r/aww • u/abhitchc • 5d ago

I fed this female box tortoise some raspberries at the beginning of the summer. Now, she follows me all over the garden, and visits me almost daily looking for handouts.

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u/Appropriate-Copy-949 5d ago

When I lived in Greenpoint in Brooklyn, NY, there was an elderly neighbor couple with a beautiful backyard garden. I lived on the second floor and could watch them gardening, which was so peaceful compared to the rest of NYC life. I befriended the man when his wife passed, and he told me that he had three turtles living in the backyard. They were over thirty years old, and they would hibernate through the winter by burying themselves down into the dirt. It was such a wonderful slice of life to think of their idyllic life living amongst the flowers and towering plants there while the traffic of the BQE rumbled close by.

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u/Unhappy_Skirt5222 5d ago

Beautiful prose, thank you 🙏🏽

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u/Appropriate-Copy-949 5d ago

Aww, thank you. 😊 ❤️

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u/chi_eats 5d ago

Omg I am about to move into an apt with a yard in East Willy... should I get a lil turtle friend...

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u/Exotic-District3437 5d ago

I won't do it will probably out live you. if you move and can't take it with you, can't release it to the wild.

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u/Ibegallofyourpardons 4d ago

turtles often live over 100 years.

like parrots, you should never buy one unless you are prepared for that sort of commitment.

it is for life. not your life, their life.

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u/chi_eats 4d ago

Whew yikes definitely not then.

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u/Appropriate-Copy-949 5d ago

If you have a small yard, you should! ❤️