It’s been 11 years since I first looked into the red eyes of my beloved box turtle, who we named “Sheldon.” He is the greatest pet I ever had, and this last “birthday” ( which is really just the anniversary of us finding him) we just had to celebrate.

My parents made it so special. My stepdad bought a beautiful cake, which bore my turtle’s name on it in chocolate glaze. I spent the day at the pet store looking for some new things in the reptile-care isle. I bought Sheldon a BIG new water dish that he can climb in and out of. It was a really expensive one, ($30) but it’s really made especially for box turtles to soak and bathe in. At first he was shy to it, but since I added it to his terrarium, he’s fallen in love with it to say the least.

On the night of his birthday, we fed him several live earthworms I bought from a local pet shop. They were hard to find, because most pet stores surprisingly did not sell them. Earthworms are by far Sheldon’s favorite food, but due to their “yuckiness”, he only gets them on special occasions. He had a great day- we really showed our pet how much he is loved.