What a cute little California Desert Tortoise! I would never admit this publicly, but they do make great pets (I've had mine since I was 5! I found him in our neighbors yard when they moved...
Wow, since you were 5? He's probably older than you. What's his name? Is he male? Maybe he will be your life-long pet. Is your pet tortoise as adorable as this cute tortoise. I was so glad he poked his head out for my camera. And I almost couldn't resist taking him home. NOT. Now I miss him. It was hard saying good-bye to him. I'm so glad he made it across the desert highway.
I've had him since I was five, but I'm sure he's a lot older than 5. His name is Henry (I know it's not very creative, but hey, I was 5), but I think he might be a she, and so should be called Henrietta (you can tell by the way the bottom of their shell is curved). I call him our "heirloom", since he'll probably outlast us and be passed on to the next generation! He's very adorable, and comes when he's called (if he's out and about), but it may take awhile. He also has a fondness for all of our low growing flowers, trying to get into our (well my mom's now) house, and pushing our cats out of the way of the dryer vent which spews forth warm air. He's a very cheap pet to have though - we just feed him day old lettuce from the grocery store, cantalope rinds, roses, dandelions, and things like that. For many of the months he's asleep in his house, but in the summer he's out and about moving around the yard. It's a $500 fine (at least) to take them from the desert, since they are protected, so it's probably for the best that you
Aww, that's so sweet. Henrietta, the heirloom. I adore that name for a turtle. I am wondering if she continues growing bigger. How much does she weigh? Is she bigger or smaller than the one I saw. I was so surprised how heavy this tortoise was in my hands for its small size. I think Henrietta has a good home with you. Sounds like she has a good life and is very much loved. And she's not afraid of the cats. I hope that she's never been hurt by them.
As much as I wanted him, I just felt it so much better to leave him to his natural habitat. Can you imagine a turtle in San Francisco? I don't think he'd be happy here at all. He needs to be outside and roaming the desert. I will never forget that little tortoise. He was very expressive and seemed to have the good sense that I was curious and friendly to him.
I have no idea how much he/she weighs, but he is bigger than the one you found was. He's about 14 inches long, so maybe 15 pounds (?)... And he's not afraid of the cats, nor are they afraid of him, however, when you have something that's basically a shell on legs that's not going to stop for you, and you can't really injure it, then you move out of the way. What can I say, he's a shell of a guy! (or maybe I should have said, when he "comes out of his shell", he's a lot of fun!)
At first, he was scared and his arms and legs were squirming when I held him, then he quickly calmed down. But this was him hiding in his shell before he peeked out.
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As much as I wanted him, I just felt it so much better to leave him to his natural habitat. Can you imagine a turtle in San Francisco? I don't think he'd be happy here at all. He needs to be outside and roaming the desert. I will never forget that little tortoise. He was very expressive and seemed to have the good sense that I was curious and friendly to him.
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