Eighty Years with Tortoises

By Kay Arneberg Booth

Will you enjoy this book? Will it help you? Here's hoping that both come true. It would be wonderful if I could know the reactions of the readers—if any. Readers, that is. Once I was asked, "Why do you do all this when it takes so much time and effort? Tortoises can't even wag their tails when you come home or sit on your lap and purr. Sounds rather silly to me." There was no answer. Why do I do it? It is impossible to explain. Those who do such things know why, and those who don't—well, they will just have to keep on wondering why some of us will miss a meal or a party to help a tortoise dig a nest or sit for hours just watching or get up in the middle of the night to coax a baby to eat or to be sure that it is not too warm or too cold. There isn't much more to say. Almost everything I can think of is in the book. Now you know what has been going on around me for eighty plus years. There have been many, many nests dug and lots of babies. Other persons have even been helped to successfully incubate and hatch desert tortoise eggs. So now you see, it seems that I have come full circle. When I was very young, dirt was thrown all over me by a bunch of chickens. Now when I am old (the very was left out on purpose!), there is dirt thrown all over me by tortoises. Some life! It really has been though. Actually I was very content with the other chickens, and now I'm quite happy with the other tortoises. The chickens thought of me as just another chicken, and now it seems that I am just another tortoise. Bye now. "Fantastic! A really needed book. It's about time someone cared" (L. & G. Nowak). "Equate tortoises with chickens?" (M. Stein). "Used to think all tortoises were just the same, but no more" (E. Burnett). "Never thought a tortoise needed care—or water. But I'm learning. Good book. Especially for the beginner" (L. Swiger). "Didn't realize there was so much to know about just an old tortoise" (W. Smith).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9781641385077

Book preview

EIGHTY YEARS

WITH

TORTOISES

Kay Arneberg Booth

Copyright © 2019 Kay Arneberg Booth

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING, INC.

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2019

ISBN 978-1-64138-506-0 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64138-507-7 (Digital)

Credits

Photographers

Russell V. Douglas

Kristi Rumble

Two Cartoon Drawings by Dick Kennedy.

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Dedication

This book is dedicated to all tortoise connoisseurs all over the world. Most of all to those who have had to answer such questions as: What is there to look at after you once see a turtle?, What good are they?, "You actually like turtles…er…uh…tortoises?"

This book is also dedicated to my family. Especially to my daughter, Kristi, and my husband, Carl. Since I had my tortoises before I had either of them, they have always had to put up with eggs hatching and tortoise babies in various cages all over the house, even with babies, parents and grandparents all over the yard. Their patience and understanding have been wonderful although at times it seemed that I took more time for the tortoises than for them.

However—the tortoises were a hobby. My family has been my life. I thank God every day for His blessings to me.

Kay Arneberg Booth

Prelude

Dear Friends—Please do not buy, or read, this book if you are expecting a lot of Latin names or a very scientifically worded dissertation. Most of those who were contacted thought that most scientific treatises are so worded that the average person doesn’t get too much benefit from them. Many persons, like me, want to do the very best we can without taking a college course to find out all the inner workings of our pets.

This book is in layman’s (layperson’s?) language and is written mainly for fun but also to acquaint all of you with the joys, and the headaches, of owning and/or being owned by a bunch of California Desert Tortoises. They are also known as Gopherus Agassizi and they are the State Reptile of California.

Because I, too, am a native Californian, these California Desert Tortoises have a particular fascination for me. They are rather exotic in one sense of the word, yet they are just plain old common folk, homey and easy to get along with—most of the time. They are easy to raise and mainly are very healthy and take a minimum of care. These tortoises reward you by just being there and reminding you that you are not so much. They’ve been here a lot longer.

This book does not purport to tell anyone what they must do or not do. It is not a medical account or a scientific exposé. It is merely a resumé of my eighty plus years with tortoises—and is only about tortoises. —And especially about the California Desert Tortoise.

The information contained in this book is only what I have done and what has worked for me through the years. It is solely to guide the novice tortoise fancier in how to keep and enjoy the company of a tortoise with the best interests of the tortoise at heart and with a minimum of human effort.

