I joined the forum a couple of months ago when I was given a turtle. My co-worker brought it into my classroom and handed it to me. She basically said, "Here's a turtle for your class. I've had it in my living room all summer and I can't get it to eat. Now it's eyes are swollen shut. I hope you can make it better."
I joined because I knew nothing about turtles and this thing desperately needed some help. Thanks to y'all, I think it's thriving.
The turtle was a purported male and named Frito by the woman's children. Later I was told by another dubious source that the turtle was a female. In the event that it is a female, I've renamed it Frida Kahlo--because she's beautiful like that!
Anyway, I'm a career education teacher at a specialized school that serves students with visual and other impairments. I wrote and received a grant (from Federal stimulus funds) to teach animal care to my students. I have a classroom full of caged animals including the turtle; hermit crabs; parakeets, Guinea pigs; a chinchilla; a rabbit; a gerbil; an aquarium and a hamster. Within the next few weeks, I will be getting a snake or lizard. I also have a kennel to house dogs and cats; a commercial grooming table and a commercial bathtub. In the future I will expand to grooming and pet sitting dogs and cats. On the lower academic range, I teach students how to interact with animals while maintaining safety for the pet and the child. On the higher end, I have curriculum for teaching pet sitting, dog grooming, veterinary technician, kennel technician; pet store worker; and/or animal shelter volunteer and any other related field.
On the personal side I'm married to aerospace engineer and we live on acreage just outside of Austin. We have a horse, two dogs, a cat and a 65 year old Amazon parrot. We also grow olive trees. My interests include hiking, camping, horseback riding, reading, Braille, sign language, dark beer, and a host of other things.
