Leah’s pet comes out of his shell

By Emma Sun
WHEN Leah McGrath’s three closest friends couldn’t get her a puppy for her 21st birthday, they bought her a pet of a different sort – a short neck turtle, which Leah named Sheldon.
For those who watch The Big Bang Theory, the connection to the hilariously character is immediately obvious.
“I really like the show so I named him after Sheldon,” Leah said.
“He kind of looks like Sheldon as well.”
Her friends’ decision to get her a turtle didn’t come completely out of the blue, as Leah said she had always had a love for turtles.
“My friends didn’t get him on the actual day because he hadn’t hatched yet,” Leah said.
“He’s still only little, a couple of months old.”
The little turtle has already developed an attachment to Leah, swimming towards her in his tank whenever he sees her around.
“Whenever you come into the room he’ll swim up to the window and look at you,” Leah said.
“He always looks for food when I come in. He’ll start sniffing the rocks to see if I’ve left anything there for him.”
At the moment Sheldon eats only minced meat and frozen fish and fish food because of his size and age, but eventually he’ll grow up to eating live food.
“He’ll eat insects and live fish once he gets bigger,” Leah said.
“He’s still only little so he can’t eat big stuff yet but he’ll eat crickets and flies and all sorts of insects eventually.
“I’ll try to catch them for him when he hits that stage.”
Sheldon has endured some pokes and prodding at the hands of Leah, who has already tested to see what it takes for him to shrink back into his shell.
“When he gets scared he’ll shrink back into the shell and when he sleeps he does it as well,” she said.
“I’ve poked him and he does shrink back in. If you move too quickly or if you’re really loud he gets scared and he’ll move back into his shell.”
Sheldon aside, Leah also has a few other pets that keep her entertained, including three budgies and two fish.
“I used to have a dog and I’ve had all sorts of animals, hermit crabs as well,” she said.
“The hermit crabs weren’t very exciting though.”
Leah’s fondness for animals doesn’t extend to the rest of her family, with her mother already telling her that Sheldon will be her last pet. Leah doesn’t mind – she says Sheldon is her favourite anyway.
“I like Sheldon the most,” she said.
“Turtles live for a long time, so I’m hoping we’ll be good for a long time.”