Well, big news in the Leong Household... We got a tortoise!
Meet Gus. He's kind of the best. =0).
Growing up, we had a tortoise that found its way into our backyard. We named him Ted and he was fun. We once lost him for a while but that he came back. If I remember correctly, he got in a fight with some animal one night and his shell got cut. I don't think we took him to a vet and eventually Ted died. I also remember very distinctly saying goodbye to Ted very briefly because I wanted to go back to watching Duck Tales. Not my finest moment.
Fast forward a few decades. Megan grew up with dogs and said she wants a dog at some point. I tell her that we can get a dog as soon as we get a tortoise. She agrees and we're off and running.
The plan was to get be a tortoise for Father's Day. We were doing a lot of research, looking in a lot of places online both for a tortoise but also for an enclosure for our tortoise. We had a lot of questions, especially about the enclosure so I decided that our best bet was to actually talk to someone. I went to a local reptile store and here's for the conversation went:
"Hi! Welcome to Nebraska Aquatic Supply!"
(Thinks about asking his enclosure question but then decides to go for it) "You don't happen to have any tortoises, do you?"
"Actually, we only have one. He's a Russian tortoise"
(Eyes light up): "Really?! Can I see him?"
We knew we wanted a Russian tortoise because they're small and easy to manage. It was too perfect. I bought him right away and took him home.
The kids love Gus. They are constantly trying to feed him and like holding him. Thaliea has already been pooped on by him. At the end of the night, he and I have some time together and he likes to crawl all over me. I think he's getting used to me too.
Russian tortoises are supposed to live somewhere between 40-60 years in captivity. Our best guess is that Gus is about 2 or 3 years old, so we are looking forward to having him be a part of our family for a long time.
Have an excellent day!
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