Bit annoying!!

[Madkins007]

I think that a lot of people with strong interests can come across as odd, weird, or even a bit scary. It is a little like back in the 70's and 80's when I would have been classified as a full-on 'Jesus freak'. I scared a lot of people and shut down a lot of conversations with it. (I did the same in the 90's when I was really into magic. "You want to see a trick" is a horrible ice-breaker!)

In hindsight, I know now that this thing I am passionate about should not be the first, or even the tenth, thing someone learns about me. First they should get to know me, and I them. Then, when we see each other as people and potential friends, I can ease into the other things.

For example, early in the conversation, it is customary to ask about pets. I always say that I have a cat and some turtles. If they are interested in that, I can add a little more information as the situation tolerates- always looking for that hint that they are getting bored or weirded out.

That is a big reason I don't do thematic bumper stickers or T-shirts anymore. It lets people pigeonhole me right away without getting to know me.

 

[dmmj]

I can see the conversation now with madkins
" I have some turtles" " how many?" " no comment"

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

The people at work call me a turtle collector

 

[lynnedit]

Yoda3106 said(I'm glad to be part of this, it's the 1st and last thing I check everyday and one day I hope to be one of the more experienced members on here that people ask souly for advice like yourself!!)
Yoda3106. Thank you so much, however I am just as new to this as you and I only have one tortoise. Like you, i want more. Veteran member, not keeper. I have learned a lot from this forum, but have oh so much more to learn. Some day, we both will be like the more experienced we are learning from. Because they are so good and so Sharing, it shouldn't take us long.

DITTO! Well said, Barb.

Great forum, I don't tell many people about my torts. Perhaps I need a thicker skin, because I already know that I am a kook!

 

[*Barracuda_50*]

Never had anyone think we were wierd or strange for anything we had or have, most folks would say IM NOT GOING IN YOUR HOUSE!! Use to run a rep rescue yrs back and also many many yrs back in the days when the kids was small we owned and ran a exotic pet shop, use to go to the kids schools and give reptile lectures and hands on experiance with the reps, we have had many diffrent types animals from lamas, wild turkeys, racoons, patagonian cavy, junglebob cats, owls, birds, cows, horses, frogs, turtles, over 79 tarantulas, boas over 12ft and pythons over 14ft and way to many feeder rats, rabbits and chickens, to many diffrent lizards to count, scorpions, millies, insects, snails, raised baby whitetail deer, kids at one point back then want to raise baby porcupine i said no way. LOL!! Use to have a sign on the gate in the driveway to the old house that said "Enter at your own risk" YOU BEEN FORWARNED!! Now retierd from all that we still have few family pets and such, kids are grown and hubby and i do our own thing, time out on the quad in the woods, me getting my hobby greenhouse bizz off the ground, use to own a street drag race car we ran for several yrs at the track racing owned and was presidents of our own car club, sold the race car and now its the quiet life in the middle of the woods with nature and we love it. Taking care of Cassie our daughter whom has a non curable brain tumor has taken its toll on me and hubby, we now spend as much time as we can enjoying the things we love.

 

[yoda3106]

Our friends who know us well aren't so surprised, but a lot of people do give us weird looks when they find we have tortoises. A lot of my employees actually ask how the tortoises are doing now. People think I am weird because of how I treat my animals and how my husband I view animals. I think because we aren't hippies it's hard for people to believe we are vegetarians and cruelty free. Our neighbors this weekend definitely thought we went off our rockers while we were having our tortoise fun zone built. I was planting edible plants on the edge of their play area and designing how the rocks should be laid out so they could climb. They also thought it was weird that I planted veggies and declared.. if the bunnies are hungry.. let them eat

I love animals, well, most animals and we do get people ask about the torts all the time but it's only close friends and family who ask, not outsiders who just think its weird!! I think our neighbours think we're bonkers, every time they see me in the garden, I'm in or around the pen adding things lol and I always think, how can I make it more interesting for them haha

What plants are edilble that you plant? See, I'm off already lol

---

Yoda3106 said(I'm glad to be part of this, it's the 1st and last thing I check everyday and one day I hope to be one of the more experienced members on here that people ask souly for advice like yourself!!)
Yoda3106. Thank you so much, however I am just as new to this as you and I only have one tortoise. Like you, i want more. Veteran member, not keeper. I have learned a lot from this forum, but have oh so much more to learn. Some day, we both will be like the more experienced we are learning from. Because they are so good and so Sharing, it shouldn't take us long.

