A Fortunate Stroke of Serendipity

I do not think that a turtle or a tortoise is a pet.  It seems to me that a pet is an animal that comes when called, and seems to have some recognition of living with someone.  Chere is very independent – as independent as an animal can be, living confined in a habitat.

You may remember that Chere came to live with me after Beth (my geologist friend) and a friend of hers found ancient turtle tracks in the mountains, west of the metropolitan area.  For some time, these tracks became the focus of attention, and when I heard her say something like, “It would be good to see what turtle tracks look like, today,” I said, “That’s not a problem.  I can get a turtle from a pet store, and have its tracks photographed.

Sometimes, I don’t think carefully about the offers I give.  This was one of those times.  But, I went forward with my idea to get a turtle, went to the pet store, decided I didn’t want to buy a turtle that requires water to swim in, and selected, instead, a Russian tortoise.  And because I did not intend to give the tortoise the run of the house, I also purchased a habitat (a large glass aquarium)¸ something for water and food, a basking light, a nighttime lamp for warmth, and a substrate bedding so she could dig into it and bury herself.  (Turns out she is a digger – boy, is she a digger!)  Of course, the habitat needed a support system, so a cabinet was purchased and assembled so that the habitat had a sturdy support.  The cabinet had shelves for storing extra materials; they were enclosed by doors.  DON’T EVEN ASK HOW MUCH THAT TOOK OUT OF MY WALLET!

To support their digestive system, reptiles need external heat.  A basking lamp sits on top of the habitat, as does the warming light for night warmth.  To be sure that the lights turn on and off at expected times, timers were purchased for each lamp, each one plugged into a power bar.

Tortoises also like to “hide” in some enclosure.  This “hidey-hole” was always available for Chere.  She outgrew her first hidey-hole, and I asked Keith (HM) to make a new one for her.  He used sheets of metal; it was large enough for her to climb in and hide.

Then, came the day when Chere started tearing up her habitat.  She plowed through the substrate, turn over her water, and, in general, made a mess of her living quarters.  Bryan suggested that, perhaps, the habitat was no longer large enough for her.  We bought a slightly larger habitat, and the destruction of her home stopped.  She has started doing the same things she did just before we bought her a new habitat, so it is probably time to get a new, larger one.

Another thing I did not consider (actually, I didn’t even know it) is that tortoises live more than fifty years.  As I said, I did very little research about anything my promise to get a turtle for Beth required.  However, I am 84; Chere will very likely be around long after I am gone.  Granddaughter #1 thought she was going to need to care for Chere in the future.  The way to estimate the age of a tortoise like Chere is to count the “rings” on each section of the back shell, the carapace.  So, I counted the “rings” on four or five of those sections and took the average of the rings.

At best, this is an estimate.  When Chere came to live with me, I estimated that she was about fourteen years old; she lived with me for five years

Having a tortoise live with you doesn’t mean that you can simply put the tortoise in her habitat and, for the most part, ignore her.  She will need specific care.  And, it is a good thing to know what kind of care she will need, when you decide to have the tortoise live with you.  In fact, at any time we decide to have non-human animals live with us, we are responsible for their care and well-being.  Here are a few things we need to do for a tortoise to be safe.  This information relates to Chere’s life in my house.

As I would tell anyone who asked about her, there are a couple of cautions you need to know about.  Her claws are very sharp.  You will be wearing plastic gloves to protect your hands and you from salmonella and having her scratch your hands.  I think that Chere doesn’t have salmonella, but we never want to risk being contaminated with salmonella.  So, wear the plastic gloves.

There is a tool that people use to take care of their dogs’ long nails; it is not clippers.  It is more like a dremel.  You can use that tool on Chere’s nails, too. She has a sharp beak – no teeth.  She has NEVER tried to bite me.  Of course, I never tease her by poking something at her face – even my fingers.  I never allow anyone tease her in any way.  I think that is why she trusts her home and me.  You will know that she is not happy when she hisses at you.  She has not hissed at me for a long, long time. In fact, she really likes to have her head and neck scratched.  When she is comfortable living with you, she usually will not duck her head back into her shell when you need to do something around her or with her.  That will mean that she trusts you.  She also really likes to have the side of her neck and head rubbed, back under her shell.  Each side.  You stick your finger back under the shell as far as you can and “scratch” it.  You’ll be able to feel her body.  Just rub it.  She really does like that.

Chere needs a bath, everyday or every two days.  Her “bathtub” is a clear plastic box.  The bath water needs to be dumped into the toilet (it will have her poop in it)  Because of that, her bath should probably be given in the bathroom, close to the toilet.  After putting about 1 1/2 inches of warm (not hot or cold) water into the box, Chere can go into the bath of warm water.  She “swims” around in the tub – and poops.  As nearly as I can tell, this is the only time she eliminates the waste from her body.

Sometimes, there is a lot; other times, not so much.  It sort of depends on how much she’s eaten.  I asked her vet, Dr. Summers, why there was so much poop in the water.  He told me that much of her internal organs is her intestinal system.  So, apparently, she can keep all of that inside until she is in water, where she customarily poops.  I have a guess that, perhaps, the reason she only poops in the water is that in the wild, there must be predators that might be after her.  So, if she poops in water, it might float away, taking with it her scent, making it safer for being in the wild.  Of course, that is only a guess on my part.

I have seen Youtube movies of other people bathing their tortoises.  They leave their tortoises in the dirty water that contains the poop.  I never to that.  I do not want my tortoise in the dirty water.  So, I move the tortoise to my bathroom sink (which, of course, I clean and disinfect when I take her out of it!).  I dump the water out of the clear bathtub into the toilet to flush it away.  Then, I rinse the bathtub, dump out that water, and dry the tub with paper towels.

After taking care of the tub, it is time to rinse off Chere.  Warm water splashing all over her from the sink faucet.  Then, I use paper towels to dry off her shell, her head (all the way in under her shell – she likes that), legs (front and back); now, she’s ready to go into her warm habitat.  Warm, because her basking light is on and left on during her bath.

I’ll stop here with the information that any persons would benefit by knowing if they are contemplating having a Russian tortoise live with them and tell you how it came to pass that Chere left my home for another one.

I had been exploring the idea of having Chere live with someone else – beginning, now.  And, wonder of wonders, this is how it came about that she now lives with Sarah and her family.  Lady (my schnauzer) was apparently not feeling well.  I called her vet, Dr. Summer, and because it was in the evening, I was referred to a 24-hour care small animal hospital.  Lady received the required care and during the exit interview with the veterinarian Sarah, the subject of having Chere live with me came up.  Sarah said, “I’ve always wanted to have a tortoise.”  To which I replied, “Would you like mine?”  And, she said, yes.

I told Sarah that I would not charge her for anything.  Not the tortoise.  Not the habitat, food, books about tortoises, cabinet for the habitat.  Nothing.  It would be all free to them.  Arrangements were made for them to come to my house (Sarah, her husband, and daughter Pearl).  They would need a truck to carry the habitat and all of the things that  would be given to them.  I sent Chere’s food with them so that they would not need to go to the grocery store right away for greens, etc.

I have a rule for my house:  Something must leave my house every day – and never come back  I considered this exchange to be an exceptional fulfillment of that rule.  I am so pleased that Chere’s new home is wonderful.  First, what better home is to be where you are wanted!  And, where the person with whom you live is schooled in how to care for you.  Who better to be Chere’s housemate than a veterinarian!

Was this a fortunate stroke of SERENDIPITY?  Maybe, so!

Be Safe and Be Well

The Cranky Crone

Thoughtful comments are appreciated.