“T” is for Tortoise
This is Boxer.
He is a desert tortoise.
He has been a part of the family for 29 years now.
Did you know that tortoises make great pets? They do!
And they are intelligent as well. Well, Boxer is at least. I can’t speak for all tortoises. 🙂
He knows his name and when he wants to come in the house, he scratches at the door! He loves the top of his head scratched. Tortoises hibernate during the winter. A tortoise’s body slows down during hibernation. They don’t eat or go to the bathroom while hibernating. Now Boxer stays in the backyard during the summer, but when he’s ready to hibernate, he scratches at the door to be let in. He’ll find his favorite corner in the den. We keep him covered and tucked in with a warm blanket and there he stays until spring. In fact, he just got up on Easter Sunday!
We took Boxer camping with us!
We used a small wire fence to section off a small area so he wouldn’t wander off during the day and he stayed in the RV at night.
Tortoises love their fruits and veges and Boxer even enjoys fresh picked rose petals as a snack.
One of his favorite fruits are cactus apples.
It is too funny when he eats these. Cactus apples have tiny black seeds similar to poppy seeds.
Boxer will eat the fruit and spit out the seeds.
Boxer is a special part of our family. He amazes us every day and we wouldn’t know what to do without him.
To find out more about Desert Tortoises or to adopt one, check out;
http://tortoise.org/general/permit.html
This is the cactus flower.
- Posted in: A to Z Challenge ♦ challenges ♦ Uncategorized
- Tagged: "T", atoz challenge
karensdifferentcorners 
Ah, he’s lovely! My hubby has always wanted a tortoise…I see why now! 😉
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There are different species, some get bigger! And I have had 2 of those, but Boxer is a perfect size.
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What a great story. Never knew tortoises could make a good pet. We grow the cactus flowers in Thailand, but they are much bigger. They are called ‘dragon’s eggs’ and I like the seeds.
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Hi Dannie. I used to take Boxer to classrooms at the school where I worked and the kids loved him and he loved the attention. He’d put up with the touching of his feet and long nails and would crane his neck way out to have the top of his head rubbed. But not all tortoises are outgoing. I had one that was such a sweetheart, but when I’d take her to visit the kids at the school, she was very timid, and would pull her head into her shell. I guess they are like all other animals when it comes to their personalities.
Now, as to your dragon’s eggs. Is the flesh white and the seeds black?
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Looks just like the picture you have but about 3 times bigger. They sell them in the markets. There are some that have a purple inside, but I like the white best. And the seeds give it a bit of a crunch
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I didn’t know any of that about tortoises. Very cool! Shawn from Laughing at Life 2
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Hi Shawn. They are a unique pet for sure!
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