Adding Another Pet to the Family

Sully and Owen recently finished reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. Almost immediately, Sully made a request. "Mama, can we get a turtle for a pet?" Those who have read the book will be aware that Dribble, the turtle, plays a major part in the story. I said I would have to think about it.

We already have a cat, Oreo. I would love to have another kitten, but our development charges pet fees. Adding another cat or dog would also increase our rent. So, finding an alternative has been on mind.

I have spent the past few days researching turtles and tortoises. My head was spinning with all of the information I had encountered. I wanted to be sure that if we got one, it would be the right reptile for our family. There is a lot more to caring for these special creatures than most would expect.

After deciding that an aquatic turtle would be too much work for our family (our one attempt at maintaining an aquarium did not go well), we have decided to go with a Russian Tortoise. We will be spending the next couple of weeks doing more research on our desired species of chelonian and getting his/her new home all ready.

As with any pet your family is considering adopting, do your research before purchasing a turtle or tortoise. There are lots of wonderful websites out there full of information on these reptiles, such as the Turtle Forum and the Tortoise Forum.

We will continue to update as we begin our adventures in herpetology. Our first step will be doing a unit study on turtles/tortoises. Stay tuned!