Shelly the Tortoise is a Member of the Family

Shelly the tortoise joined the Gurden family eight years ago. She has an aquarium with two lamps, one with a day bulb and one with a night bulb, plus a UV light. They are all on timers to simulate daytime and nighttime.

Her tank is in front of a window, and we catch people waving and talking to her on the video doorbell sometimes. Shelly likes to go outside when it is over 70 degrees, and she grazes on grass and weeds, plus she eats hibiscus flowers. She does not really love the months of December through February, and she digs herself under her wood chips and sleeps for days, and only eats about twice a week. The vet said that she is a teenager now and she has grown to the size of the tank. She would actually grow bigger if we got a bigger tank. Shelly takes a bath every week and the hydration helps to keep her skin and shell healthy. We have a few costumes that we dress her up in when we feel silly - a pumpkin, a turkey, and a dinosaur. Her eyesight is not very good but her sense of smell is excellent. She can sense when we get a fresh Christmas tree in December, and she tends to stare at the twinkling lights on the tree. After eight years she has really started to feel like one of the family.