Methuselah and pets

When we first moved in to our flat in September, we bought two little fish. One was black with googly eyes and we called it Hoover because it used to suck up the stones at the bottom of the fish bowl instead of eating its fish food. The other one was orangey gold with black fins and was adorably round (ie. fat). We called it Glitter because it was nice and glittery.

Hoover used to hide behind the plastic plant and when Glitter swam by, it would leap out and chase after it. They got along very well.

Anyway, about five days later Glitter went to meet his maker and the next day Hoover followed him to fishy heaven. I was devastated. I fell into a deep depression. Was it my fault? Were they just too young? Did they not like us? Why? Why?

On the 1st October, we bought a turtle. Beza wasn't too keen on a turtle- he said they were depressing to look at, but I told him they were less predisposed to death.

We called him Methuselah, in the hopes he'd live as many years as the biblical Methuselah. The first few weeks he didn't eat anything. I'd throw in a mini shrimp and it would be floating there the next morning. I'd change it for a fresh shrimp and the same thing would happen.

He started getting skinnier between his carapace and his neck started getting wrinklier and he seemed to be sleepy all the time. So we bought him a water heater and about a week later, when I threw in a shrimp, he turned around, looked at it and chomped it up. It was the highlight of my week.

Now we've started giving him ham and fried pig snout as well, which he seems to enjoy. This morning he ate 12 mini shrimps, which, being the size that he is, is about the equivalent of 12 good sized bread rolls for humans.

One night I accidentally turned off his water heater and when I went to feed him the next morning, he swam really slowly and stiffly, like he was half frozen. It was pretty cute.