Taming the Turtle
Before continuing, I should clarify my definition of "tame".
The animal should trust you enough to allow itself to be handled. You cannot expect your turtle to perform tricks or respond to you in the same capacity as a dog, cat, rat or bird. According to scientists, the reptilian brain may not be capable of "affection". There are many exceptions, especially in the case of iguanas and special turtles, to the mentioned theory. To earn the trust of an animal, you must always assume it is wild and dangerous if you are not certain of its history, allow it to become familiar with its surroundings by giving it 2-3 days of peace and quiet, move slowly in its presence and refrain from making loud noises (turtles do have internal ears). In the case of my turtles, they were willing to eat in front of me and thus learned very quickly to associate me with food and good things such as outdoor exercise. Overtime, your turtle will even take food from you hand or in Maggie's case, chopsticks. Turtle's are slow learners but they DO learn. Maggie is calm in his temporary enclosure and is not afraid of the pair of yellow rubber gloves I use to pick him up.

If Maggie needs to be confined temporarily he can get some sun in this enclosure which is in front of an open door. The plastic sheet is old shower curtain which keeps the carpet clean however it absorbed too much heat so I added a bath towel on top. [Zoom]	Here is Maggie greeting anyone who stops by his tank with his "Where's the food?" dance. It is not unusual for him to follow people from inside his tank. When the lights go out in his room he will spend his time trying to peer into the next room with the lights still on.	After vibrating his claws on a small white sea shell and slapping it around to show it "who's the boss in the tank" Maggie will end his work day with a nap under a heat lamp. Whenever I catch him courting the shell he stops as soon as I whip out the camera---he always hated the paparazzi.

Do turtles play?
In Maggie's case, YES. He exhibits behaviors which do not contribute to his survival. He LOVES to play with white sea shells. I have purchased hermit crab shells of various sizes and colors and he can consistently pick out his favorite shell out of the many in his tank. Maggie also enjoys flipping and sliding shells, by pressing his claw down and pushing the shell across the floor.

Maggie would remove the clear plastic tube which adds air and bubbles to the output stream. I've seen him hop up and out of the water to bite the tube and pull it out of the powerhead filter. No, Maggie is not interested in eating the tube and he loses interest as soon as it hits the water. Once he does this, I will walk over and replace the tube, he swims over and watches closely and fearlessly as I fiddle with the filter. Again he decides that the powerhead does not need to add oxygen to the water circulation in his tank:) The described pattern occurred so often I have permanently removed the tube.

Do turtles get lonely?
If the turtle has not lived with another turtle for a GREAT length of time then NO. The more important question is if you have the means and time to adopt another turtle and are prepared to care for the resulting eggs and babies after they mate. There is nothing to suggest that wild turtles live in groups. If you have seen pictures of pond turtles piled on top of one another it is because they are vying for the same basking spot. It is much better to provide excellent care to one turtle than substandard conditions to many.

Can turtles communicate?
It would be unfair for me to leave out the many occasions I may have observed a hierarchical behavior amongst my three females. Homer Marge and Bart were adopted at the same time and may have lived with one another for many years. Homer, the largest seemed to purposefully use her size and strength to push her companions off of basking spots (after which I just made a bigger one). I have seen Bart, the smallest, challenge Homer by lifting herself off the ground and assume a "face off" stance. Homer will then ram Bart or occasionally submit by turning away.

Lastly, I have seen my girls sit underwater in a circle and face each other to stare and blink at each other. All individuals are fully awake. I would like to think that the girls are gossiping about their care giver, LOL, but the behavior may simply be another way of establishing a hierarchy. Perhaps, the loser would back out of the group. In anycase, I have observed this formation numerous times. Whenever I tried to move in closer to observe they would break up commence with the "give me food" dance.

Turtles have no vocal chords so if they did have a way to communicate, besides smell, it may be in a blinking code. One of the books listed in the bibliography section mentioned that the vibration of the male's nail in front of the female's face will induce her to blink thereby creating white flashes with her eyelids and communicate her willingness to mate. In any case, there are many mysteries in nature which have yet to be discovered. I personally believe that although animals may not have languages, as far as we know, but I'm sure that they can and do communicate amongst themselves.

Basic equipment: Gloves, portable enclosure (if I need to step away momentarily), lawn chair, and active turtle.	Another view of the temporary enclosure for the occasions when I cannot be outside with him.