Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Why do you keep them? What do you expect to get out of it? and what do you think the tortoise is suppose to get outa it?

Huh?

J.L.

Thatz any easy one, why did 'Ole MacDonald have so many
animals on his farm? My "GURU" tole me that if'n I keep
tortz, i'd reach NIRVANA quicker than ANY of youse!! Too,
the way china is wiping out all asian species, I wanna make
shore I have mine. They make great mince-meat pie!!

so thats what i've been looking for. NIRVANA all this time I thougut it was for the challenge of keeping them healthy and breeding them. only healthy well kept torts breed reguraly.as far as what does the tort get out of it.lets be real were talking about a tortoise. they get what i give them.there not human.so lets see who says what about this. redfootguy

I keep critters, in general, because... I like to.
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Ed
Tortoise_Keepers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

i keep my tort for the same reasons i'd keep any pet -- it's enjoyable and comforting to me to have an animal (even one like a reptile that isn't "affectionate" around, to take care of, feed, and such. i enjoy providing what i can to care for my pet, and i hope that in return the pet has a healthy enjoyable life.

Good questions!
First, I like all animals in general and think they are all cute with exception of cockroaches, big apes and large crocodiles. I think turtles/tortoises are especially cute.

1) Why do I keep tortoises?
I got my first tortoise (an Argentinean or Chaco baby tortoise) for $ 1 back in Argentina. I wanted a pet that was easy to care for and did not make loud noises, drool or smell -don't get me wrong I love dogs, but back then I did not have enough room/time for a dog or cat. My other choice was a hamster. Both were adorable!
Nobody could understand -why a tortoise? My mother thought it looked like a miniature dinosaur. My boyfriend said it was not soft and furry and expressive.
The first thing I thought was that a tort would live much longer than a hamster. So my new companion would be with me for a long time. Also, it was much easier to keep. I ended up getting 3 Chaco tortoises (2 females and a male) and my whole family loved them and enjoy their company as much as I did. I emigrated to the US and Argentina would not allow me to take my pets with me, so they stayed in our family home with my grandpa. One of them passed away after many years; the other two went to good homes after my grandpa sold the house and join us in the States.
Now I have a Greek tortoise (Toto) and a kitty (Michi). I plan to get another tort soon.

2) What do I get out of them?
Amazement, fun, another perspective of the world, love and affection expressed in a different way (resting their paw -or hand, as my children and I call them- on our hands, eating out of our hands, cuddling up on our side). Also they approach our feet and touch them with their nose -"tortu-kisses?"
Our tort and kitty are good friends -they hang out together, the cat watches him and scares away any other critter that get close to the tort's enclosure. When the tort was a baby, kitty lay down by the terrarium and shared the warmth of the heating pad and lamp. They fell asleep together!
Toto's head looks like a little Cuban cigar, coming out of a "sweater" or turtleneck. Sometimes he bobs up and down and moves his legs and "feet" like he is exercising. He enjoys eating berries and his mouth gets all red. He likes to go places with us in a little plastic wagon, like the restaurant or shopping.

3) What do I expect "tortus" to get out of this?
Love, care, respect and understanding. Like our other tort people just said "a healthy and happy life".

Torts are cautious beings, with a slow rythm of life. Like most reptiles they don't like fast moves. I identify with them. As a human, from the evoultionary point of view I did not evolve from tortoises, but sometimes I think my mind or spirit did.

I hope this answers your questions.

TT

I keep em to fatten em up and eat em they taste kinda like chicken. It takes a lot of Egyptians to make a good meal though!!!

They taste nothing like chicken.
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Ed
Tortoise_Keepers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care