Introducing a Reptile Into Your Home #ReptileCare #ad @petMD @Petsmart

This post is sponsored by petMD Reptile Center, and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Reptile Ownership, but Our Whiskey Lullaby only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. petMD and PetSmart are not responsible for the content of this article.


Most people don't know this but before I became the bird lady, I was known as the turtle lady. Yes that's right, I was a reptile person! It all started with a little Red Earred Slider my husband gave me when we were dating. It was birthday present and I couldn't have been happier. I loved that turtle so much and still had him when we got married. Eventually he become known as the 'world traveling turtle' because he went everywhere with us. From Georgia to New York, back to Florida, up to Georgia again, back to New York and up to Maine and then out to New Mexico! Plus I even snuck him on Amtrak with us one time! That turtle loved car trips and loved to travel. I would sit him on the dash of my car while we were on the interstate and he would just look and look.

I had him for a long time but after Mary was born, he died a few months later. It was hard saying goodbye to him and after that, I didn't have any pets at all for years. And even though we already have 2 dogs, 10 birds and a duck, I wanted to show Mary a special part of me she's never seen. The part that still really loves turtles. So I surprised her with a treat one day when I left the house.


So while Mary was at home the other day, I headed over to Petsmart® to buy her a new friend. I had called in advance and since I live about an hour from my Petsmart, they put our new little reptile on hold for me which was very nice.


I was able to find everything I needed really easily thanks to the petMD® Reptile Center too. So I loaded up the cart with a reptile tank kit, food, dishes and decor and headed over to pick up our new friend!


Once I  got home, I went into Mary's room to set up the tank. For most reptiles, you need a hot and cold side that are opposite each other. So if you're looking at my tank directly, the hot side is on the left side since it has the heat pad there. The far right side is the cold side where the food dishes are. And then directly in the middle is the warm/cold side. Directly in the middle of the tank, the UV light is above, along with a hiding log to rest in.

So who is our new little friend?


Say hello to our new Russian Tortoise, Fred! Fred can live 50+ years and he loves to eat fruits and veggies! He's a real sweetheart and loves to play outside in the grass too. Did you know that tortoises can hear and communicate? I think Fred also likes to be pet too since he lets me pet him on the top of his head.


So far everyone has enjoyed meeting Fred, especially Roo. I think he's still trying to find out exactly what Fred is!

Make sure to follow our posts to see how Fred is doing this summer. We'll be sharing updates on him and how to take care of a reptile too.

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