Why did you choose to have a tortoise?

[rj1965]

Just wondering why people get tortoises to begin with, whether they like how they look, they want a pet who will live as long as they will, etc. I chose mine because I wanted a pet I could grow old with, as funny as it might sound. There is a part of me, however, that is regretting buying him as I thought he would be more active and that I would be able to have him sit in my lap while I watch tv. I know, he is not a dog...

 

[ascott]

I don't think I ever made a first party choice in the matter....it simply evolved....I have always been around reptiles...more in the form of seeking them out in the wild to watch em, actually my two uncles use to wrangle up us kids, (well thinking about it now we kinda just followed them and they got stuck with us) to go on long day hikes as far back as I can remember ----use to go through the desert and then other times we would be closer to home and we would scour the hillsides of Griffith Park hiking all the trails....lol. My uncles use to always have some type of tortoise, turtle, rattlesnake, tarantula, or other creature...so when the moments in life needed for me to step up, that is when it kinda evolved....and I LOVE IT !!!!!

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

I like BIG things!

 

[ascott]

I like BIG things!

 

[Laura]

they are too cool.. and as I get older... i cant move as fast.. chase livestock etc.. so they are more my speed... HA!

 

[Talka]

My apartment complex didn't allow cats or dogs. My mom said she wouldn't visit if I got a snake, and I like it when my mom visits, so a snake was out of the question. Fish die too easily, and cleaning aquariums is a chore.

Then I saw this:

And then I saw this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_N_rjkdcKU

And I knew I had to get a tortoise.
Then I gave him a tomato: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51dP1ms7iZ0

 

[cherylim]

My reasoning was similar to yours, OP.

I'm useless at keeping alive anything that lives in water. I learnt that many years ago. The only pet I otherwise really wanted was a cat, but I did like the idea of a companion for life. I'd been desperate for the companionship of a pet for years, but as we were living in rented accommodation I thought it couldn't happen. My fiance knew I was feeling down about it, so he phoned the landlord who said he didn't mind me having a pet as long as it wasn't a free-roaming one. That made Emrys a perfect choice - I hope we'll share decades together.

 

[nikki0601]

I have always been obsessed with turtles, always had them, had snappers and box turtles as a kid then when I grew up me and my ex kept tons of sliders, when him and I broke up and I moved back home turtle-less I went to looking to get some of my own again, and then it wasnt till the past year I found out u could literally order them off line, I never knew so I checked it out, then I saw the tortoises and was like oh my gosh, and it goes from there

 

[Tom]

I used to ride the Galapagos tortoises at San Diego Zoo when I was a little boy. That is my first memory of them. I hounded my mother into buying me a box turtle when I was 7. Been fascinated with them ever since.

 

[bellyboo]

I just love them. Even as a kid they fascinated me. We used to see them all over at the lakes, ponds and river out basking in the sun and I just couldn't get enough of them. I have wanted to own a tortoise for years, but for one reason or another life has always gotten in the way until recently, and I'm so happy to have my new little guy!

 

[bigred]

My mom had a backyard full of desert tortoises when I was a kid. I wasnt that into them at that time, she had eggs hatching in the backyard. Not until about 5 years ago I was buying them and taking care of them for her and got bit by the bug. She had box turtles, sulcatas, Elongated. Well I started getting into it wth her and she is now 88 yrs old and still has 2 elongated and 3 of my redfoot hatchlings. Im thinking of buying an incubator and keeping at her house so she can keep some of my eggs. I think having torts kind of calms me down a little when I can sit in the backyard on a sunny day and watch them. I just got bit by the bug

 

[JoesMum]

I moved in with my now husband 26 years ago... Joe was part of the household long before me.

 

[cemmons12]

A friend of ours has a 55lb sully and he is very friendly. He would try and crawl in my lap while I would feed him and even if he wasn't being fed he would stay right by me on the floor so I could rub his big old head, so I fell in love with George and just had to get me a sully. Now I have my own sully, Cooper! And even tho he is not a "dog" he is the best animal I have ever had. Love my little buddy!

 

[mattk]

I have always liked reptiles of any kind since i was like 5. i still remember my first turtle one of those 25 cent red eared sliders you could buy at the dime store( woolworths) i had one even had the liitle dish with the palm tree in it. how times have changed. as for tortoises i have always liked them and use to keep them many years ago. finally got back into keeping torotises this year

 

[wildponey21]

i wated a pet that was differnt. and most don't know anything about them. i have people ask me all the time don't they live in wather? or the other that people say is oh it is a land turtle. so i just wanted to differnet

 

[HerpDaDerp26TV]

Well, since when I was five, my grandma kept a pond of turtles. I was always fascinated by them, and I wanted a land tortoise, because I don't think I would be able to take care of one living in the water. Now I have my russies

 

[harris]

"The Looney Tunes". Once I saw Bugs Bunny knock on his tortoise friend's shell, where they would go inside and there would be a couch, tv, and a kitchen, that was it for me.

 

[Laura]

i did that too! I so wish i had a picture of me riding them!

I used to ride the Galapagos tortoises at San Diego Zoo when I was a little boy. That is my first memory of them. I hounded my mother into buying me a box turtle when I was 7. Been fascinated with them ever since.

 

[rj1965]

i did that too! I so wish i had a picture of me riding them!

I used to ride the Galapagos tortoises at San Diego Zoo when I was a little boy. That is my first memory of them. I hounded my mother into buying me a box turtle when I was 7. Been fascinated with them ever since.

I was hoping for more action from this guy but hey, he's a turtle, so I need to resign to that fact. It seems most adults who have turtles had interactions with them as kids. I have 2 cats and to be honest, it makes me appreciate them more, as I don't think this guy will ever recognize me except for the guy who gives him food.lol

 

[pdrobber]

for one, they generally don't/can't turn around or move about quickly to bite or scratch people intentionally when the're in a vulnerable/scared/angry/other negative and avoided state of mind, unlike what you may find with individual dogs, cats, rodents, lizards, snakes, birds, bugs, etc. when trying to handle them/approach them. makes it a much more pain-free experience!