Share your "Why I got a tort" stories

Yellow Turtle01

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5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2013
Messages
7,710
Location (City and/or State)
OH, USA
I had enough of cats :D No, just kidding. I love my cats. I have been interested in reptiles for a very long time. I decided to buy one from a local pet store (despite knowing it was probably a bad idea) because I wanted to get a lizard and didn't know any breeders. I was looking at lizards, and I saw the tiny cage with 5 russian tortoises inside, and they all looked so sad. I watched them for a bit, and Elmo kind of just looked at me, and I left with a tortoise instead of a lizard. I loved having one so much, I decided to buy my sulcata from someone who couldn't house her, afford her (let's just say didn't want her) And I can image that, somewhere down, the road, I'll have many more tortoises to spoil and love fore many many years :<3:
 

symplestytches

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5 Year Member
Joined
May 27, 2013
Messages
95
Location (City and/or State)
Pacific NorthWest, USA
my husband made the mistake of mentioning that having a tortoise would be "kinda cool." I took that to mean "go forth and find me a tortoise!" and less than a week later I found A'tuin on Craigslist, being given up because the 7 year old daughter was tired of him and wanted a dog instead. (this is also how we ended up with 2 rabbits, he forgot the lesson he learned with Atu, and said that rabbits "could be cool" as pets. and how we got 2 cats as well. I think he's learned now not to show any interest at all in animals, otherwise I take it to mean I can have one right then!)
 

Reptilelove

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Joined
Aug 2, 2014
Messages
394
Location (City and/or State)
Plymouth
When I was 12, my mum had seen some musk turtles and said how she has always wanted one but I kinda pursued her not to get them as I have always had a phobia of soft shelled animals as I know its bad if a tortoise has a soft shell. My family have always loved reptiles and when we went to the pet shop I fell in love with a 2year old Hermann and I never looked back. I cleaned houses, saved up pocket money and it wasn't long before I had enough money to buy Hermie and everything he needed plus a friend! Iv had them for two years now and its their 4th birthday next month!
 

Kimmie923

New Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2014
Messages
5
Starting from 2013, I really liked turtles. I wanted a turtle very badly, so my mom said that if I didn't have any bad comments in my report card, she would give me 2 turtles. In June/July (2014), my mom told me that she would buy me a turtle. I was very happy! My mom bought me two 1-year-old turtles and I named them Blastoise and Torterra, after turtle Pokemon. Sadly, Torterra just died today...
 

yillt

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Joined
May 4, 2014
Messages
1,033
Starting from 2013, I really liked turtles. I wanted a turtle very badly, so my mom said that if I didn't have any bad comments in my report card, she would give me 2 turtles. In June/July (2014), my mom told me that she would buy me a turtle. I was very happy! My mom bought me two 1-year-old turtles and I named them Blastoise and Torterra, after turtle Pokemon. Sadly, Torterra just died today...
I'm sorry for your loss. :(:(
 

Reptilelove

Active Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2014
Messages
394
Location (City and/or State)
Plymouth
Starting from 2013, I really liked turtles. I wanted a turtle very badly, so my mom said that if I didn't have any bad comments in my report card, she would give me 2 turtles. In June/July (2014), my mom told me that she would buy me a turtle. I was very happy! My mom bought me two 1-year-old turtles and I named them Blastoise and Torterra, after turtle Pokemon. Sadly, Torterra just died today...
I'm sorry for your loss :(
 

