introduce mustard greens to pet turtle + my cat loves turtles

Have you been having trouble feeding your turtle veggies? Here, I show you my secret of how I got my turtles to eat leafy greens, and that is Mustard Greens because they are extra zesty and flavorful! Plus, my cat wants to be on camera because she loves turtles!

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The following are used or appear in the video:
MacCourt 26-inch wide x 7-inch deep, 9 gallon Plantainer Pond
Bucket
Inomata Japanese Plastic Basin Tub
Fluker Farms Repta Clamp Lamp Ceramic 8.5″
Fluval Underwater Filter
Sony RX100
Panasonic HC-V800 HD Camcorder
GoPro Hero 8 Black

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video: challenge your pet turtle to work for its food

Even though pet turtles are happy swimming, eating and sunbathing, being in an aquarium may get monotonous for your pet turtle. So how about stimulating the turtle’s mind and body by making it work for its food? In this simple challenge, I let my turtle solve a puzzle to get some green leaf lettuce that is just out of reach. An eager turtle is amusing to watch. Check out my video and enjoy!

Thank you for watching!
Please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE for more :)

The following are used in my video:
Inomata Japanese Plastic Basin Tub
Fluker Farms Repta Clamp Lamp Ceramic 8.5″
Fluval Underwater Filter
Sony RX100
Panasonic HC-V800 HD Camcorder
GoPro Hero 8 Black

video: i let my turtles outside! (no lockdown for turtles here)

During the state lockdown, I let my pet turtles out of their aquarium to have a nice meal. I also take them outside to get fresh air and natural sunlight.

Check out my video to get your mind off of things right now :)  Enjoy!

illustration: stone crab

The Stone Crab is commonly found in the marshes of South Carolina to Florida to Lousiana. Their claws are so large that they are considered a popular delicacy. After one or both of their claws are removed for harvesting, the crab is then returned to the sea where they can miraculously grow back their claws. Fully grown back, in 3 years time, that is.

The stone crab was a fun drawing to do because I got to the chance to experiment with texture on a fascinating creature. I wanted to apply spontaneous brushwork as if the crab was blending in with the rocks or sand. This watercolor painting of mine is remastered for 11 x 17 size print. My illustration is available at my store. Check it out :)

hungry cats

It’s 3 a.m.! Have you fed your cats? My cartoon shows how my three cats are not shy about asking for kibble in the wee hours of the morning.

illustration: clams

The earliest clams first appeared 500 million years ago. Clams are a bi-valve mollusk. Unlike oysters and mussels which need to be anchored to rocks in order to survive, clams burrow themselves within the sandy bottom of the ocean floor.

Although clams may look uninspiring, they play an important part to healthy coastal waters because of their role in filter feeding.

I am experimenting with a new type of art pen which gives me a finer line. It reminds me of when I used Repidograph pens in school. Drawing clams formations is a good exercise for me to study contours and detail. So with my clam sketches, less is more.

watercolor: dungeness crab (v2)

Along the west coast of America, up to the Pacific Northwest, lives the Dungeness Crab. It is one of the larger family of crabs. Their name is derived from Dungeness, a fish port town in Puget Sound, Washington state. Their lifespan is about 10 years. Commercially caught Dungeness Crabs are usually around 5 years old when their shells reach 6 to 7 inches wide. Crabs grow through a process called molting where it sheds its shell for a new, larger one. Each time this happens, the crab grows 15 to 25%. They can be found in muddy/sandy portions of estuaries with eelgrass, along rocky shores, or as deep as 2000 feet in the ocean where they forage for small fish and invertebrates, such as clams and mussels.

Here is some good news. In a world full of so many threatened species of sea life, Dungeness crabs are actually a very good choice as a sustainable food source.  Regulations is saving the species. For example, in Canada, Dungeness Crab fisheries have catch size limitations. This protects male crabs until they are sexually mature, giving them the chance to spawn before being harvested. Female crabs are also protected by having fishing season restrictions.

What is your favorite prepared way to eat crab?  Mine is Hong Kong-style which is stir-fried in a wok and tossed with soy sauce, green onions, and lots of scrambled egg. Yummy.

I have painted a Dungeness Crab before, however, my approach toward doing watercolor has changed over time, so this is version 2 of the beloved tasty subject.

sketch: cat instructions

I drew up a diagram for the cat sitter while I was away for the weekend. Perhaps, I made it more confusing than helpful. Still, my cats made it through fine. They hardly knew I was gone.

illustration: ebi nigiri

This is my drawing of shrimp sushi.  Ebi Nigiri is another easy to make sushi.  All that is needed is headless Black Tiger shrimp, or any type of jumbo shrimp, and sticky short grain rice.  Remove the shell, but keep the tail on.  Use bamboo skewers to straighten the shrimp, then boil until they turn a bright orange.  Stop the cooking process by dipping the shrimp into a bowl of ice.  Add salt and a squeeze of lemon. Lastly, butterfly the shrimp on the bottom and lay onto the rice. Easy!

illustration: salmon nigiri

If you want to make sushi at home and impress your friends, Salmon Nigiri could be the easiest to do. No rolling required. Just have a sharp knife to slice salmon and lay it over sticky short grain rice, seasoned with vinegar, salt and sugar.  It’s important to freeze the salmon over night, approximately 16 hours, before thawing the next day, and preparing to eat. Freezing kills off impurities in the fish. Or simply ask your fish market that you want to make edible raw sushi, and he/she will give you “sushi-grade” salmon.

This is my little sushi drawing. Doesn’t it look delicious?