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Shelly the Turtle Likes Hard-boiled Eggs

Thursday, July 26, 2012


It is with extreme pleasure and excitement that I offer my latest bit of primitive but amusing natural history cinematography to you, gentle readers. 

Here is the definitive proof that the five-year-old beauty Sara stumbled upon in our sanctuary IS Shelly. Shelly, as you'll remember, spent her first year in captivity eating hard-boiled eggs. Which isn't a bad food for a young box turtle, apparently.

She is as overjoyed as a turtle can be to see another hard-boiled egg. It had been almost a year since she'd eaten one. This video was made July 20, 2012, and Shelly had been enrolled in our Outward Bound for Young Box Turtles program for nearly a year, wandering the sanctuary alone.

Chet Baker fans will find several extremely cute and characteristic cameos from their black-and-white darling in this film. That dog leads a very hard life.

Without further ado:


Shelly was re-released the next afternoon, right where we found her. Bon voyage, my dear turtlet. Come back and see us.

16 comments:

Nothing like a warmy and fuzzy moment with a box turtle!

Your video made me smile and laugh. Between Shelly and Chet Baker, friends and family hanging out to watch, it was a delight to see. Thank you!

I am a new reader of your blog - a friend introduced me - and I am loving it! I am also an animal lover and would-be orchid caretaker, and I have two Boston Terriers. A perfect fit!

Too funny!

That is one habituated turtle.

How lovely to have a little reunion!

And I do love the homey flavor of your vid. Thanks for sharing!

That is one habituated turtle.

How lovely to have a little reunion!

And I do love the homey flavor of your vid. Thanks for sharing!

I think you are the coolest! Wonderful video.
Nice to hear some other "girl" is crazy about fish, frogs, birds.....all in the backyard!

Posted by Anonymous July 26, 2012 at 2:32 PM

Love the turtle, and LOVE Chet Baker's indignant "Harrumph!" look on his face at the end of the video.

Well, real, live, in the fur footage of The Baker! At last! I was so excited when I saw the link on Facebook, I couldn't hardly click fast enough! Oh, and the turtle is ok, too, but CHET BAKER! OMG! What a star.

Posted by Marie W. Springfield, VA July 26, 2012 at 4:10 PM

she's so cute, reminds me so much of our late departed bearded dragon, also a big egg fancier.

thanks for posting!

THAT just made my day.

This was fascinating! I saw the previous post, too. I wondered how turtles raised with humans would do out in the wild and they do very well! Shelley obviously remembered you and seemed happy to visit, was quite comfortable with you. And loved the treats. This was so interesting! I can see why young children like to have a turtle as a pet, they seem to get along well with humans.

How delightful! I love that she was in the "Outward Bound for Young Box Turtles program"--hilarious! Thanks for sharing :-)

Loved these turtle posts.
What a lucky, lucky box turtle.
...and how awesome is Chet?
Totally awesome.

I've enjoyed the postings about Shelley. When I was about 10 (this is the 1950's) my brother found a box turtle who had had a hole drilled in it's shell so that a metal ring could be installed. We assumed it was to keep him on a rope. It was winter so our parents said we could keep him until spring when he would be released. We theorized that whoever had mistreated him had been female because even though Mom fed him, he would hiss and draw his head in when she approached. However, when he saw my brother, the head would come out and he would permit his head to be stroked. When last seen, all those years ago, Snappy was heading for the neighborhood creek

Baker is a saint. How he knows to leave the turtle alone is amazing.
How many people get to hand feed a box turtle in their living room?

Shelly is no dope! I have no doubt that she recognized you and your house and the yum yum yummy food she got there. I would not even put it past her to pause occasionally by the turtle-release puddle, as part of her home territory meandering, just hoping that she might run into you and get some of that good food again.

Posted by Gail Spratley June 24, 2016 at 3:07 PM
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