As I approached the reptile section last night, I noticed the russian tortoise enclosure had damp "Bed-A-Beast" for substrate and their shells were all wet as if they had been recently sprayed. As I got closer I saw a lone redfoot in a SEPARATE cage with the same set up. As I rounded the corner to the other side, there was the Petco Employee with the spray bottle in hand. AHA! Caught red-handed! I asked her why she sprayed the tortoises since they are desert animals and get all their water from their lettuce and tomatoes. She sighed ever so slightly and politely told me that they do get some water from their food but they still need humidity and a water bowl and that the water helps their shells devolop properly. She went on to mention that they need frequent "baths" too. About this time, I showed her my TFO shirt and she'd never heard of it. I asked her where she learned all that and she told me she used to work for a big time West Coast box turtle breeder that knew all about tortoises too.
The manager at this particular store is a personal friend of mine and this emplyee got a gloiwng A+ report from me, not only for taking proper care of the animlas, but for being patient and polite with an ignorant member of the public who was spouting off the same old ludicrous bad tortoise info.
The manager at this particular store is a personal friend of mine and this emplyee got a gloiwng A+ report from me, not only for taking proper care of the animlas, but for being patient and polite with an ignorant member of the public who was spouting off the same old ludicrous bad tortoise info.
