🐢
snuggles!
Shelly had an adventure outside on my roof terrace and I think she enjoyed herself. She munched on some weeds growing, tried to figure out what was under the wood planks and then cuddled up in my bed sheets when I brought her back in <3
whoa! thats one epic adventure. We need a nap just reading about it! zzzZZZzzzz
#Tortoise!!! These little fellas basically set the pace of the lifestyle here! There is nothing more patient and brave than a French Caribbean tortoise. They fearlessly cross the unpredictably, twisting & winding, hilly roads. #justgladtobehere (at Gustavia)
The human understands the tortoise’s true nature.
a tortoise i met today.
Displaced temporarily while maintainence is done on her home.
Displeasure level: Greta on a ficus.
Piggy was so excited when I found our first dandelions of the spring
She’s pretty dirty… she was taking a snack break from working on her burrow
NO TIME FOR BATH! MUST NOM DANDIE! OMNOMNOMNOMNOM
Piggy is a 10 yo sulcata. She was rescued by my family as a hatchling with shell rot, soft shell, and a severe respiratory infection from extremely poor care and neglect in what was essentially a puppy mill for tortoises. Her underbite was likely caused by these poor conditions and she occasionally needs to be taken to get it filed down, not a fun task with a 60lb monster.
She was originally rescued along with one more sulcata tortoise who died from her illnesses shortly after despite the expensive veterinary care and medication.Sulcata tortoises are unfortunately frequent victims of impulse buys from people who simply think they’re cool and don’t bother to learn proper care for the species. These are the third largest species of tortoise, getting up to around 150lbs. By the time the tortoise reaches 30lbs it’ll need at least a 10x10ft area it can roam, and by the time it’s 60lbs it’ll need a whole yard to roam and a large heated and sheltered shed. They are very expensive to provide proper heating, lighting, and housing for. These are not a species for just anyone and I personally don’t think they should be kept as pets at all by anyone. They can be quite aggressive and are strong enough that even a 60lb tortoise like piggy can walk straight through the average chain link fence like a piece of tissue… this is a tortoise that is only 10 years old. They are thought to have the potential to live well over 100 and they are constantly growing. A sulcata WILL get large and you NEED to have a plan should you die or be otherwise unable to care for the tortoise. If you don’t have someone reliable that is able will gladly care for your tortoise for the rest of their lives, should something happen to you, don’t get one, no matter how capable YOU alone might be. If properly cared for the tortoise WILL outlive you and you WILL need a plan for it.
VERY important response by a committed sulcata owner!
What gets me about this is not that Pedro followed Kloe to the door to beg to come inside. It’s that Kloe followed Pedro. Or, moreso, that Pedro knows to come to the door and act sad and pathetic, like the dogs do.
Let the right one in…. heeeee
Indian Star Tortoise
Geochelone elegans
1 Due to what
it’s named, the tortoise resides in Indian and can be found in parts of Sir
Lanka.2. As it is
a relatively easy animal in regards to it’s husbandry care requirements, it has
skyrocketed and become a very popular pet in the Herpetology society.3.Unlike
other tortois’s and turtles of it’s kind, it has adapted a very stable shell
which allows it to very easily upright itself once it has been overturned.4.Rather
small compared to it’s relatives, it normally never exceeds 10 inches.5.It’s shell
unlike many of it’s kind is actually made up of raised humps with star like
shapes patterning all over it.6.Living a
long life for it’s small age , ranging from 30-40 years.7.Not just
surviving but thriving on a plant based diet, which includes grass,fruit &
leaves. Though it has been found in some individuals that it will not pass up
the opportunity to feed on carrion & insects.8. Distributed
over Northern Indian & Sir Lanker, those individuals appear to have a much
more “dirtier” look, exhibiting a larger
growth and variations of black & grey .9. Their shell may appear as though it will stand
out, however it actually provides them with a nice camouflage away from
predators from a distance.10. Despite
it’s trusty shell these little guys are frequently preyed upon by large birds
of prey, reptiles such as snakes & crocodiles and unfortuatley humans.