However, never get any type of pet and assume that it needs no attention. Any pet does need care!!. Each pet will consume much time in actual care. From just as much—to about one fourth as much time as a human baby. Be sure to keep this in mind when looking for any pet. If you haven’t this much time to give, be content with a good book just reading about the love of your life.

Yes, even tortoises need constant care. They must not get too cold or too hot. In cold weather they must be kept warm and in the hot weather it is absolutely essential that they have a cool place in which to rest. Hot sun can kill them surprisingly quickly. They need vitamins, the yard must be kept clean, the water fresh and all the rest.

I’m not really trying to scare anyone or to keep them from having pets. Mine have brightened my life ever since I can remember. All the way from rats through dogs, cats, skunks, and horses. But now I’ve slowed down a bit and have to be content with something that can’t outrun me. Really, in one way, tortoises are more interesting than even my gopher, opossom, or birds; and are much more defenseless. This is something else to consider when deciding to own one or more. They need to be protected from dogs, cats, and even birds. Especially the babies.

California Desert Tortoises are protected by law as an Endangered Species. You’d never guess that by the way that mine are going on. Probably it would be closer to the truth to say that their natural habitat is endangered and there is no place for them to live. Be that as it may, as an Endangered Species each tortoise must have a number issued by (in California) the State Fish and Game Department, and the owner must have a permit to own them. If anything happens to a tortoise, the Fish and Game Department must be notified and the number returned. In order to protect oneself, it is wise to notify the police if any of them are missing or stolen. You can be fined for having them in your possession without a permit. It is definitely against the law to remove them from the wild—or to return them to the wild. The latter is because of disease being spread and also because usually those raised in captivity would not be able to subsist in their native habitat and would die a lingering death, possibly after infecting the wild population with some disease unknown in that particular area. Then that would be the end of all the tortoises in that area. It is also unlawful to sell, purchase, harm, take, possess, transport or shoot any projectile at a tortoise (Gopherus). This is part of the California Fish and Game Code law #5000.

If you are still interested in having a tortoise, the best way to get started is to contact the Tortoise Society in your area and see what ones they have to be adopted. They will very likely want to find out what type of accommodations you have. If they are suitable it won’t be long until someone will take pity on your loneliness and you will soon have a reptile crawling around not only your yard or house but probably around your heart as well.

Just be prepared for many, many years of co-existence. My original two obtained in 1935 were quite well grown at that time. In 1956 they were said to be seventy-five or eighty years old. In view of what has transpired, there is some doubt now in my mind as to the accuracy of that statement. Be that as it may, now in 2012 they are still going strong and producing every year—ever since 1956.

These 1956 babies, all grown up now of course, are quite prolific and show no signs of aging.

So—good luck. Have fun. —And enjoy yours as much as I have mine.

GOPHERUS AGASSIZI

CARAPACE

(Top Shell)

PLASTRON

(Bottom Shell)

Booth_Kay_11409_Forty_Years_with_Tortoises_10

Chapter 1

Comparison: Man vs. Tortoise

Man is thought of as a very advanced being. The tortoise is considered quite a primitive creature. Yet thousands of years before Man (I’m a pre-woman-libber) even thought of them—the tortoise sported a streamlined body, turret top, retractable landing gear and a portable housel

It took humans a long time to acquire all the things that the tortoise comes equipped with, but in the process we modernized and constantly improved our surroundings. The poor tortoise is exactly the same as he was so long ago. However, even yet he does have at least one advantage— his feet are planted firmly on the ground.

Humans are in a favorable position in that they have developed systems for heating and cooling. The poor tortoise, being still a prehistoric monster only slightly scaled down in size, and being a reptile, is exactly the same temperature as the atmosphere around him. BUT—they are ahead of us in the use of solar energy because that is what they have always used for heat! For cooling? They beat us there too. They went underground and dug subways. So all of our two and three tiered underground stores and railways are not so new after all. Just perhaps we humans are not so very clever as we would like to imagine.

