Jacques, the Eastern Mud Turtle

CarolM

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Me: "Look what mommy brought you Jacques!!! A gut-loaded CRICKET!!!! They're YUMMY!"
Jacques: "What's a cricket? THAT thing?"
Me: "Yes- see how it's wiggling? Does't that bring out your fierce PREDATOR instinct?? Check it out!"

View attachment 247125



Jacques: (stretches out her neck, sniffs the cricket and recoils from it) "EWWWW!!!! It smells like a BUG!"

View attachment 247114

Me: "That's because it IS an insect! FRESH!!! LIVE FOOD!!! Lunch AND entertainment, all in one!!!"
Jacques: (wails...) "It's a BUG!!! BUGS STINK!!!! I DON'T LIKE BUGS!!!"
Me: "Jacques, you've never eaten a bug in your entire LIFE. You could try it JUST ONCE...It's GOOD for you! ALL turtles love to eat bugs!"
Jacques: "Not THIS turtle!!!! BUGS ARE GROSS!!!"

Me: "JACQUES.PLEASE.TRY.THE CRICKET."
Jacques: "MOM.IT'S.A.BUG."
Me: "Oh, don't go off and sulk, Jacques- that won't resolve anything..Jacques!!!..."

View attachment 247126
Oh no Jacques. You should at least try one before you decide you don't like it!!
 

JoesMum

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Kent, South East England
Me: "Look what mommy brought you Jacques!!! A gut-loaded CRICKET!!!! They're YUMMY!"
Jacques: "What's a cricket? THAT thing?"
Me: "Yes- see how it's wiggling? Does't that bring out your fierce PREDATOR instinct?? Check it out!"

View attachment 247125



Jacques: (stretches out her neck, sniffs the cricket and recoils from it) "EWWWW!!!! It smells like a BUG!"

View attachment 247114

Me: "That's because it IS an insect! FRESH!!! LIVE FOOD!!! Lunch AND entertainment, all in one!!!"
Jacques: (wails...) "It's a BUG!!! BUGS STINK!!!! I DON'T LIKE BUGS!!!"
Me: "Jacques, you've never eaten a bug in your entire LIFE. You could try it JUST ONCE...It's GOOD for you! ALL turtles love to eat bugs!"
Jacques: "Not THIS turtle!!!! BUGS ARE GROSS!!!"

Me: "JACQUES.PLEASE.TRY.THE CRICKET."
Jacques: "MOM.IT'S.A.BUG."
Me: "Oh, don't go off and sulk, Jacques- that won't resolve anything..Jacques!!!..."

View attachment 247126
[emoji23]

Oh Jacques you are such a diva!
 

Moozillion

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This is great - I love Jacques! That overbite is just divine...!!!:):<3:
Can I please get a Jacques T-Shirt, at least??? A swizzle stick???
Really, the cutest turtle I have ever seen in my long life!
Thank you SO MUCH, TammyJ! :):<3:
I agree, their faces are just TOO CUTE FOR WORDS!!!!!!

I'm afraid I do not have any Jacques "gear," although I'm sure she would LOVE to know she was on a tee-shirt! :p
 

Moozillion

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Me: "Hey, Jacques, I remember that you've eaten guppies before, so put a bunch of guppies in your tank a couple of weeks ago. I named each of them "Hodor" after the character on Game of Thrones whose destiny was to sacrifice his life for the greater good. I told the Hodors that THEIR destiny was to provide a high quality protein source for a mud turtle- YOU! I notice they're all still there, but really: it's Ok to eat them."
Jacques: "Nope. Not gonna eat them."
Me: "But why not???"
Guppy Hodor 3: "We didn't like that Destiny that you gave us, so we negotiated a NEW Destiny."
Me: "Wait...:eek: WHAT??!?!?"
Guppy Hodor 7: "Yeah. We told the turtle that if she wouldn't eat us, we'd get the ghost shrimp to leave her alone and quit bothering her. So we nip at them whenever we see them and they're hiding a lot. You haven't seen many ghost shrimp out lately, have you?"
Me: "Well, now that you mention it I haven't...but..."
Jacques: "They're doing a great job keeping the ghost shrimp away. So I'm honoring MY side of the bargain. Not gonna eat guppies."
Me: "...I don't even know what to say..."
Jaques: "Say you'll get me some salmon."
 

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Kristoff

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Me: "Hey, Jacques, I remember that you've eaten guppies before, so put a bunch of guppies in your tank a couple of weeks ago. I named each of them "Hodor" after the character on Game of Thrones whose destiny was to sacrifice his life for the greater good. I told the Hodors that THEIR destiny was to provide a high quality protein source for a mud turtle- YOU! I notice they're all still there, but really: it's Ok to eat them."
Jacques: "Nope. Not gonna eat them."
Me: "But why not???"
Guppy Hodor 3: "We didn't like that Destiny that you gave us, so we negotiated a NEW Destiny."
Me: "Wait...:eek: WHAT??!?!?"
Guppy Hodor 7: "Yeah. We told the turtle that if she wouldn't eat us, we'd get the ghost shrimp to leave her alone and quit bothering her. So we nip at them whenever we see them and they're hiding a lot. You haven't seen many ghost shrimp out lately, have you?"
Me: "Well, now that you mention it I haven't...but..."
Jacques: "They're doing a great job keeping the ghost shrimp away. So I'm honoring MY side of the bargain. Not gonna eat guppies."
Me: "...I don't even know what to say..."
Jaques: "Say you'll get me some salmon."

