[Buzz123]

Yesterday my wife came running in to tell me there was a huge tortoise in front of our house walking down the middle of the street. Neighbors were out gawking and pointing but no one would go near it, so I went over and picked him up (from behind) and carried him out of the street. Then I called the tortoise rescue folks. We had to keep him over night, and they picked him up just before 8:00 this morning. They'll make sure he has a nice place to live where he won't get run over by cars. Big sucker, must have weighed nearly 20lbs. They can live 100 years, and this guy is old. Might have been a pet, but there is tortoise habitat around here, so maybe not. It's tortoise mating season, and he started chasing my dog. Didn't know a tortoise could move that fast. The dog ran for his life. Poor tortoise was probably just looking to get lai, uh....married. Tortoise Care Information - Tortoise Group

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

Yesterday my wife came running in to tell me there was a huge tortoise in front of our house walking down the middle of the street. Neighbors were out gawking and pointing but no one would go near it, so I went over and picked him up (from behind) and carried him out of the street. Then I called the tortoise rescue folks. We had to keep him over night, and they picked him up just before 8:00 this morning. They'll make sure he has a nice place to live where he won't get run over by cars. Big sucker, must have weighed nearly 20lbs. They can live 100 years, and this guy is old. Might have been a pet, but there is tortoise habitat around here, so maybe not. It's tortoise mating season, and he started chasing my dog. Didn't know a tortoise could move that fast. The dog ran for his life. Poor tortoise was probably just looking to get lai, uh....married. Tortoise Care Information - Tortoise Group

Fascinating group the Tortoise People...right up there with the Seal Beach Animal Shelter. To get a tortoise there is a whole thing you must go through including making a suitable den. You have to be declared suitable for the role.

There is a lady in the neighborhood who has a Tortoise condo...Over a tenth of an acre with multiple dwellings Some are even raised penthouse style. So some tortoises have more land that some homeowners.

I have never seen a "feral" tortoise in the area though there may be some.

[delgadobb]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

Yesterday my wife came running in to tell me there was a huge tortoise in front of our house walking down the middle of the street. Neighbors were out gawking and pointing but no one would go near it, so I went over and picked him up (from behind) and carried him out of the street. Then I called the tortoise rescue folks. We had to keep him over night, and they picked him up just before 8:00 this morning. They'll make sure he has a nice place to live where he won't get run over by cars. Big sucker, must have weighed nearly 20lbs. They can live 100 years, and this guy is old. Might have been a pet, but there is tortoise habitat around here, so maybe not. It's tortoise mating season, and he started chasing my dog. Didn't know a tortoise could move that fast. The dog ran for his life. Poor tortoise was probably just looking to get lai, uh....married. Tortoise Care Information - Tortoise Group

Waaitt a minute, I didn't know JFK was in town ... what was he doing walking down the middle of your street, was he hung over from too much partying? Buzz, is he that lazy that you had to carry him inside?

Seriously, a hearty 'thanks' to Buzz looking out for this creature when most people were doing the pedestrian equivalent of a 'gawker slowdown' on the highway. What will they likely do with the tortoise, adopt him out or try to find a general habitat for it or ??

[PinkString]

Thanks for rescuing the amorous tortoise Buzz. I hope your dog will not have nightmares that a tortoise tried to mate with it.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by delgadobb

Waaitt a minute, I didn't know JFK was in town ... what was he doing walking down the middle of your street, was he hung over from too much partying? Buzz, is he that lazy that you had to carry him inside?

Seriously, a hearty 'thanks' to Buzz looking out for this creature when most people were doing the pedestrian equivalent of a 'gawker slowdown' on the highway. What will they likely do with the tortoise, adopt him out or try to find a general habitat for it or ??

Buzz should have just turned him on his back and left him.

Nah...would not work...old JFK probably has an iPod in some hidden pocket and would have called his wife. She is used to turning him back upright.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by olecapt

Fascinating group the Tortoise People...right up there with the Seal Beach Animal Shelter. To get a tortoise there is a whole thing you must go through including making a suitable den. You have to be declared suitable for the role.

There is a lady in the neighborhood who has a Tortoise condo...Over a tenth of an acre with multiple dwellings Some are even raised penthouse style. So some tortoises have more land that some homeowners.

I have never seen a "feral" tortoise in the area though there may be some.

Ask her if she lost an old one. He probably came from someone in the neighborhood.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by delgadobb

Waaitt a minute, I didn't know JFK was in town ... what was he doing walking down the middle of your street, was he hung over from too much partying? Buzz, is he that lazy that you had to carry him inside?

Seriously, a hearty 'thanks' to Buzz looking out for this creature when most people were doing the pedestrian equivalent of a 'gawker slowdown' on the highway. What will they likely do with the tortoise, adopt him out or try to find a general habitat for it or ??

The lady that picked him up said they have a nice tortoise habitat that he'll get to live in, but she wasn't sharing where it is. Like most volunteers, they all give a slightly different story based on how much training they've had. On the phone they said if an owner comes to claim him they would give him back, but the lady this morning said that once he escaped he is considered wild and protected, so they won't give him to anyone. ???????????????

[Buzz123]

olecapt will give a free RE consult of fifty words or less to the first one to come up with an answer to this: What's the difference between a turtle, a tortoise, and/or a terrapin? And no that last one is not someone that the WVU Mountaineers regularly defeat in sports (even though we do like we did today, 31-17, Go EERS!).

[PinkString]

For most Americans, the term 'turtle' describes the Chelonians that are aquatic or semi-aquatic. The term 'tortoise' describes a Chelonian that lives primarily on land. 'Terrapin' can describe some freshwater or saltwater turtles, but is not often used.
In general, tortoises live on land and eat a primarily vegetarian diet, and turtles live in or near the water and eat a meat-based diet or a combination of meat and vegetation. To take this one step further, turtles are often broken down into aquatic and semi-aquatic species. The aquatic species spend the majority of their lives in or near the water and eat a diet that is mostly meat based. Semi-aquatic turtles spend a greater period of time on land, but periodically enter the water. Semi-aquatic turtles tend to eat both plants and animals. An example of a semi-aquatic turtle is the well known American Box Turtle. While there are several subspecies differences, this turtle tends to spend most of its time on land, but enters very shallow water several times a week to defecate. The young turtles are primarily meat eaters, but as they get older, they eat a primarily vegetarian diet.

[bledsoe3]

Originally Posted by PinkString

For most Americans, the term 'turtle' describes the Chelonians that are aquatic or semi-aquatic. The term 'tortoise' describes a Chelonian that lives primarily on land. 'Terrapin' can describe some freshwater or saltwater turtles, but is not often used.
In general, tortoises live on land and eat a primarily vegetarian diet, and turtles live in or near the water and eat a meat-based diet or a combination of meat and vegetation. To take this one step further, turtles are often broken down into aquatic and semi-aquatic species. The aquatic species spend the majority of their lives in or near the water and eat a diet that is mostly meat based. Semi-aquatic turtles spend a greater period of time on land, but periodically enter the water. Semi-aquatic turtles tend to eat both plants and animals. An example of a semi-aquatic turtle is the well known American Box Turtle. While there are several subspecies differences, this turtle tends to spend most of its time on land, but enters very shallow water several times a week to defecate. The young turtles are primarily meat eaters, but as they get older, they eat a primarily vegetarian diet.

That's all wrong. The Tortoise (JFK) may have a hard hairless top but that's as far as the comparision goes. The turtle unlike JFK is hard all the time and the terrapin actually get to mate in the early spring.