The first thing I thought of when we got the letter T, was ‘Tortoise’. I’m Ludo, and I’ve been co-authoring this blog for longer than Locksley, so I met Artemis the tortoise first. I asked Mummy if he could do a Guest Post, although we hadn’t heard from him for a while.

He couldn’t because he had moved. His mummy (Auntie Tori) had found him a new home as she couldn’t look after him any more. My mummy explained that Auntie Tori was very ill, and finding Artemis a new home was a good thing.

Artemis the tortoise

Artemis lived in the same place as Joshua (see J) and Mollie the dog, and started commenting on our blog when they had gone over the rainbow bridge. He made ever such good comments.

We learnt that he was a reptile of the Testudino family, not a mammal. He had a shell called a carapace that protected his body, and he pulled his head inside it if he wanted to hide. And although some tortoises hibernate, his mummy had a vivarium with warm lights for him to make sure he stayed warm enough.

He ate much the same food as us, although he had a different kind of pellets. But he loved grass and herbs and wildflowers and lots of the fresh food we like. But his kind comes from a rocky habitat, so the stone he sits on in the picture is just the sort of thing he likes.

The Wisdom of Artemis

These are some of our favourite quotes from Artemis’s comments. He first started commenting during the 2022 A2Z Challenge, which Biggles and Ludo ran together. That was after Mollie the Dog went over the Rainbow Bridge. Biggles went not long after, which was when Victor & Pippin joined Locksley and me here.

• (On R is for Running Around A2Z Challenge 22)
  • I don’t run as fast as you guys. Tortoises move faster than some people might think, but nowhere near as fast as guinea pigs. So, since I’m a very small breed of tortoise (I’m smaller than a guinea pig) my vivarium does seem like it’s a lot of space, and takes me a while to get from one side of to the other. You guys could probably do the distance in a few seconds.
• (On U is for Up Up Up A2ZChallenge 22)
  • When I’m ready for my run time, I get Mummy’s attention by nudging myself against the glass of my vivarium so it makes a noise. It always gets her attention, and makes her say she’s glad it’s safety glass. Then I’ll pull my front end up and put my front feet on her hand to show her I want to be picked up. I do the hand thing to tell her I’ve had enough of bath time too.
• (On W for Water A2Z Challenge 22)
  • I don’t drink much water. But sometimes I like to hang out in my water bowl and drink some while I absorb more through my skin. Mummy says tortoises don’t need as much water as some animals, and she’s right. But even we need some water.
• (On Z is for Zzzz A2Z Challenge 22)
  • Oh, I love naps! I take them in my cave, in my tunnel, on or near my basking slab, or wherever I decide to dig in for one. I’ve napped on Mummy once or twice too. And one time, when I got super tired from exploring and climbing over them, I dug in among the throw pillows on the sofa and took a bit of a nap there too. ~Artemis
• (On It’s been Hot – then not)
  • It got rather hot here too at one point. Personally I loved it, because I think hot is great. Mummy, on the other hand, wasn’t so happy about it and was glad it only stayed that way for a couple of days. I saw her using the white posts too. She used to have them set up for Mollie as well. But I don’t need them, because I’m a Mediterranean tortoise, which means unless it gets too extreme temperatures (which it rarely does in the UK) I’m perfectly fine with hot weather. I’m always glad of my heat lamp on cold days though.
• (On Mummy’s acting strangely again)
  • I think humans act strange all the time, and figure as long as they make sure we’re cared for properly it’s best not to try and make sense of it. It is curious though… Wouldn’t it be nice to have as many adventures as humans seem to have? Anyway, enjoy your time outside, and whatever time you get with your Mummy when she isn’t being strange and going out a lot.
• (On Should I have a bath and a haircut?)
  • The bath would definitely be a good idea. The haircut… Well, it depends if you have fur that’s trapping the heat in or keeping it out. If it’s the kind of fur that’s making you hotter, and your Mummy thinks she can do it, a haircut would be a good idea. If your fur is helping to keep the heat out though, you should keep it. I’m glad tortoises like me don’t need to worry about this kind of thing. ~Artemis
• (On More hot weather)
  • Glad you were able to have a bit of a party for Locksley, even if it was just a short one.Even I think it got a bit too hot a few times this past week. Mummy says we’re luckier than some people, because most times our numbers aren’t quite making it to 30. She’s still complaining about it keep being too hot though, even though I personally think the weather has been perfect. Apparently I’m the only one who likes it when it’s hot enough to make the humans say numbers like 28 and 29 though.
• (On I’m going bald)
  • I hope it is just stress, and it grows back. Tortoises don’t have hair, so I don’t need to worry about that kind of thing, but I know having hair is important for other types of animals, so I hope you get yours back.
• (On having fairy dust at fireworks season)
  • Glad the fairy dust is helping you all. They did some fireworks here a couple of weeks ago… Mummy still doesn’t actually know why. We haven’t had any the past few days though, but Mummy says that might change on the weekend. I won’t need the fairy dust though, because I just ignore them. The dogs mostly do too, and when they don’t ignore them Mummy can calm them down by singing to them. We like when Mummy sings to us.
• (On Call the RSPCA)
  • Well, as long as she has something else tasty for you, I think you can skip the call to the RSPCA – for now anyhow. I was almost ready to agree with you about calling them though. I mean, what was she thinking letting your favourite food run out like that? Sure, you won’t starve if you only have the meadow hay, but still… Humans! They just don’t get it, do they? But since she does have another of your favourite things to eat available, I think we can let her off. Hope she realizes how close that was for her.
• (On lying in the sun)
  • I agree: laying in the sun is wonderful! I mean, I have my lamps, and they’re great, but I love when I can enjoy some natural sunlight on my shell. Nothing beats it!
• (On the hot weather)
  • It’s been pretty hot here too… I’m a hot weather kind of animal, and especially like when it gets hot like this because Mummy gives me extra cucumber and is more likely to treat me to bits of fruit when it’s hot like this, because she worries I won’t stay hydrated, plus she likes having those things herself when it’s hot and usually gives me a little when she’s having some. Even the dogs get to have some of the stuff, but apparently there are more rules about what fruits and veggies the dogs can have, especially since one of ours has a sensitive tummy. Oh well, more for me and Mummy. I do wish she wasn’t so strict on my fruit portions though…

We hope Artemis lives to a really old age in his new home, but we’re sad that Auntie Tori is preparing to go over the Rainbow Bridge. There will be lots of furry friends waiting for her there, though.