Brilliant! [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji173]️[emoji173]️[emoji173]️[emoji173]️[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]
 

CarolM

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Location (City and/or State)
South Africa - Cape Town
Me: "Hey, Jacques, I remember that you've eaten guppies before, so put a bunch of guppies in your tank a couple of weeks ago. I named each of them "Hodor" after the character on Game of Thrones whose destiny was to sacrifice his life for the greater good. I told the Hodors that THEIR destiny was to provide a high quality protein source for a mud turtle- YOU! I notice they're all still there, but really: it's Ok to eat them."
Jacques: "Nope. Not gonna eat them."
Me: "But why not???"
Guppy Hodor 3: "We didn't like that Destiny that you gave us, so we negotiated a NEW Destiny."
Me: "Wait...:eek: WHAT??!?!?"
Guppy Hodor 7: "Yeah. We told the turtle that if she wouldn't eat us, we'd get the ghost shrimp to leave her alone and quit bothering her. So we nip at them whenever we see them and they're hiding a lot. You haven't seen many ghost shrimp out lately, have you?"
Me: "Well, now that you mention it I haven't...but..."
Jacques: "They're doing a great job keeping the ghost shrimp away. So I'm honoring MY side of the bargain. Not gonna eat guppies."
Me: "...I don't even know what to say..."
Jaques: "Say you'll get me some salmon."
Love it.!!
 

KarenSoCal

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Me: "Hey, Jacques, I remember that you've eaten guppies before, so put a bunch of guppies in your tank a couple of weeks ago. I named each of them "Hodor" after the character on Game of Thrones whose destiny was to sacrifice his life for the greater good. I told the Hodors that THEIR destiny was to provide a high quality protein source for a mud turtle- YOU! I notice they're all still there, but really: it's Ok to eat them."
Jacques: "Nope. Not gonna eat them."
Me: "But why not???"
Guppy Hodor 3: "We didn't like that Destiny that you gave us, so we negotiated a NEW Destiny."
Me: "Wait...:eek: WHAT??!?!?"
Guppy Hodor 7: "Yeah. We told the turtle that if she wouldn't eat us, we'd get the ghost shrimp to leave her alone and quit bothering her. So we nip at them whenever we see them and they're hiding a lot. You haven't seen many ghost shrimp out lately, have you?"
Me: "Well, now that you mention it I haven't...but..."
Jacques: "They're doing a great job keeping the ghost shrimp away. So I'm honoring MY side of the bargain. Not gonna eat guppies."
Me: "...I don't even know what to say..."
Jaques: "Say you'll get me some salmon."
Just excellent! And her face in that picture...priceless!
 

Moozillion

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Me: "Hi, Jacques. I brought you something NEW to try! But it's alive, so don't let it get away!" (drops in freshly-dug earthworm from our pesticide-free garden)
Jacques: "YARRRR!!!!! GOTCHA!!!!! OM NOM NOMMMMM !!!"
Me: "WOWIE, Jacques!!!! You GOT him!!!! And he put up a good fight, too!!!!"
Jacques: "HAHA!!! He was NO MATCH for ME!!!!!"

(Me, THRILLED that I finally found something healthy that she'll eat!!!! HappyDanceHappyDanceHappyDance!!!!!!! :):):):):):):):):):) )

IMG_0497.JPG
 

Pastel Tortie

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Me: "Hi, Jacques. I brought you something NEW to try! But it's alive, so don't let it get away!" (drops in freshly-dug earthworm from our pesticide-free garden)
Jacques: "YARRRR!!!!! GOTCHA!!!!! OM NOM NOMMMMM !!!"
Me: "WOWIE, Jacques!!!! You GOT him!!!! And he put up a good fight, too!!!!"
Jacques: "HAHA!!! He was NO MATCH for ME!!!!!"

(Me, THRILLED that I finally found something healthy that she'll eat!!!! HappyDanceHappyDanceHappyDance!!!!!!! :):):):):):):):):):) )

View attachment 249205

If she ever asks, tell her it's spaghetti... :)
 

Kristoff

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Messages
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Location (City and/or State)
Ottawa, Ontario
Me: "Hi, Jacques. I brought you something NEW to try! But it's alive, so don't let it get away!" (drops in freshly-dug earthworm from our pesticide-free garden)
Jacques: "YARRRR!!!!! GOTCHA!!!!! OM NOM NOMMMMM !!!"
Me: "WOWIE, Jacques!!!! You GOT him!!!! And he put up a good fight, too!!!!"
Jacques: "HAHA!!! He was NO MATCH for ME!!!!!"

(Me, THRILLED that I finally found something healthy that she'll eat!!!! HappyDanceHappyDanceHappyDance!!!!!!! :):):):):):):):):):) )

View attachment 249205

Aha! She’s finally “worm”ing up to the idea of healthy eating! Well done, Jacques! [emoji173]️
 

Moozillion

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Aha! She’s finally “worm”ing up to the idea of healthy eating! Well done, Jacques! [emoji173]️

I saw that! [emoji6]
Yes- I am SO relieved! I’ve been reading up about vermicomposting so I can keep her supplied during the colder months when I can’t find worms in the garden. [emoji2]
 

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