Can turtles climb?

Aaron and I are both big time animal lovers. So much so that both of us want to work at a veterinarians office so badly, but we know that we can't because we would bring home every single stray that was brought in. At one time we had a cat, a goffin cockatoo, a cockateil, a squirrel that Aaron rescued from his hunting club, and two sugar gliders. A small zoo to say the least. And that was all while we lived in our apartment that didn't allow pets. And you thought the cat was the only problem.

Lots of things have changed now that we have Aeralyn. We got rid of the cockatoo because we were afraid she would chomp off a curious toddler finger, our cockateil died =(, the squirrell was released back into the wild, and the sugar gliders were given away. We still have Coal (although he is outside now, and loving it by the way), and we have Lola, our Chihuahua, a beta, and two Red-eared slider turtles. That is plenty for now, although I would LOVE to get an outside doggie. Preferably a Springer Spaniel, but that is all beside the point that I'm trying to get to.

Two days after Christmas, I noticed that one of our turtles was not in the tank. They are in a tank with a cover, a filter, a light and a heater, the whole deal, so something that they are not supposed to be able to get out of. Well, one apparently is a little more adventurous than the other, and decided he wanted to explore. As soon as I realized he was out, roaming around my house, I proceeded to freak out. I like the turtles, they are nice to look at, but that's as far as it goes with me. I have no desire to touch them or have them touch me, and I certainly do not want them lost, GOD knows where, in my house.

I called Aaron, and this was our conversation:

Me: Um, one of the turtles is gone.
Him: What do you mean one of the turtles is gone?
Me: I mean one of them is GONE as in NOT IN THE TANK ANYMORE AND POSSIBLY WATING FOR US TO GO TO BED TONIGHT SO THAT IT CAN CRAWL INTO OUR BED WITH US AND CHEW ON US OR SOMETHING OH MY GOOOOODDD!!!
Him: Are you seriously freaking out over a little turtle? *hysterical laughter*
Me: AAARROOONNNN!!!
Him: Okay, have you tried looking for him?
Me: No.
Him: Well, you need to look for him, and if you don't find him, I'll help you when I get home.
Me: Okay, but what if I find him?
Him: Then you'll need to put him back in the tank.
Me: So, I'll have to touch him.
Him: Or you could just use that green net thing that we use for the fish.
Me: Okay. I hope I find him.
Him: Me too.

I did not find him. Aaron did not find him. The search went on for a week, and we thought surely that he was dead. We figured we would run across him one day, dried up, in a corner somewhere. It was a pretty sad thing because we don't like to think of any animals suffering.

Last night, I picked up a pillow off of the floor that I had laid down there the night before, and guess what was under that pillow? The turtle. AND HE WAS ALIVE!! We couldn't believe that he had survived this whole time without water or food. He is now happily swimming around the tank with his other turtle buddy. It was a little turtle miracle around our house last night.

I'm just gld that now I can get some sleep knowing that a turtle won't be climbing into my bed to chew on my ears.