Mom of a tortoise fanatic inquiring about tortoise camp?

[turtleboymom]

Hi all. My son fell in love with tortoises at a very young age. We've had two red foots (one female and one male) that are like members of the family for the past five years. I must confess though, I'm tired. We don't want to get rid of the tortoises (they're very sweet and we really love them), but sometimes I just need a break. My son's getting a bit older now, so he's taking on more responsibility (he's also like a walking encyclopedia of herpetology at this point). But, he is still young and much of the care (or reminding) still falls on my husband and me. I'm not sure there are folks out there who would like temporary custody (tortoise camp?) or maybe even some type of tortoise exchange, e.g. you take mine for a couple months, then I'll take yours for next couple months. I'm just trying to brainstorm. We live in Fairfield County, CT and I wonder if there are other parents / tortoise owners out there in similar circumstrances or if I'm pretty much in a unique situation. If nothing else, thanks for listening to me rant (or whine, depending on how you want to interpret).

 

[Yellow Turtle]

Hi and welcome. It's a unique situation up there.

My thought is we all know the responsibility when we take them to our care since first day. Over here we have the pet care service, do you think it will work also for you?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi turtleboymom, and welcome to the Forum!

I don't know how to solve your problem without sounding like I'm preaching. Let me start by saying I totally know where you're coming from, as sometimes I feel overwhelmed too, but...would you consider farming out one of your kids, or your treasured family dog?

Since this is the cold weather season, you must have the tortoises in some sort of indoor habitat, right? Is the habitat easy to move? I'm thinking maybe you could ask gramma or Aunt Susie if they could take care of the tortoises for a month or so.

Please stick with us and try to learn from others who may answer you. Most of us here are truly dedicated to our turtles and tortoises, and we MAY give you an answer or two that you don't like, but none of us want to hurt your feelings. I give you lots of credit for bringing this problem out into the open and asking for help with it.

 

[Jacqui]

Hi and welcome! I hope you can find somebody willing to foster your tortoises for you. How old is your son, if I may ask.

 

[bigred]

I understand sometimes it becomes work. My wife and I were just talking last night about SOMETIMES wishing we didnt have as many pets.
This was at 11 pm last night as the dog was chasing the cat in the house

 

[mainey34]

Hello and welcome. Just remember as we take on our pets they are like our children. They rely on us to feed them and care for them. They cant do it them selves...

 

[Spn785]

As having been the turtle and tortoise obsessed boy, get him as many as he wants. JK I would suggest making him do everything for the tortoise, it sounds to me like he is old enough. My parents made my sister and I take care of our own pets completely from the age of ten.

 

[kanalomele]

Along with what others have said, my suggestion would be to ask around in your local turtle and tortoise club. Perhaps a local member would be willing to look after them for a couple of months to give you a break. It is also nice to have someone local willing to help out during family vacations and such. I totally agree with the suggestion about having your son take over their daily care. My other suggestion would be to consider making a change to a species that brumates during the winter. I have russians and it is occasionally nice to have 3 months off from their daily needs. It gives me time to plan any changes to their enclosures and make any repairs necessary without stressing them. They just wake up and its done.

 

[turtleboymom]

Thanks for all your replies. First, no hurt feelings at all. I don't feel like anyone is preaching. Even if they were, I don't think it makes me a bad turtle owner (or a bad mom, for that matter) to want a break. I would have no remorse about sending my kids to camp (I do and they love it) and, moreover, I think the time off makes me a better mom upon their return.

I completely understand how attached we become to these little guys -- I feel the same way and deeply care about them. I also respect my son's passion for his red foots (he's 11) and I want him to be happy. He's taking on more responsibility, but I do need to be involved to ensure their well being. There's also a matter of hygiene -- they're inside our small home (and I have younger kids too), which can be tough since we soak them almost everyday, make sure they get some exercise, and want to keep their surroundings/habitat (and my house) clean and odorless. It's a huge job.

So, I am off to a good start. I'll start researching some of your suggestions in my area. Again, thanks for your replies.

 

[pam]

Welcome