Joey the tortoise is awake!

Oh that's lovely. As a child I had a tortoise who unfortunately escaped and I did not get him back. I like to think someone is taking care of him. They are lovely animals and not as slow as is believed. I remember my poor Gran once planted some lettuces and my tortoise took a bite from almost every one! He also used to eat something white from the soil which I can only think was chalk. Good luck with Joey. He could easily live another 62 years.

Sorry, AskAlice Joey is a she not a he.

Oh AskAlice I was interested in your account. My eleven year old grandson is desperate to become a tortoise owner. Would this work, do you think?

So special, thank you for sharing

How lovely. I had some tortoises as a child and remember so well the year that one,Roberta, didn’t survive hibernation. After I married they were taken by a friend of my Mum. Back in the 50s they were sold on a market stall. Absolutely awful by today’s standards. I still remember all their names and wonder if any are still alive.

Skydancer, that's OK, I didn't know "he" was a "she" until I'd had her for about 10 years, hence the name!

Once the weather warms up, she's very fast on her legs! And she can climb like a mountaineer when the mood takes her. My veg patch and borders have to be very carefully guarded. She also has a particular liking for bare toes and will give a hard nip to the unwary!

She's very fond of cuttlefish which I believe is a good source of calcium for her shell, so I think you are right that your tortoise found chalk to eat in the garden soil.

I just love tortoises!

That's lovely AskAlice to have your tortoise for such a long time, she sounds a real character.

AskAlice what a lovely post, thank you for putting a beaming smile on my face! Hello Joey, hope you have a lovely 2024.

Chocolatelovinggran, it's perfectly possible to buy a tortoise, but it has to be from a reputable breeder in this country that will provide a CITES certificate. Times have moved on from when I bought mine for my 5th birthday from a fruit and veg stall in the local market for half a crown! It has been illegal to import certain species of tortoise for quite some time and I fully support that, as so many tortoises were plundered from the wild in years gone by and are now endangered as a result. Mine was probably one of those, but we know better now. The most suitable ones for out climate to buy from UK breeders are Hermanns, Mediterranean Spur-Thighed (which is what I have) and Horsefields (although they are notorious diggers!) They are also not cheap to buy any more!

Baby tortoises need a lot of care (as do older ones, but different care needs). If your grandson is keen to own a tortoise I would encourage him to do his research as any baby tortoise would need an indoor tortoise table with special heat lamps and careful temperature monitoring. This takes up quite a bit of space. Plus tortoises don't just eat greens and lettuce, as most people believe. The best diet is natural weeds/flowers but this again needs careful research. They are not "easy" pets, and once they get to hibernation age that again needs careful management. Oh, and just to dispel the myth, tortoise DO drink and do need water available at all times.

Having said all that, they are the most fascinating creatures and well worth the effort!

I love them too and would love another one although I thought mine was lonely so I think I would prefer to have two. I remember mine squeezing between the bars on the garden gate to escape although our garden was fairly big. Once you get to know them they are real characters.

Oh ... sorry to go on ... but I remember mine loved cat food.

Joey must know spring is on the way or she would have stayed asleep. I wish you both many more years together.

Germanshepherdsmum, I would hope and pray that some of them have survived! It would be lovely to think so. Mine was from a market stall in Hoxton market in London for the grand sum of half a crown!

I will post a photo of her after the hectic Easter family get-together tomorrow!

Skydancer, yes! When I still lived at home with Mum and Dad she would often plunder the cat's food - even though they are supposed to be vegetarian! And she would hoover up any bread that was put out for the birds!

Thank you Rubysong, Rosie and sodapop

Our tortoise is also awake and ready to go, though disappointed with the rain. He is older than we are, but still quite sprightly. Every time we tuck him away for the winter, I wonder if he’ll wake up again.

My tortoise Todd woke up 2 weeks ago now. Eating well, but not ventured into the garden yet, too cold, he has a lovely area in the shed with a heat lamp which he is spending his days under at the moment. I inherited him from my dear mum and he's been in the family for over 50 years and was fully grown when we got him so we think he's at least 80! Please be aware though if considering getting a tortoise that they are for the whole of your life and beyond. My daughter will take Todd on when I'm no longer here, so it's something to think about. There are lots in rescue where the elderly owner has died with no one to take them on. Great characters though and very rewarding to keep.

Skydancer, actually they don't really get get lonely. In the wild they don't often meet with other tortoises as their natural landscape is vast compared to their numbers, apart from when they might bump into a male and mate (and that is a pretty awful experience for female tortoises, as the males bite and batter them in the process). I used to worry that mine would be happier with a companion, but was told by several very experienced breeders that they are not really sociable creatures. Although I'm sure that Joey recognises me and tolerates my presence!

Mollygo - I know exactly what you mean! I always tuck her up for winter and wonder if I will see her again the following year.

Tortoiselover - Joey is mentioned in my will and I have had the discussion with both my daughters. They know she is very important to me and either one of them is ready to take her on, as and when needed!

The largest of my tortoises was a Hermanns and was called Joe. I remember them all so well, all different characters. I would love to see a photo of AskAlice’s Joey - they really are such characters and I loved all of mine. Terrible that they were imported in huge numbers and those that survived were sold on market stalls. Thank goodness we are more aware and responsible now.

Oh, and how wonderful to have that family connection with your pet, Tortoiselover.

Well, I am just loving this thread. Such happy stories! We had a tortoise when I was young. My mum found him wandering along a street but because Facebook etc didn’t exist, we never found out where he’d come from. We had him for a few years but sadly he didn’t make it through the winter, one year. 😥

Does anyone else remember the Blue Peter tortoise that they used to put into hibernation each autumn?

Happy summer days to Joey and Todd and any other GN tortoises. ☀️ 🥗 🌺 🍃