Sarah Winchester

Active Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2014
Messages
121
Location (City and/or State)
Cornwall
I have loved tortoises since I was a little girl just was never sure which one to get or where to buy them, in June my husband and I popped I to our local pet shop who sell quite a few reptiles including tortoises and I fell in love with one particular leopard tortoise but we was getting married in July so when we came back in July we went back and she was still there :)
Bought her tortoise table and her there and then came and collected her a few days later, I have had her for 10 days she is so beautiful love her to bits
image.jpg
 

alysciaingram

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5 Year Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2013
Messages
327
Location (City and/or State)
Florida
I also had a little snapping turtle that my dad rescued from the road. When it got big enough my dad released it and got me a rabbit instead. When I got older and moved to Florida, my long term highschool boyfriend and I were talking about how I wish I could just have a dinosaur walking around my backyard, something that would get old with me. A few weeks later his dad, who owned an exotic saltwater fish shop, special ordered a five baby sulcatas; one for me, and four to sell in the shop. He got addicted pretty quickly and built me a custom tortoise table, which my boyfriend and I painted and sealed. None of us knew any better so we set all the babies up dry, but Ed sold three of the babies and kept one for himself. Eventually my highschool boyfriend and I broke up, but we occasionally get along long enough to swap pictures of the clutch mates. It was probably the best gift I got from any boyfriend, other than my engagement ring from my husband..;)ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1407082453.381513.jpgImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1407082484.647531.jpg
 

KatieandKyle

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Apr 10, 2014
Messages
259
At the time we got Delilah it was a very stressful time of life. Delilah was an amazing gift in many more ways than one. To make a really long story short our daughter Kasidee was born allergic to just about everything. They didn't think she would make it to see her 1st birthday. We lived in Phoenix children's hospital by the time she was 7 weeks old with an entourage of specialists in and out trying to figure out what to do. She struggled, we struggled, we were reading and learning as fast as we could go to keep her from having her throat close with something she ate or something she inhaled. ... To move forward we made it to 6 years old and had to get rid of our family dog along with any window treatments, carpets or rugs. .. Our friends and family had been wonderful supporting us. We couldn't be more thankful. Before kasidees birthday party one of our friends had an amazing idea for kas to come do a scavenger hunt for a tortoise!! It was a huge hit, little bug couldn't have been happier! Of course it made Kyle and I overwhelmed with gratitude. Delilah is a very special, life long pet and friend that came at a great time of need. She holds a very big place in our hearts and our family. Immediate and extended.

They are completely addictive and now we have multiples!! ;)
 

mike taylor

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Oct 28, 2012
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13,461
I have always loved turtles and tortoises . I had turtles growing up but then had two snakes given to me by my teacher . I went down the snake road for many years till me and the wife made a mistake with a big girl python . The wife asked me to give up snakes so I did . A few years went by then I seen a red footed tortoise it was all over . Now I have four red foots, two sulcatas, leopard tortiose, two red ear sliders and two snapping turtles .
 

redfootdaddy

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5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2014
Messages
36
Location (City and/or State)
Toronto ON
I've always been a reptile person, since I was a kid. I loved lizards and snakes and turtles and was dying to have one as a pet but my mom was squeamish about it (her big argument against getting a snake was "it might get out and crawl around being creepy"). And then I grew up! And married a woman who can't stand the sight of snakes and lizards.

Tortoises and turtles and crocodiles, however, are a different story.

We live very close to the Toronto Zoo - which was the first zoo in North America to arrange its animals by biome rather than by type, is the home of amphibian rescue and conservation, has some of the largest habitats for its animals, and its collection of plants is so large and varied that at one point it was worth more than the animals - and on our limited budget we always buy a membership. We go at least twice a month, sometimes every week. And we would spend hours watching the tortoises, from the teeny tiny tortoises in Africa to the huge old monsters in Eurasia and Australasia. But as much as she loves them (and can spend hours watching the paired dwarf Nile crocodiles), I never expected that she would be okay with a reptile in the house. We moved and I changed jobs, she's mentioned elsewhere that she has CFS and the move finally allowed her to be able to stay home full-time. We did our research - lots and lots and lots of research, here and elsewhere - and narrowed it down to a couple of breeds that would work for us. But what finally tipped the scales was Pao.

We had to go to Petsmart to get kitty supplies and we decided to just take a look at the tortoises, since they actually had some in - which was uncommon enough, but the redfoot was an additional 25% off. There was a teensy Hermann's and a redfoot. I'm sure you can tell what happened next. I asked if we could see the redfoot, the reptile handler took this teeny baby out of her tank and put her in my wife's hand and the rest is history.