Even though the foregoing does eulogize the tortoise to a certain degree, they still seem slow and stupid. Now I wonder what that makes most of us who have ever had anything to do with a tortoise—desert or otherwise. For most tortoises can and will best an owner and get out of almost any outdoor pen or yard. Even beautiful large yards with seemingly everything possible a tortoise could want. But I struck a blow for humans and outwitted those that were outsmarting me. I put a concrete block wall around the entire place. Ha! (Even then one got out once.)

So, humans, take heart. In the long run we may yet win. That is if we last long enough, for they say that the tortoise has been on this earth a lot longer than we have.

Oh, well, if we humans keep on the way we have been and the tortoises the way they have been—

Oh, goodness, gracious. Just draw your own conclusions!

Chapter 2

Eighty Years with Tortoises

It all started innocently enough! I was just taking my mother for an automobile ride. Yes, we did have automobiles eighty years ago.

We lived in Pomona, California and we were going east towards the desert. There was still some left at that time. Then we saw the sign Desert Zoo right along the roadside. Well, since we had moved from Los Angeles a short time before and all we had there was a horned toad or two, we decided to stop. It would be closer to the truth to admit that it was mostly I that decided to stop. Since I was driving there wasn’t much that Mother could do.

The zoo looked rather seedy and run down at the heels but we thought at least we’d see what lived on the desert. The proprietor came out and opened a magical door—to some scrawny, tiny pens housing a few lizards and one turtle. He said he was rather short of things just then because he had sold all of his snakes and most of the lizards and tortoises. Mother wasn’t paying much attention but I did notice that he didn’t call it a turtle. Then he said that he was planning a restocking trip pretty soon.

All this time my eyes had been straying back to that turtle—er— tortoise. It looked so forlorn. Oh, it did too! And hungry. And lonesome. Its head was stuck in a corner and all its feet were pulled in tight and it looked desolate. No food. No water. And in a tiny, icky pen with no companion.

Probably it would be a good idea to right now give you a little background of my life. It might make it a little easier for you to figure out and understand what happened then.

When I was a very little girl—yes, I was one once although it’s been a long time now—I used to make Mother a little exasperated by saving some of my breakfast, or any other meal, to feed to the chickens while we took dust baths together. And it was together! I’d get a handful of dirt and when they had their feathers all ruffled up I’d sprinkle it on them. They replied in kind by scratching and ruffling harder and sprinkling dirt all over me! All we chickens enjoyed these dust baths. The only fly in the ointment was my mother. She was very lenient about me helping the chickens since they seemed to like it and evidently thought I was just a chicken too. Kinda’ freaky maybe, but a chicken nevertheless. But then, even though I’d been helping the ducks too, although their tub was too little for me to actually get in—I tried—Mother made me get into our tub! And scrub! Uggghh! I felt better after my dust bath with the chickens.

A little later in life I inveigled my mother into letting me have a white rat. Mother, being very practical, chose a female for me and declared that one rat was plenty. There was no arguing with such an ultimatum couched in such definite terms. But it was all right with me. My rat rode on my shoulder even up to the store and its pretty tail would wrap around my neck. Sometimes ladies would almost scream and move away from me and that was fun.

Of course then lots of the other lads got white rats too. Then it happened. One of my friends was moving away and couldn’t take his rat with him; For lots of reasons most likely, but chiefly because his mother hated it, I think. So he and his mother came to see me and my mother—and, well, you can guess the rest.

Pretty soon we had plenty of white rats. I thought it was fine! For a while my brothers were helpful but then they got tired of making pens so I had to make some and they really weren’t too bad. But by then things were getting so ratty that Mother was getting batty. Excuse the pun. I know it’s bad.

Someone asked why I didn’t sell them. They knew where there was a market for white rats. O, joy! I could keep them. Just sell the too-many ones. No matter what they paid for them it would be clear gain and believe me it would be welcome. We didn’t have very much at that time since Mother was supporting all four of us kids by herself. I started counting up my riches even though I had no idea if they paid one cent or