Robin Drowned Today

Something out of the ordinary happened late this afternoon.  My turtle DROWNED.  What a headline - Stupid Owner Drowns his Turtle.

When I arrived from the office I found a big chunk of rock inside the turtles’ home chipped off so I worried that the rock might have moved.  Then I saw Robin sandwiched by the rock and the plastic wall.  I immediately took him out of the water and found him so limp.  He was dead.  I wondered how long he was trapped in the water.

There was no motion nor response from his body.  His legs were so soft and limp, so was his head.  It just dropped anywhere gravity pulled it. I was so sorry for him and I was so sad I lost him.  I thought of the cost of buying a new companion for Batman and I thought of how to dispose of his body.

Then I wondered if he could still be revived.  His eyes were wide open.  I started pulling his legs without soliciting any response.  So I held him with my right hand and pressed his plastron and carapace hoping it would force him to breathe, just like CPR for humans less the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.  I was so pleasantly surprised when his hind legs started to feel hard again.  I pressed his shell again and slowly his neck started to feel rigid also.  He could still be alive! Then he blinked his eyes.   I placed him back in the water to check if he will try to make himself float. He did, so I took him again.

He was so weak and disoriented that he didn’t offer any resistance to my holding him for the next few minutes.  I lay him on his basking rock but he didn’t try to dive into the water. He would normally dive into the water as soon as he knows he’s being watched.

I was scheduled to play basketball so I brought Robin to the gym and observe him.   I didn’t want him to take the risk of immediately entering the water again with his condition. While playing basketball I kept on checking on him until I saw him with his strength and senses back.  He started to retract his head again when he sensed my presence and he started walking around the plastic ice cream container.

Thank You, Lord, Robin’s alive.  Had I arrived later I would have lost Robin for good.  Now he is back in the plastic tank in my bedroom.  I really need to work on the floating basking board I originally planned for their bedroom plastic tank.  I knew the rock could be dangerous as they want to burrow themselves in the rock.  Danger from the rock sliding and pinning them in the water is very, very real.

Have a happy second life, Robin.
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awww robin. good to know you’re alive.
shame on you kuya aboy, hehe. nar. nagpa-cute lang yung pet mo. x)
the xaris said this on December 11, 2008 at 12:54 pm