When you #adopt a #desert #tortoise, prepare for a surprisingly #social and zippy #pet
#PHOENIX (MNP) — They’re not #fluffy, they don’t play #fetch and they certainly don’t roll over. But there is such a thing as a lap #tortoise.
What’s more, #pet tortoises can wag their #tails, will plod on up to greet you and some can even recognize their own #names. The surprising #warmth of this #ancient cold-blooded creature has made them popular pets for families with pet dander #allergies and for retirees.
After years of living pet-free (save one vicious betta fish), my family and I decided to adopt a captive #desert tortoise. Fittingly, it was a #slow and steady process.
In #Arizona where we live, the state runs a captive desert tortoise adoption #program. The adoption is free, but requires an application, including photos and a diagram of the tortoise’s new home. We spent hours setting up her habitat in our backyard, digging out rocks, fashioning a burrow and planting tortoise-friendly flowers.
Building the habitat takes time. But the tortoise itself is a pretty low-maintenance pet.
Tortoises sleep through the winter, a process known as brumation in the reptile world. They need a cozy den to keep them safe and warm. In the wild, they dig it themselves. Human-made burrows can be built out of large PVC pipes, plastic garbage cans or some cinderblocks with WonderBoard as the roof.
For families with kids, there’s an extra benefit of the brumation process, says Lynda Misiak, who administers the desert tortoise permit process in California.
“The tortoise is awake, they play with it, they get tired of it, it goes to sleep. It wakes up in the spring and they have a brand-new pet,” she quips.
Desert tortoises are herbivores and munch on Bermuda grass, weeds and many native plants. They also don’t need water daily, since they’re well-adapted to their desert homes. And you don’t need a second tortoise to keep your pet company.
“The funny thing about tortoises is they love people, but they don’t love each other,” said Sherri Graves of the nonprofit Tortoise Group, which helps people adopt and rehome tortoises.
