Turtle mom guilt

[klwilliams]

It's probably a good thing I don't have kids, because I feel great guilt and despair about what a terrible turtle mom I am, so I can just imagine how I'd feel about human children. Of course, human children (and cats) are proactive about their needs, and have no compunction about whining, crying, and sticking their wet noses up your nostril to let you know they're hungry. (At least, cats do.) My turtles are very quiet. I gave them a bath tonight, and tried to clip their toenails. G'Kwan's toenails are growing in a tight circle, but they're not that long, so I can't tell where to cut them. I trimmed Dymphna's some, but in one case I misjudged, and now her toenail is bleeding. I feel terrible. However, they display no signs of sickness or parasites, and I looked them over carefully. About a month ago, little tiny white insects were crawling on their shells, but there's no sign of them anymore. Also, G'Kwan, who used to have skin problems, is looking much, much better, so I'm probably doing a much better job than I think I am. Still, I wish I had a nice outdoor area for them to wander around in.