Oh, I thought you had been a member for a while lol sorry, but I'd still come to you!! 5yrs time, me and you will be giving out advice to the newer members haha and looking back on this convo!! I beginning to give out advice ha people are amazing on here!!

 

[81SHOVELHEAD]

Rescued 2 redfoots from Petco 2 yrs age Male/female in 20 gallon tank with 4 Russians .
7 months later same Petco Has this 7" male in 20 gallon enclosure,Rescued him to.
Now own 6 redfoots 2 males /4 females.
Co-workers think i am nuts..Family thinks i am becoming a tortoise hoarder .
This spring i tilled up another 8x16 ft space in my yard & this is strictly for growing tortoise food (mustards ,collards.squash,carrots)
I Started out with a 6x12 dog kennel ,boxed in the bottom 16" tall with treated 1x8""s & now it has grown to 12x12 .
I spend lots of time in my Backyard just reading & watching my tortoise roam about .
My Largest male (Bubba) knows his name & runs to the fence when he see me .
My next door neighbor thinks it is cool & never though tortoises would be something to have as a pet until he met Bubba & the herd .
Am i nuts? well maybe ,but i love mt tortoises & wouldn't do anything different .
Now i just need to keep reminding myself that 6 is enough
Just yesterday i am getting quotes on have a privacy fence built around my back yard so i can let the torts roam free while i'm working in the yard.
Thanks Yoda for starting the thread

 

[yoda3106]

I have constantly been looked at as weird for a long time. My parents was the first back in the 80's when i purchased a male aldabra for $20,000. My coworkers were always taken back and thought i was just nuts. Some of my girlfriends shared my passion and some did not. My neighbors, well most just do not see things the same way as i do. Well, look at me now, A dream come true! ALDABRAMAN!

20,000 wow, that's amazing!! How many do you have now if you don't mind me asking?? I wish one day I could be an owner of a tort farm and have a name like yours Greek tort dan or somin haha

---

My parents and girlfriend think I'm nuts
I have 9 sliders, 1 snapper and 4 tortoises !

The people at work call me a turtle collector

I'd love a turtle but there hard work I believe!!

 

[Kerryann]

I love animals, well, most animals and we do get people ask about the torts all the time but it's only close friends and family who ask, not outsiders who just think its weird!! I think our neighbours think we're bonkers, every time they see me in the garden, I'm in or around the pen adding things lol and I always think, how can I make it more interesting for them haha

What plants are edilble that you plant? See, I'm off already lol

I planted roses, hibiscus, three types of lettuce, kale, day lillies, cilantro, swiss chard, and assylum

Aldabraman..... you are living the dream

 

[lynnedit]

Aldabraman..... you are living the dream

Yeah, pretty much!

Also creeping jenny, dwarf mulberry, hosta, and at least one area seeded with a good tortoise seed mix
http://www.tortoisesupply.com/TestudoMix

 

[Kerryann]

Aldabraman..... you are living the dream

Yeah, pretty much!

Also creeping jenny, dwarf mulberry, hosta, and at least one area seeded with a good tortoise seed mix
http://www.tortoisesupply.com/TestudoMix

that would be awesome to plant in the little area that they will be in. I picked a grassy area for them that naturally has creeping charlie, clover, and dandelion to make their play area. I have it planted so the other plants will be in the garden next to the play area but will weep or be accessible into their play area
I will have to get that seed mix! thanks

 

[yoda3106]

Rescued 2 redfoots from Petco 2 yrs age Male/female in 20 gallon tank with 4 Russians .
7 months later same Petco Has this 7" male in 20 gallon enclosure,Rescued him to.
Now own 6 redfoots 2 males /4 females.
Co-workers think i am nuts..Family thinks i am becoming a tortoise hoarder .
This spring i tilled up another 8x16 ft space in my yard & this is strictly for growing tortoise food (mustards ,collards.squash,carrots)
I Started out with a 6x12 dog kennel ,boxed in the bottom 16" tall with treated 1x8""s & now it has grown to 12x12 .
I spend lots of time in my Backyard just reading & watching my tortoise roam about .
My Largest male (Bubba) knows his name & runs to the fence when he see me .
My next door neighbor thinks it is cool & never though tortoises would be something to have as a pet until he met Bubba & the herd .
Am i nuts? well maybe ,but i love mt tortoises & wouldn't do anything different .
Now i just need to keep reminding myself that 6 is enough
Just yesterday i am getting quotes on have a privacy fence built around my back yard so i can let the torts roam free while i'm working in the yard.
Thanks Yoda for starting the thread

