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"Our" Russian Tortoise

When I was a kid, we had a number of pets.  We had dogs, chickens, bunnies, and even some tortoises.  One of our tortoises was named "Lucky."  She came to us because my dog had her in its mouth.  We thought "Lucky" was an appropriate name for her.

It seems that history has repeated itself.  We had a picnic at a local park, and someone pointed out a "turtle" for us to look at.  I realized that he looked a lot like Lucky, and this wasn't a turtle but a tortoise.  I know these aren't native to our area, and he was probably someone's pet.  We called PetCo and have been referred to The Frog Lady in Edmonds.  We've been in contact with her while we wait until we can give him up to another foster family or when there is a space at their facility or ideally find his actual owners.

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The boys are loving our new pet.  And, of course, being the homeschool family that we are, we've already gone to the library to check out books about our little tortoise and about reptiles in general.  We were told by the Frog Lady that our little guy is a Russian Tortoise.  We've learned that he likes leafy greens, especially dandelions and their yellow flowers, and that fruit other than apples is toxic for them.  We've been sent a Russian Tortoise Care Sheet, and discovering all sorts of fun things about him.

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Our little guy will probably be re-homed on Monday, but it is fun to have him around for the time being!

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