by Rynski on Nov.05, 2009, under Tucson pets, animals, life, pets, wildlife
Tucson pets: Meet a Monster
How would you like an 80-year-old Monster living in your backyard? One Southwest Side family loves it – but that’s because Monster is a charming and gentle tortoise.
Monster is his fashionable backyard habitat/submitted photo
Monster may weigh in at a stocky 40 pounds and be so named because he is huge compared to the family’s other two tortoises, but he still has to be separated from Wilson and Sleepy.
“Wilson gets aggressive,” Monster’s mom said – but no problems were reported between Monster and the family’s two birds and two dogs.
Monster is even known to help with chores around the home and yard. He loves following his human dad around, and even “helped out” by getting beneath a chair his dad was standing on while working on his truck.
“Monster went under the chair and lifted him about 2 inches off the ground,” mom said.
“I guess the hardest part of owning a tortoise is that they can get so big, making their habitat is a little harder,” she said. “Oh yes, and finding romaine lettuce on sale.”
Do you have a pet that rivals Sawyer? E-mail comment and photo to rynski@tucsoncitizen.com
What do you think?
Do you think tortoises make a good pet? Why or why not?
15 Comments for this entry
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November 5th, 2009 on 9:42 am
Aww! So cool! I love his tortoise shell home, haha!
I remember when I was a kid, my grandparents had a ’stray’ tortoise that would show up in their backyard every once in a while. Every time I’d go over there, my siblings and I would make it a game to see if we could find him haha.
November 5th, 2009 on 9:47 am
i, too, really dig monster’s house. tortoises are fun – good personality on the ones i’ve met. how cool you had a stray tortoise at your grandparents’ house. mine had a dog named foogie who had an extremely dislike for clown dolls.
November 5th, 2009 on 10:04 am
Is Monster a Sulcata?
Most of the Sulcatas I’ve seen have pronounced furrows on and between their scales (I think Sulcata derives from the latin for furrow), although I have seen some smoother shelled ones like monster.
November 5th, 2009 on 10:20 am
not sure on what type of tortoise monster is – nor is the family. they just know they got him about five years ago when someone they knew was giving him away. good find!
your breadth of knowledge is fascinating! first arizona christmas tree history and now sulcatas – along with its latin roots. love your comments, thanks, koreyk.
November 5th, 2009 on 10:50 am
My brain is a trivia sponge, ‘tho I sometimes have to cheat to nudge a foggy memory (google!). As I said in my last Christmas tree post, the trivia soaked mind can be a formidable weapon when used properly. Want to clear a room quickly? Just bring in a couple of trivia dorks. Works every time, unless of course the room is filled with other trivia dorks. You don’t even want to think about that.
I only know the Latin because my brother has Sulcatas.
November 5th, 2009 on 10:34 am
My brother has 6 species of tortoise in his backyard. They are housed separately due to differences in size, diet, habitat, and to prevent transmission of respiratory ailments (what’s benign to one specie can be deadly to another).
The male Sulcatas are hysterically vocal when they fornicate (yes I know copulate is correct, but fornicate seems apropos to their style), with bleaty grunts that synchronize with their thrusts. Ofttimes the female continues walking around during the act with the male scrambling to stay on top. The male goes suddenly quiet and walks away when he is finished (I swear I’ve seen them smoking little tortoise cigarettes afterward). Sometimes my brother’s little male will get on a big female, which is quite amusing. Other times two pair will be going at it at once, bleating and walking into each other…a regular tortoise orgy. In fact, it’s all a regular tortoise porn-o-thon.
November 5th, 2009 on 11:08 am
hahahhah! that’s too funny. i can imagine the faces of the folks who get REALLY UPSET when they see similar antics at a dog park…just think if they got a gander of the tortoise fest. thanks for the laugh.
p.s. also remind me NEVER to challenge you to a game of trivial pursuit….
November 5th, 2009 on 11:33 am
My brother also has the trivia “gift”. Our friends and relatives won’t allow us to be on the same Trivial Pursuit game>
November 5th, 2009 on 11:21 am
Monster is great!
I agree his house is by far the coolest one I’ve ever seen and a neat addition to any backyard landscape.
November 5th, 2009 on 11:44 am
I don’t have a great deal to say today but here is my 2 cents . . .
I think this guy is so cool!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30794224&l=34c6f2eeeb&id=1244873230
November 5th, 2009 on 7:19 pm
??? the link wanted me to send an e-mail with the subject ‘tucson zoo’ – but i didn’t see anything else.
was it those creepy monkeys?
November 5th, 2009 on 11:52 am
It looks like I got a little too Cliff Claviny in my comments above. Here are some clarifications and corrections, courtesy of my brother, Mr Tortoise.
Monster is probably not a Sulcata as his size would make him a mere youngster, not an 80 year old.
Diet can affect the size and depth of the furrows.
His current fornicators are African Leopard Tortoises. He got rid of the Sulcatas as they got to big.
I’m also going to shut up now, as half of the mere 10 comments here are mine, it looks like I am clearing out this “room”.
November 5th, 2009 on 12:09 pm
Hey..I thoroughly enjoyed the turtle fornification tale. Brought a laugh to an otherwise dull day. Thanks!
November 5th, 2009 on 7:20 pm
hahah! we love your comments, koreyk!
and so glad you cleared up the sulcata vs african leopards. now i can sleep at night (esp. since i have all those weapons in my house…haha)
November 17th, 2009 on 12:10 pm
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