Hey everybody! I'm just curious to know what your first tortoise was. I really want to know the veterans =] Let me know about them and if you still have em. 
Mine was a Sulcata name Mercy =]
Mine was a Sulcata name Mercy =]
What was your first Tortoise?
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Mine was two small Hermann's tortoises in 1973. I don't remember the details but they probably did not survive more than through that summer. Care information availability was about nil in those days!
My next tortoise was a Redfoot in 1984. She went to Redfoot breeder along with my entire group of them in about 1996.
In around that same time period I purchased many more adult Testudo species, Hermann's, Marginateds, Ibera and some others. Almost all of them are still here, some 25 years later.
My next tortoise was a Redfoot in 1984. She went to Redfoot breeder along with my entire group of them in about 1996.
In around that same time period I purchased many more adult Testudo species, Hermann's, Marginateds, Ibera and some others. Almost all of them are still here, some 25 years later.
Mine was a Desert Tortoise. I found her as a hatchling in my grandmother's adult tortoise pen on the 4th of July, 1984. We named her "Firecracker."
She died while hibernating in 2003.
She died while hibernating in 2003.
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mine are two beautiful star (indian) and i love them alot
My first was a Western Hermanns.
She is great!
This was followed by a Alif Desert and then two redfoots.
I love them all!
She is great!
This was followed by a Alif Desert and then two redfoots.
I love them all!
Mine is an indian star hatchling. He died after 6 months. I don't even know such care sheet exists at that time.
Mine is a leopard tortoise. I got him last year, his name is Kiwi 
My first tortoise was actually a pair of Bells Hingebacks we named Ding and Dong. They also gave me my first clutches of eggs and first experiences with hatchlings. I had to give up the female many years back, but the male is still here with me.
I had to give up the female many years back, but the male is still here with me.
Jacqui said:My first tortoise was actually a pair of Bells Hingebacks we named Ding and Dong. They also gave me my first clutches of eggs and first experiences with hatchlings.
LOVE the names!!!
wow these are really cool stories so far!
Wa-a-a-y back in the '60's we found a male desert tortoise and named him Gumdrop. We put him in the back yard with our in-the-ground pool and fed him left-overs (including spaghetti, salad with dressing, corned beef hash, etc). During that time we found a couple more desert tortoises (these were all found in the city of Fresno, not taken from the wild) and looking back on it, I'm thinking one of them was a chaco. Then we moved to the country and I set them up in an area with a chicken wire/T-post fence. It only took about a week for all of them to figure out how to escape. Back that long ago there was no internet to do research, and it really didn't matter, because I wasn't interested in doing research anyway. I had three small kids to raise and I think the tortoises were just some sort of status symbol.
Then later in life, when my oldest son came home from the Air Force and set up house keeping in his own place, he was given a female desert tortoise that had been run over by a tractor/disc. When he got a rottweiler pup he asked if I would take the tortoise (and his box turtles) because the dog wouldn't leave them alone. His tortoise is called Mi-shelle and I still have her today. She was full grown when he got her and that was about 30 or 40 years ago.
Then later in life, when my oldest son came home from the Air Force and set up house keeping in his own place, he was given a female desert tortoise that had been run over by a tractor/disc. When he got a rottweiler pup he asked if I would take the tortoise (and his box turtles) because the dog wouldn't leave them alone. His tortoise is called Mi-shelle and I still have her today. She was full grown when he got her and that was about 30 or 40 years ago.
His name is Carl and he is a Hermann's tortoise
A Hermann's tortoise (probably an Eastern, but I really didn't know the difference 40 years ago) that I inherited from my Grandfather upon his passing.
She died of old age about 19 years later.
She died of old age about 19 years later.
My first was a pair of redfoots I traded a gold tegu for back in 1974. Had them until 2007 when I lost them in a house fire. No caresheets or real info on them, so treated them like box turtles only warmer. They taught me alot. I still miss them.
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Well I got interested in turtles got two then got interested in tortoises and got a baby sulcata named mouse for my birth day not very interesting sorry ðŸ˜
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I had a beautiful Marginated girl in 2007, sadly I don't have her anymore.
My first tortoise was a CDT that my mom had when I was born, 46 years ago. We had a backyard with several CDT's
My first was a sulcata, 1978!
My Dad used to find a box turtle on the road every spring when I was a kid and I'd keep it all summer till August when he'd make me let it go. I had a outdoor pen set up and everything. But I guess that doesn't count as a tortoise... My first tortoises where 3 hatchling redfoots I got a show around 6 years ago. I made a outside enclosure in my flower bed out of some old versa lok stone someone gave me. I brought them inside every night. Then one evening I go outside to get them and couldn't find any of them. I still to this day think someone stole them.
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