Musing on Turtles. I mean Tortoises.

Musing on Turtles. I mean Tortoises.

I don’t do water animals anymore.

I can’t keep up with a very heathy, rapidly growing Oscar. No way to keep that guy’s tank clean.

My youngest wanted a turtle for Christmas.

NO WATER. I love his Oscar. I hate the mess and refuse to be saddled with two messy water creatures.

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If any of you can’t keep a secret, stop reading here…..

Santa is bringing my son a tortoise.

This tortoise.

This Russian tortoise that is now upstairs in my house that was in a pet shop in Loganville until yesterday.

I went to get her. I brought her home in a box.

When I opened the box up — she evidently took out her fright in being transported in a cardboard box by defecating all over herself.

I felt sorry for her and cleaned her up. She didn’t seem to like it very much and was hissing at me. Then she tried to rake my hands with her very large talons…

Gretel. She looked to me like a Gretel. Which is a problem because she is Russian not German.

I put her in her new home and she hid under a log.

🙁

Maybe she wasn’t happy?

Good news was she was out and about this morning.

I was rather alarmed to see Oreo hovering so close but then thought — it’s a turtle (uh, tortoise) the cat can’t harm the tortoise.

Then I realized Oreo’s only real interest in her was the heat lamp. Whew.

I went and picked Gretel some fresh collards from the garden and placed them in her lovely manse.

Going back up a few minutes later.

She lives!

She had to have walked over there all by her tortoise self.

The pet shop owner estimated that Gretel was already 10 years old…and could live another 40 to 50 years.

I better make sure she’s happy since she’s going to be taking care of me when I’m back in diapers.

Have you ever had a turtle? I mean tortoise.

Please say it wasn’t absolutely horrible.

She is rather quiet.