I have been asked so many times over the years what made me get my tortoise Randall. Why a tort?
Well i thought it would be interesting to hear everyones stories, new tortoise owners to those of you that have kept tortoises for many years.
Here is our story
6 years ago i rehomed two very young aquatic turtles. Though i did my best one succumbed to the poor care it had had before living with me and the vet and i could not undo someone elses mistakes. I was devastated to say the least, but i felt badly for the other turtle. i kept thinking it was lonely. questions about adding another turtle lead me to this forum. once i started i was hooked. i found advice that lead me to the decision that my turtle was not lonely and that she did not need a "friend", however i was INFATUATED with the beautiful tortoises i saw and could not get enough information about them. after alot of consideration and determining if i had the space, money and time for one i decided that a russian was ideal for my first tortoise. shortly after posting my interest i was contacted by the nicest women in new hampshire (it is VERY hard to find tortoises here in vermont!) and she was looking to rehome her adult russian tortoise. i drove three hours to meet her and was thrilled to meet my Randall. from the start he was a member of the family. he is literally the kindest, most gentle creature i have yet to meet.
fast forward 4 years, i was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and anxiety disorder. after hospitalization after hospitalization and many other hardships i was taken off of a highly addictive anxiety medicine and left to cope with debilitating anxiety, but one thing that always made things better was the control i had over Randalls care and how happy he was when things were correct for him. to cope with my anxiety i manage his humidity, temperatures and diet. it feels nice to have control over something in a positive way that benefits a life rather then cause harm. the better i cared for him the better i felt.
after months of pondering getting another tortoise i decided on another russian. Randalls personality and gentle nature had won me over. i also chose to search for a male because i was fearful of fertilized eggs and the care that that entails. a friend at work heard about my search and knew a very nice man in florida that had russians an WHALA fedex brought me my younger male Gordon.
since adding Gordon to our family i have never been happier!
my tortoises have really made my life more fulfilling and are my rays of sunshine on a stormy day
Well i thought it would be interesting to hear everyones stories, new tortoise owners to those of you that have kept tortoises for many years.
Here is our story
6 years ago i rehomed two very young aquatic turtles. Though i did my best one succumbed to the poor care it had had before living with me and the vet and i could not undo someone elses mistakes. I was devastated to say the least, but i felt badly for the other turtle. i kept thinking it was lonely. questions about adding another turtle lead me to this forum. once i started i was hooked. i found advice that lead me to the decision that my turtle was not lonely and that she did not need a "friend", however i was INFATUATED with the beautiful tortoises i saw and could not get enough information about them. after alot of consideration and determining if i had the space, money and time for one i decided that a russian was ideal for my first tortoise. shortly after posting my interest i was contacted by the nicest women in new hampshire (it is VERY hard to find tortoises here in vermont!) and she was looking to rehome her adult russian tortoise. i drove three hours to meet her and was thrilled to meet my Randall. from the start he was a member of the family. he is literally the kindest, most gentle creature i have yet to meet.
fast forward 4 years, i was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and anxiety disorder. after hospitalization after hospitalization and many other hardships i was taken off of a highly addictive anxiety medicine and left to cope with debilitating anxiety, but one thing that always made things better was the control i had over Randalls care and how happy he was when things were correct for him. to cope with my anxiety i manage his humidity, temperatures and diet. it feels nice to have control over something in a positive way that benefits a life rather then cause harm. the better i cared for him the better i felt.
after months of pondering getting another tortoise i decided on another russian. Randalls personality and gentle nature had won me over. i also chose to search for a male because i was fearful of fertilized eggs and the care that that entails. a friend at work heard about my search and knew a very nice man in florida that had russians an WHALA fedex brought me my younger male Gordon.
since adding Gordon to our family i have never been happier!
my tortoises have really made my life more fulfilling and are my rays of sunshine on a stormy day