Today I’m going to share with you my turtle dilemma. I’ve spent several days and way too many hours trying to figure out why these little creatures are trying to get into my house. That’s correct. You read it right the first time. I have turtles, not one, but several trying to get through my front door pretty much on a daily basis. It drives our Golden Retriever wild and it’s really starting to bug me as well. 
I think we are dealing with red-eared sliders. They are Texas’ most common aquatic turtle and get their name from the broad red stripe behind their eye and their habit of sliding off rocks and logs when startled. These turtles can live for more than 30 years and I’ve seen my fair share of all shapes and sizes lately.
It all started last year about April. There was a weird scratching at the front door and our dog went ballistic. I was very leery at first. These days you never know how or who is going to try and get you to open the door. So I made sure no one was standing on the porch or hiding in the bushes before slowly cracking the door. It took a minute for me to realize what was making the sound, but there it was. A medium sized turtle trying its best to push through the small opening. Silly thing. I helped it back into the flowerbed and forgot about it. Not an hour later the same noise started up again and I expected to find the same t
urtle. But when I opened the door this time, the turtle was huge! Totally freaked me out. The kids got a real kick out of it and wanted to keep it. Not in this lifetime. 
After they got this guy set on another path, we didn’t see anymore for the rest of the year. No big deal. Case closed.
Jump to this year about the beginning of May. I’m sitting, writing in the front room as I usually do about the same time everyday and dang if I don’t hear the noise again. No way. Couldn’t be. But our dog didn’t miss the sound either and started trying to dig a hole on the tiled floor to get under the door. Sure enough there was a turtle bound and determined to enter despite the dog barking and now drooling all over my floor. I decided to put this turtle in a box and take him down the street to a neighbor who lives closer to a pond by the schools. It was just lost after all.
Next day, same noise and another turtle. It was a smaller one this time and now I’m beginning to think someone is playing tricks on us. I paid closer attention for the next several days trying to catch them in the act but the turtles kept visiting us without the help of a tricky accomplice. One even managed to sneak through the door when my husband came home from work.
Now I have no idea what’s going on, but it’s driving me nuts. Why are these reptiles trying to get in my house? Don’t they need water? Where are they coming from? And most importantly, how do I get them to stop! They are really disrupting my writing schedule. I’m pretty good at procrastination and distraction all by myself. I really don’t need their help! LOL
Any ideas on why these turtles keep showing up on my front porch? Is there a logical explanation? Have you had a strange encounter with your local wildlife?
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Ewwww….. but I have to say, that’s better than rodents or cockroaches!
That’s crazy that DIFFERENT ones are coming up to your house. I don’t know what to do about that. But I have to say, get ready for more. I’ve been seeing turtles everywhere this year.
That is very very strange! and quite an interesting story. Maybe your house is a portal to another world…turtle world. And all these turtle are trying to get home.
actually, sounds like a child’s book!
hehe…can’t help myself:
Timmy Turtle is lost and sad.
He really misses his mom and dad.
He wants to go home,
Safe where he can roam.
But wicked Melissa blocks way.
She turns him out everyday.
He lifts his sad little head,
But she grunts with dread.
Timmy Turtle will try again tomorrow.
Hopefully then Melissa with pity his sorrow.
Rodents and cockroaches would be much worse! Ack! You are so right, Keri!! We’ve had alot of rain lately, so maybe that’s why there are coming out in the open more and my house is just in their way. LOL
Oh, a portal to another world. That’s good! Great idea for a childrens book. Hmmm. Got my brain going now!!
And Keri! You had me rolling with your poem!! LOL Poor little turtles!!
Oh, my!! How VERY strange. Perhaps your house was built on a migration trail. I don’t know, do turtles migrate? At least, like everyone else said, they are turtles, which I think are really kinda cute. If it were me I’d take at trip down to some kind of expert, animal shelter, local college, you know, and share what is happening….
It might be something very logical.
PLEASE keep us abreast of it. Inquiring minds want to know!
~Caroline
Wow Melissa, I have no idea how to stop turtles. Really stuck on this one. It would kinda cool the first time, but to have them keep coming back would rough.
I’m with Caroline, you’ve got to let us know what’s happening.
Melissa, I have a friend who found a rattlesnake laying across the living room floor in the middle of the night. Their dog started barking, and she couldn’t understand why it was barking. She followed the dog, and there it was. She had to call someone to get it out and kill it!
Caroline, I never thought about that. We are close to a pond. Maybe we ARE just in the way! LOL I haven’t seen one today. Maybe they’ve figured out it’s useless to try anymore.
It was pretty cool at first, Vicki. And now that Jamie has opened my eyes with the rattlesnake in the living room story, I think I’ll stop worrying so much. Wow! I would have had a heartattack on that one!! Hate, Hate, HATE snakes!!! LOL
Really fun post, Melissa. More fun than I’ve had in a long time….
Thanks!