Surprise tortoises

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ellen

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Hello! To be perfectly honest, I am a cat person. I have been my entire life. I love everything about cats. A couple years ago I discovered how beautiful tortoises are. I watched a documentary about desert tortoises and felt so compelled by them that I wanted to build the best tortoise enclosure ever in the future. I've been reading about them, learning about how much care they require and giving it a lot of thought because when you adopt a tortoise it's a life long commitment. Funnily enough, I had to give a presentation at school on last Wednesday about a ceramic artist named Kurt Weiser and I told my class how much I've learned to love tortoises. (Weiser has a porcelain-painted tea pot with a tortoise on one side and a hummingbird on the other)

I told my class my plans to adopt a tortoise someday. Life had other plans for me. The very next evening my dad was fixing a friend's computer and she told him her captive desert tortoise had hatchlings and she was looking to give them away. I think you can probably guess how this story ends.

If you can't guess, let's just say that after I stopped squealing with joy I quoted the Game and Fish regulations for keeping tortoises, asked where they came from, and started going crazy. I was in a complete panic knowing that the set up I managed to scramble up on such short notice absolutely would not cut it (10 gallon fish tank filled with dirt, bermuda grass, and a cut up shoe box for shelter). Within the next couple days I went out and bought a UVB lamp, a bigger tank with a screen lid, a heat lamp, phosphorus-free calcium supplements, leafy greens and anything else I could possibly think of at the time. I went into shock at the pet store check out because I'd purchased $200 worth of stuff.

I am now the proud owner of two baby desert tortoises. They're only a couple weeks old and both look really healthy. I have temporarily named them Morgan and Merlin until I can figure out their genders-- and if both are male, I do fully intend on building separate enclosures... They're so tiny at this point I'll cross that road when it comes.

So...yes. I am happy to be here but a little terrified. I'm looking forward to making friends and asking questions.

The picture below was taken on Friday morning. Their breakfast consisted of strawberry and turnip greens. Good thing I like salads, I guess... This was their inferior set up.

tortugas.JPG
 
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dmmj

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Friends? hmmm I don't know why you would come here but either way
Welcome to the forum, I hope you enjoy your visits here.
 

mainey34

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Hello and welcome, very interesting story. Your desert torts are cute little ones...
 

l0velesly

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Great story of how you obtained these little guys :D They sure are cute~
 

wellington

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Hello and Welcome:) very cute torts. Like your story and yes, you will find lots of friends here. Even dmmj, I think he's our class/forum clown:D
 

Spn785

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Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on getting two adorable tortoises!
 

lori12386

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Hi. Welcome! They are adorable. Love the names... Funny though... I have two cats. Who just so happen to be named Merlin and Morgon! Lol
 

Jacqui

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Hi and welcome! Would your Dad like to temporarily adopt me? Just long enough to give his newly acquired daughter the same gift he did his other daughter? :D Welcome to the forum and tortoise keeping.
 

Yvonne G

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Welcome to the Forum, Ellen!
 

lovelyrosepetal

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I am in with Jacqui, what is one more daughter? I would be a dutiful and obedient child just long enough to adopt one of the hatchlings:D Welcome! This is a great place to be and glad to have you here.:)
 

oldkid

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I'm new here as well. Those are suer cute torts, and I like the story that goes with them, congrats.
 

ellen

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Thanks for the warm welcome everyone!

I got my facts wrong (I was rushing around like this during midterms and they had literally just ended when my dad brought the tortoises home) I've had them since last Friday (not Thursday), and the photograph was taken Saturday.

So today officially marks one week of having them! :)

The funniest part of the story which I forgot to mention was the part where he brought them home in a shoe box and told me that he got a pair of used shoes for me. I should have known something was up-- I hate shoes and everything to do with shoe shopping.

Lori - Neat! How old are your cats?? I have two, myself. Their names are Averiy and Munchkin. Munchkin is about to turn 2 and Averiy turned 5 in March.

Jacqui & LovelyRosePetal - Lol I told my dad, but he just kind of laughed and shook his head. :p
 

Jacqui

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Congrats for first week survivial! :D I had a chuckle over the shoe box part, earlier in the year my son brought me a shoe box and it had a turtle inside. :D I do agree with you on shoes and shoe shopping. :D
 
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