Koopa and Zamboni are my two cherry head red footed tortoises. Shh, don’t tell my other reptiles, but Koopa and Zamboni might just be my favorite scaly pets. Tortoises aren’t for everyone. They are messy, more demanding than many other types of reptiles, can get quite large depending on the species, can be expensive to care for, and live a super long time! But red foot tortoises in particular have amazing personalities and are a lot of fun, especially if you enjoy keeping reptiles that are a bit more interactive. I’m very much looking forward to a lifetime of tortoisey adventures with my silly pair of shelled buddies.
Koopa:
Hatch Date: November 14th, 2017
Koopa, Koop for short, is a very handsome male cherry-head redfoot tortoise. I got him in late 2017 when he was just a hatchling. He was so tiny, and fit into the palm of my hand. Koop has grown a lot since then, although he does still have more growing to do. He has a bright red head and a beautifully marbled shell, although his marbling has faded since the photo above was taken. Koopa has a rather outgoing personality. He LOVES food and isn’t at all afraid of people. He likes to approach anyone who comes close to his enclosure to beg for snacks. He’ll accept a good shell rub or a chin scratch too, but snacks always come first!
Zamboni:
Hatch Date: November 6th, 2018
Zamboni, who I call Zam for short, was a rescue of sorts. I got him in late 2018 from a breeder who wasn’t sure he was going to survive. After ruling out other issues, a vet diagnosed Zam with “hatchling failure syndrome” and said that there wasn’t much that could be done for him. Little Zam had a soft shell and refused to eat. He was very underweight and most days wouldn’t even open his eyes. I wasn’t about to give up on him so easily, though! I spent months caring for Zam, soaking him in warm mixtures of supplements and liquified foods, multiple times a day, that I came to lovingly refer to as “tortoise soup”. Everyone I talked to expected him to die, but very, very slowly Zam seemed to be starting to feel better. I was SO excited when he finally ate solid food on his own for the first time! As you can probably tell, because here I am writing about him 5 years later, Zam survived!
His difficult start to life did somewhat impact Zam. He’s shy around people, I suspect a result of all the forced handling and treatments he endured as a hatchling. For a few years he seemed to be growing at a slower rate than a normal tortoise, but his growth rate picked up more when he was around four years old or so. He has some pyramiding on his shell, despite the fact that I keep him in similar conditions to how I keep Koopa and Koopa’s shell is fine. All that aside, Zam is doing really, really well now! When I see him pigging out it’s hard to believe that he’s the same tortoise who wouldn’t eat solid food on his own for months as a baby. He loves his food, basking outside in the sun, and, surprisingly, despite being forced to endure so many “tortoise soup” baths as a hatchling, he loves warm soaks. I’m so happy that Zam is doing so well, and hope that he has many healthy years ahead of him!