Tortuga in the News!

This is a cut & paste of the Palm Springs' Desert Sun Pet of the Week article featuring Tortuga, our African Sulcata Tortoise. I attempted to copy the article from the Palm Springs Desert Sun into this blog but it's just not cooperating. The article ran on Thursday, December 29th.

Les had submitted the article and a iPhone photo of Tortuga for consideration in the weekly feature. The Desert Sun was interested saying they had never featured a tortoise as Pet of the Week and would do so provided we could submit a good quality photograph. I guess iPhones don't provide good enough quality for newspapers.

I got out my camera and began taking photos of Tortuga. I cleaned them up and sent about five of them for the editor's consideration. This is the photograph and the article that ran in the Desert Sun.

THURSDAY, December 29, 2011

Submitted by Jerry L. Hanson

Meet Tortuga. The 17 year-old tortoise lives in Palm Springs with Les Zendle and Jerry Hanson.

Unlike other breeds of tortoises that hibernate, Tortuga is an African Spur Thigh breed who “spends winter days in the sun and winter nights in an underground ‘bunker' with heating bulbs to keep warm,” Zendle said in an email to MyDesert.

And when he's out and about, he is social.

“He is friendly and walks toward people, especially if they are wearing bright colors,” Zendle said.

Tortuga's diet consists of two heads of romaine lettuce and a few carrots a day, and he also enjoys Bermuda and winter rye grass.

Written by: MyDesert