TrebleReverie
New Member
Hello, everyone! My name is Cai, and the universe saw fit to bestow upon me a tortoise. 
In early July, my boyfriend's father encountered a wild Turtwig and asked me about it, as I'm the resident animal enthusiast, stating he was planning to put it in a nearby lake. Thankfully, I stymied that, and he brought it to me to handle, after confirming it did not belong to the surrounding neighbors. As with most things in my life, I dove headlong into Research Mode, beginning with determining its species. I knew it was a tortoise, but not what kind, specifically. It took all of five seconds to discover it was a relatively young sulcata!
Admittedly, once I learned how much space they require, the initial plan became finding it a home. I knew I could not release it into the wild, given that it was both exotic and endangered. FWC confirmed as much, and pointed me to Busch Wildlife, which was my next stop anyway. Apparently, they only handle domestic species, as I was met with, "All we'd be able to do is humanely euthanize it." Quite obviously, that was not an option I would even consider entertaining. I continued exploring options, but also continued my research. I scoured the internet for hours daily, trying to be sure I was doing everything I could to keep it as happy and healthy as possible while in my possession. Every search engine query eventually led me here!
Between seeing everyone's joy in caring for their tortoises and the unexpected sense of fulfillment I've personally felt in only a month of harboring this likely fugitive, I've decided to keep it! It's name is Bodhi, and I still have to make it an introductory vet appointment (open to recommendations!) and finish getting it completely situated, but it seems to be doing well, based on everything I've read and experienced thus far. I will post photos as soon as I gather a few together, but for now, it's carapace is 6.5". I haven't weighed it yet, but it eats and poops as it should. It's very alert, and definitely seems to recognize and trust me already.
I greatly appreciate all the guidance and information I've already received by using this site, and I hope I'll be able to help others in time.
In early July, my boyfriend's father encountered a wild Turtwig and asked me about it, as I'm the resident animal enthusiast, stating he was planning to put it in a nearby lake. Thankfully, I stymied that, and he brought it to me to handle, after confirming it did not belong to the surrounding neighbors. As with most things in my life, I dove headlong into Research Mode, beginning with determining its species. I knew it was a tortoise, but not what kind, specifically. It took all of five seconds to discover it was a relatively young sulcata!
Admittedly, once I learned how much space they require, the initial plan became finding it a home. I knew I could not release it into the wild, given that it was both exotic and endangered. FWC confirmed as much, and pointed me to Busch Wildlife, which was my next stop anyway. Apparently, they only handle domestic species, as I was met with, "All we'd be able to do is humanely euthanize it." Quite obviously, that was not an option I would even consider entertaining. I continued exploring options, but also continued my research. I scoured the internet for hours daily, trying to be sure I was doing everything I could to keep it as happy and healthy as possible while in my possession. Every search engine query eventually led me here!
Between seeing everyone's joy in caring for their tortoises and the unexpected sense of fulfillment I've personally felt in only a month of harboring this likely fugitive, I've decided to keep it! It's name is Bodhi, and I still have to make it an introductory vet appointment (open to recommendations!) and finish getting it completely situated, but it seems to be doing well, based on everything I've read and experienced thus far. I will post photos as soon as I gather a few together, but for now, it's carapace is 6.5". I haven't weighed it yet, but it eats and poops as it should. It's very alert, and definitely seems to recognize and trust me already.
I greatly appreciate all the guidance and information I've already received by using this site, and I hope I'll be able to help others in time.
