For my birthday, my boyfriend took me to Clyde Peelings Reptiland. It was fantastic!! But the highlight of the visit seeing the Galapagos Tortoises.

First, I want to note that they get a lot of their animals from other zoos or private owners who no longer want or can care for them. As a result, the Galapagos Tortoises have very bad looking shells. Looks to have been a calcium deficiency. But they are being cared for nicely now.

But anyway, my boyfriend and I were standing by the wooden fence surrounding the GTs and talking. Suddenly this one guy comes lumbering over to us and is looking at me while I'm talking to him (the usual, telling him he's a gorgeous tortoise, such a handsome guy, that stuff). He seemed so friendly that I couldn't resist reaching over to try and pet him. Not only did he let me rub his neck and cheek, he seemed to LOVE it. Stretched his neck as far up as it would go, closed his eyes, really leaned into my hand. It was amazing.....fantastic. I fell madly in love with him.

I know larger tortoises can be quite friendly with people they are used to. But I never expected him to come up to me, a complete stranger, and practically demand to be petted.

I've got a photo of my boyfriend petting him a little later, but I have to get it (and other photos from Reptiland) scanned so I can share them.

Just had to share that amazing experience!

What a WONDERFUL experience! I'm so glad you shared that!

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Veronica
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Exotic Animal Rescue of Henry Co.
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I'm jealous!!! But glad you had fun.

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Answers are great. But I prefer questions!

Visit me at www.jaysreptiles.com

I have GOT to go to this place. Some day when I drive back home to Buffalo, I'll be stoping. Its right on my way.

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

It's definitely worth it. Heck, I'd have gone their for the turtles alone, but they have a good variety of reptiles. Poison Dart Frogs......which look way too cute to be as deadly as they are.

A Gibboon Viper that has a very cute face, by the way....

Rocky and Adrian - the American Alligators......

And two Emu.....Who have the sweetest, goofiest looking faces!!!

I wanna go back!

Tortoises have great personalities when they are used to people! My Oscar (sulcata) has been here over a year and he demands attention, and food, and a bath, and the list goes on, lol.

I can tell you when they demand, you respond, or you will get a walking bulldozer with a shell throwing a fit and ramming everything! Oscar demands to be petted too, lol. Sometimes he demands it until he settles in for the night and falls asleep.

I can't wait to see pictures of your experience!

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I have sucker tattood on my forehead

My home scanner recently died a slow and painful death. So, I need to use the one at work or borrow my friend's scanner. Hopefully I'll have them scanned by Thursday at the latest.

Finally got some of the photos scanned from my visit to Reptiland:


A Galapagos Tortoise at his mudhole.


A Galapagos Tortoise chewing on a blade of grass.


A Galapagos Tortoise just checking things out.


A very hungry Galapagos Tortoise.


I think this guy is a RES?


This is Rocky II, an American Alligator who weighs about 600 lbs.


And another view of Rocky II.


A Star Tortoise.


Some RES, etc. swimming in their little pond.


A Woodland Tortoise?


Ya gotta love the attitude!


And, saving the best for last, my boyfriend petting a Galapagos Tortoise.

Pretty cool pictures. Looks like a great place.
And your woodland tortoise is a redfooted tortoise (Geochelone carbonaria)

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

I wondered about that. I had never heard of a woodland tortoise, but I'm not really good with my identification. There were actually two of them, but they were determined to hide under the small plants in their enclosure. Actually they were BOTH determined to hide under the SAME plant (if one moved to another plant, the other followed....it was cute).