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- This is our oldest and largest desert tortoise,
Tortellini, taking his first long drink of the summer.
- He's about 35 years old. His shell is as big
as a large dinner plate. He was raised from a baby as a pet and
given to us by a friend when she moved away from the desert.
- Tortellini has a large pen with two burrows
in our front yard. One we call his "winter" burrow where he hibernates;
the other is his "summer" burrow where he often escapes from the
summer sun.
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- In the summer, he comes out of his burrow in the cool
of the morning or at dusk or when it rains!
- Our dog Marika is a hunter. Tortellini used to roam
free in our backyard. When we adopted Markia, we had to move all of
our tortoises to the front yard.
- Tortellini does not get along well with our other
tortoises. We have two seven-year-old tortoises, Ricky and Lucy, who
are Tortellini's offspring. They are in a separate pen. We are currently
providing foster care for eleven baby tortoises (less than a year old).
The little ones live in a large pen covered with chicken wire to keep
them safe from owls and other predators.
- Our tortoises provided the inspiration and information
to write my two-voice poem called "Desert Lowriders."
Sing Down the Rain
Teachers' Menu
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