Now, three months after, we get the "Oh hey, I'm trying to get rid of my turtle, you guys want him?" and we're trying to desperately assess our space and resources to see if we can take it - the eventual answer being a reluctant 'no'. But I'll agree, they're addictive.
 

aislingofD

New Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2014
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
Toronto
I've always been a reptile person, since I was a kid. I loved lizards and snakes and turtles and was dying to have one as a pet but my mom was squeamish about it (her big argument against getting a snake was "it might get out and crawl around being creepy"). And then I grew up! And married a woman who can't stand the sight of snakes and lizards.

Tortoises and turtles and crocodiles, however, are a different story.

We live very close to the Toronto Zoo - which was the first zoo in North America to arrange its animals by biome rather than by type, is the home of amphibian rescue and conservation, has some of the largest habitats for its animals, and its collection of plants is so large and varied that at one point it was worth more than the animals - and on our limited budget we always buy a membership. We go at least twice a month, sometimes every week. And we would spend hours watching the tortoises, from the teeny tiny tortoises in Africa to the huge old monsters in Eurasia and Australasia. But as much as she loves them (and can spend hours watching the paired dwarf Nile crocodiles), I never expected that she would be okay with a reptile in the house. We moved and I changed jobs, she's mentioned elsewhere that she has CFS and the move finally allowed her to be able to stay home full-time. We did our research - lots and lots and lots of research, here and elsewhere - and narrowed it down to a couple of breeds that would work for us. But what finally tipped the scales was Pao.

We had to go to Petsmart to get kitty supplies and we decided to just take a look at the tortoises, since they actually had some in - which was uncommon enough, but the redfoot was an additional 25% off. There was a teensy Hermann's and a redfoot. I'm sure you can tell what happened next. I asked if we could see the redfoot, the reptile handler took this teeny baby out of her tank and put her in my wife's hand and the rest is history.

Now, three months after, we get the "Oh hey, I'm trying to get rid of my turtle, you guys want him?" and we're trying to desperately assess our space and resources to see if we can take it - the eventual answer being a reluctant 'no'. But I'll agree, they're addictive.

If it had been a tortoise instead of a turtle, we mighta been in trouble...
 

Jabuticaba

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2013
Messages
1,744
Location (City and/or State)
Winnipeg, MB
I grew up with them back home, in Brazil. I really wanted Red- and Yellow-footed tortoises, but a friend offered her THBs to me. I couldn't pass them up and I love them!


May, Aussies, & THBs
IG: @AUSSOMEAUSSIES
 

Ida K

Member
Joined
May 28, 2014
Messages
59
I read one of Dean Koontz's novels where the main character's daughter had a pet tortoise, and it seemed very interesting. I was on the lookout for an easy to care for pet, as dogs and cats just don't fit in with the culture I grew up with. Many weeks later, after much research and planning, I finally got my little Ollie! And let me just say, he is the best decision I have ever made and I don't regret anything.
 

verda

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2014
Messages
132
Location (City and/or State)
Texas
Well my story was, next to my shop their use to be a pet shop. There was always this huge sully roaming around the shop following everyone around. He was so sweet and he was litter box trained also which I thought was amazing. After that I had always wanted one but thought that all tortoises grow to be really big. Until one day I was surfing youtube and ran across a video of Leonard & Luna. I was like omg that is a perfect size tort for me. Did my research and wowzer was I happy, so many species I was so amazed I think I didn't sleep till 5 am. Spent days reading and finally bought one, then two, and three. Wish I knew sooner, even tho my babies are still so small I am enjoying caring and watching them. Always learning something new with them.
 

annastortoise

Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2014
Messages
39
I am actually a very young person interested in torts. My brother has very bad allergies, so my mom said "no more hairy pets." But, instead of giving up on getting my own pet, I thought, "What about tortoises? They don't have fur..." So I proposed the idea to my parents, and now I might be getting a little Russian of my own very soon (October, birthday)!!
 
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