I really would have about 7 or 8 now if I could, I just want to rescue every tort I find in the pet shops out here in Cyprus because they don't look after them that's how we've got ours, I rescued them! Only problem is, there different breeds and mine are Greeks and I haven't found any more Greeks!! I would build another pen for a different breed but then it's the indoor housing :s lol

You don't need to say thankyou for me staring this thread, I thought it might not get many replays because it sounds quite stupid but I forget, you all understand how I feel I just want to get out to people out there that torts or turts are not boring and they are just as good as a dog or cat, and that us keepers/owners aren't nuts, were just normal humans who have a passion for something different other than the boring norm!!

 

[lynnedit]

This has been a wonderful thread. Nice way to get to know some of the forum members better.

 

[ErikaO]

I find it odd that anyone would think its odd that anyone would want turtles ort toroises as pets (wow, did I even say that right?). In this huge world of wonders we live in, why would people not expect that surely everyone is different and have different interests? I have had so many differentpets throughout my life tjat are thought to beweird pets. As a kid, I had baby robins, wild rabits, a chipmunk, tons of box turtles, frogs, toads, salamanders, and I even had a baby mole for a while. In my teens, I really got into lizards and had geckos, iguanas, caught and kept tons of bull and garder snakes and then I found taurantulas! My parents abouted had heart-attacks! Here in New Mexico, the wild taurantulas are awesome. In college, I had a hedgehog and a ferret. Now that i've grown up (ha! arguably by some), I have calmed down a bit. Instead of collecting strange pets, it seems I got myself into collecting kids! My hubby and I have 7 kids, 5 boys, 2 girls. But I still have to have my pets too! We have had a bunny, hamsters, a beautiful ball python, several large goldfish and koi, tortoises, and our little daschund Bailey (but don't tell her she's a pet). I have foundthathavingpets, especially the"different" or "strange" ones have been a wonderful learning experience for our kids. We have used the pets to teach patience, sharing, researching, responsibility, care-taking, and of course being thankful to a very creative God who gives us such wonderous animals! Our friends, families, and neighbors, all be it not as strange as we are, are still usually curious about our pets and that always gives us the opportunity to educate them. For those who don't understand or don't like, well, we feel bad for such simple and plain folks. As for us, the stranger the better! I wouldn't have it any other way!!

 

[yoda3106]

This has been a wonderful thread. Nice way to get to know some of the forum members better.

I feel like I know some of the members better now its good knowing there's lots of you lie me out there

---

I find it odd that anyone would think its odd that anyone would want turtles ort toroises as pets (wow, did I even say that right?). In this huge world of wonders we live in, why would people not expect that surely everyone is different and have different interests? I have had so many differentpets throughout my life tjat are thought to beweird pets. As a kid, I had baby robins, wild rabits, a chipmunk, tons of box turtles, frogs, toads, salamanders, and I even had a baby mole for a while. In my teens, I really got into lizards and had geckos, iguanas, caught and kept tons of bull and garder snakes and then I found taurantulas! My parents abouted had heart-attacks! Here in New Mexico, the wild taurantulas are awesome. In college, I had a hedgehog and a ferret. Now that i've grown up (ha! arguably by some), I have calmed down a bit. Instead of collecting strange pets, it seems I got myself into collecting kids! My hubby and I have 7 kids, 5 boys, 2 girls. But I still have to have my pets too! We have had a bunny, hamsters, a beautiful ball python, several large goldfish and koi, tortoises, and our little daschund Bailey (but don't tell her she's a pet). I have foundthathavingpets, especially the"different" or "strange" ones have been a wonderful learning experience for our kids. We have used the pets to teach patience, sharing, researching, responsibility, care-taking, and of course being thankful to a very creative God who gives us such wonderous animals! Our friends, families, and neighbors, all be it not as strange as we are, are still usually curious about our pets and that always gives us the opportunity to educate them. For those who don't understand or don't like, well, we feel bad for such simple and plain folks. As for us, the stranger the better! I wouldn't have it any other way!!

I wouldn't have it any other way I love my torts and hope my torts love me!! I couldn't care what others think, to me, there wired for not enjoying torts/turts haa