Horror story, not for the light hearted tort lovers.

[Squirt58]

About 8 month or so ago, I got onto this forum because I was watching my boyfriends sisters tortoise. I had concerns about his housing and basically everything about this little guy because I was supposed to be just baby sitting for her for a week or so. A week turned into months, we knew that she was able to care properly for this little guy. No were her kids in any shape or form old enough, to understand how he should be treated. I bought him all the things I knew would make this little tort happy. But my boyfriend wouldn't let me get him everything because he knew she wouldn't pay us back for anything. Finally she came to get him, I honestly didn't want to give her him. But she did buy him, so I had to. I wrote out a list of things she NEEDED to buy him or else he would not be healthy. I gave her links to sites, to places where she could get his food. Everything. So a week goes by, she decides she doesn't want the responsibility anymore and asks if we will keep him. I say yes very quickly. Then she suddenly changes her mind, and retracts her question. She knows that if we took him back, he would never see her again. My boyfriend wouldn't allow it. Months go by. She never asks me anything. Come to find out.. she LOST him, in her apartment. Cant find him anywhere. She believes that the kids 'threw him away' Or put him in the toilet. I KNEW something like this was going to happen. I was so infuriated, and still am. I coped with the loss, as best I could. Then, out of nowhere a few days ago. She FINDS him, mind you its been at least 5 months since they lost him. He is still alive. I cant believe it. As much as I hated to say it, I was sad that he was, because death would have been a better answer for him. Than having to live in that house being poorly treated. Im so flustered. I want to take him away from her, he cant be healthy.
/rant

Sorry guys im just so upset and i needed to get this off my chest.

 

[wellington]

Why can't your boyfriend tell his sister a thing or two? There is no way I would let my family member abuse an animal. I'm sorry, that makes him no better then her. Either take the poor thing now, or try to find a way to get it. Do whatever to save the poor thing. Don't run in the same class as her. Ask to babysit and then, oops, you lost him, just like that *******her. Do something!

 

[mchong9606]

That is absolutely cruel. Easier said than done, but find a way to get him back.

 

[Yvonne G]

Maybe your boyfriend would understand better if it were a kitten or a puppy that had been lost.

 

[Jacqui]

It says a lot that she could "lose" him in her house for so long. Now my house is a mess and I have a ton of animals and junk around, but even I can find a missing tortoise in my home. It tells me she never even bothered to look for it. How much did she pay for it? Could you offer to buy it back? Perhaps not at the full price.

You know something needs to be done and done yesterday for the sake of this tortoise. I think you came in here to share, to get this off your chest and maybe for us to give you the courage or simply back you up on doing something. So this it... go get that tortoise! Follow your heart and do it, then live with any problems it creates be it from her, your b/f, whomever. Sit back and only talk about it won't save the tortoise and your going to feel like crap if you do nothing more and it dies. You have been given a second chance to help the tortoise, now take it and give him a second chance to live. Please.

 

[wiccan_chicken]

Please, this guy is being neglected. Forgotten. Not cared for. Please go get him! If your boyfriend won't back you up then... well I don't know you well but you will feel horrible if you never go take care of that tort! Life has some pretty hard decisions we have to make sometimes. Just think of how happy that little tort will be when you take him in and make sure he never gets lost or forgotten ever again.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Sounds heartbreaking all right, but I'm trying to wrap my mind around this situation. Other than losing a tortoise for 5 months (!), what else has this person not been doing to care for it? Poor diet? Bad enclosure? Not enough light or heat? Some combination of these?

Also, how does the tortoise appear to be doing after all this ordeal? Is it dehydrated? Are its eyes swollen shut or sunken in? Has its shell gotten soft or started to pyramid yet?

I agree with the others that you should go get that tortoise. It might mean buying it off the other person, but so what, you already bought the equipment anyway. Sounds like the other person is pretty ignorant (and/or apathetic) of what it take to care for a tortoise. If you can't educate and motivate her to do it, then maybe you can show her how you can provide the things it needs instead.

 

[quail]

"My boyfriend won't let me"
If your boyfriend does not want to support you in things that are meaningful to you then you should kick him to the curb. Obviously he comes from a family with no morals or empathy and you can do better!

