and incorporate it with my own knowledge to help whomever I can.
So, here it is from my standpoint:
- The more knowledge we have, the better
- Always be willing to talk to experts in their field (and don’t limit yourself to only 1, if it doesn’t satisfy you desires)
- Be willing to try and experience new things
- Be excited to see how our turtle story turns out :-)
