Charlotte Wakes Up

After Charlotte dreams each night, she must awaken to a bright new day. Some days, her human allows her to sleep in. Most days, she wakes around 9am. She wakes slowly, as a child might on a school day. If her human is in a hurry, she will be awakened early, to ensure proper feeding. As yellow bellied slider turtles require a twelve hour circadian rhythm, she is generally put to bed at approximately 9pm each night. When Charlotte wakes up, the first thing she looks forward to, is food. This is good because it is an indication that she is healthy and looking forward to getting stronger. Her basking lamp is turned on first and once she comes out of her shell for the morning, her human will shake the food, which Charlotte knows by sight, and sound. She scurries fast toward the side of the tank where she is fed and pops her head up out of the water as if to say, “okay, I’m ready, feed me!” After feeding time, Charlotte is delicately handled and inspected for any infection that may find its way to her shell or skin. Now it is time for exercise. She will be taken outdoors for at least an hour each day as well as it will be ensured that she basks for at least two of her waking hours per day. Some turtles hibernate. Mostly in the wild. Charlotte will not need to hibernate because she has a human that cares for her. Instead, every day is bright and new and appreciated in the world of this little reptile. She awakens to a loving, caring voice that feeds her and she is just happy to be alive.