 

[Squirt58]

No no no guys, I don't want you to think my boyfriend is against any of this. We have many animals together and he is very passionate about all our reptiles. When I said he didn't want me to get these things was because he knew that it was going to break my heart when we gave it back to her. He is not close with his family, in fact he absolutely hates all of them because they are this way and always have been. He did NOT want to give her to tort back in the first place and was kind of upset that I even did because he as well knew that something bad was going to happen. Even when we had the tort and the kids would come over he would scold them and her for their lack of simple knowledge on how to handle and treat an animal. I was prepared to buy this tort a good 300 dollars worth of stuff, but he wouldn't let me because for one, i had already spent so much on him, and for two he knew that she would just try and take the things we bought and not pay us back for them, or she wouldn't want to pay for them and just take all the old shitty stuff he was already in. I don't want anyone to think he is a bad person, he is just as upset as I am. Ive been trying to get a hold of her to see his condition, hes probably so sick.. as of husbandry; 20 gln aquarium tank cypress mulch, a bridge to burrow under which he loved to do, i had him eating spring mix and i would soak some oxbow hay that i would chop up, and zoo med tortoise food which i would also soak. He was so tiny.. ALSO, he only had a basking light, no uvb. It was horrible. I had everything planned out for him. sigh. I have tried to get in contact with her but she 'works a lot' so i never get a response.. and when i tried to get him back before she changed her mind the last time she said had spent so much money and her son would be upset. OH WELL, HE NOR YOU KNOW HOW TO CARE FOR HIM. She apparently looked all over and couldnt find him, he cant climb!!! so where the hell could he have gone for 5 friggen months?! im so aggravated.

---

oh and when i said 'She knows that if we took him back, he would never see her again. My boyfriend wouldn't allow it.'
i meant if we took him back my boyfriend would not allow her or her kids to come over and see it because they quite frankly are very ignorant and don't know how to care for this animal.
Sorry i should have made his role more clear :[

 

[quail]

I'm glad to hear your boyfriends a good guy. We can't pick the idiots we're related to. Print out some care sheets and give them to her and advise her that you will be happy to care for the tort properly if she can't.

 

[Squirt58]

He isss lol and I just actually got a hold of their little sister (the only one i'm close with) apparently the tortoise was found in the friggen closet, like really??! she didn't know much else about the little guy but I nonchalantly hinted at that I want him back. She agreed that her sister can not take care of this little guy and that he should obviously give him back to me. I told her to relay the message, because i can not get a hold of her myself. So hopefully she will come to her senses and just give him back to me.

 

[lokenica]

I am irritated with the back and forth here. Get the tortoise, or report them to the humane society or PETA. There ARE laws against the mistreatment of animals, so get off your behind and get the poor thing. You won't forgive yourself if it dies. I know I wouldn't. Tell anyone against it to get over it and do the right thing, NOW!

 

[wellington]

Good luck, keep trying. If all else fails, go visit her and just take the tortoise. Slip him in your purse and leave. What would she know, she doesn't seem to have a clue about much. Sure hope she takes better care of her kids, so society doesn't have to.

 

[Squirt58]

Next time I get a hold of her, ill go over there and do it. Believe me. I will keep everyone updated!!!

 

[sibi]

It just seems to me that your bf's sister is using the tort as leverage to keep you guys under her control. She knows how much you love this tort, and what you have done for him. Break the control!! Make her know that if she doesn't give you the tort, she'll never see you again. That ends the control one way or another. I wouldn't encourage stealing him because, like it or not, she owns him. So, the only recourse you and your bf have is to threaten her to never see her again or threaten her to call PETA. In the meantime, talk to your bf about your options and what he's willing to do. Because your bf and his sister are siblings, he may know her better and would know how best to deal with her.

 

[Squirt58]

There is basically no way to deal with her, shes very ignorant. She isn't controlling us, mostly for the fact that we NEVER see her. Nor do we really want to because of how the entire family is. Ill try to not steal him but i might not be able to control the urge, lol

 

[lynnedit]

Ummm, bring over chocolate chip cookies and while they are munching down, steal the tortoise.
This is justified based on Karma.

 

[farber2028]

Next time I get a hold of her, ill go over there and do it. Believe me. I will keep everyone updated!!!

You should just go there and talk to her. Tell her that if she doesn't let you just take the tort or buy it off her, you're going to call animal services. That way you give her an ultimatum with no other options than to lose her. And I know it may suck but if she doesn't let you take her then that means that you actually have to call because this little dude needs to get outta there quick. Sorry if I'm saying what's already been said but I stopped reading when I saw this comment.

 

[CtTortoiseMom]

What kind of tortoise is this? What was the reason that you baby sat it for a month in the frost place any chance of a situation happening like that again?

 

[Jd3]

Just offer to take the burden away. Kids won't know better if parents don't. It really isn't their fault they have crappy parents.

Let the kids see him grow old in the proper care and housing. Otherwise they get the short experience of this and the death of this animal.

Big kids need to learn to make big kid decisions. It sounds like you and your boyfriend need to have a serious, non emotional discussion With the sister And explain what is right and that you have the means to make it right. That you understand that they didn't know better and don't have the time or money or space or whatever to deal with it, but you do. You'll let the, visit and you'll teach them about proper care of animals.

Or you can feel guilty and resent them.


Your move.