Caring for Critters Spotlight Series:
Emma the Russian Tortoise
Tuesday, December 2, 2015
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
Thanks for tuning in to today’s Caring for Critters Spotlight!
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
We have another Critter Cam first today … so without further ado … check out Cam 1!
Comment From rejoyce
Yay!!!!! It's time!!
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
Any guesses?
Comment From sue in Maine
OMG ! is that Wilson
Comment From David in VA
Wilson I think
Comment From stpetejane
Turtle?
Caring for Critters Spotlight Series: Emma the Russian Tortoise
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Comment From rejoyce
Turtle?
Comment From Brenda from Virginia
Emma!
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
Yep! That’s Emma, our Russian Tortoise!
Emma the Russian Tortoise
Comment From rejoyce
EMMA!!!!!
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
Any Emma adopters out there?
Comment From rejoyce
Such a beauty!!
Comment From sue in Maine
or is it Emma! is so she is my Critter for 2015 yippee!!!absolutely love her ! plus she has my grandmother's name.
Comment From Brenda from Virginia
I am and love Emma Cam!
Comment From Guest
got cam 1, however I can't tell what I am looking at
Comment From rejoyce
She has my cat's name too :)
Comment From Becky-WV
This is who my granddaughter wants to adopt this year.
Caring for Critters Spotlight Series: Emma the Russian Tortoise
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Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
Emma came to the Wildlife Center of Virginia about 15 years ago -- in October 2000. She was found wandering the grounds
of the University of Virginia, right over the mountain from us in Charlottesville.
Comment From sue in Maine
OMG! close up of miss Emma with her lunch. thank you WCV
Comment From Guest
ty I can now tell Emma and salad
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
Now, obviously Russian Tortoises shouldn’t be roaming around Virginia, so we think that she was most likely an escaped or
abandoned pet.
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
She certainly couldn’t survive on her own in this environment -- and releasing reptile pets back into the wild can also
introduce a variety of reptile diseases to the reptiles that DO live in that environment.
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
While we typically have only native education ambassadors, Emma has an important story to share.
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
While Russian Tortoises might just be non-native pets to us, they are wild animals somewhere else. The Russian Tortoise is
a dry climate species found in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, northern Pakistan, northern and eastern Iran, north-western China,
and Kazakhstan. Most Russian Tortoises in the pet trade are from Uzbekistan.
Comment From David in VA
She's coming for a close up
Comment From rejoyce
She shows that it is important NOT to introduce non-native animals to the environment!
Comment From sue in Maine
oooooh Emma up close and personal. love it!
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
While some “exotic” animals in the pet world are captive-bred, many are taken from the wild, either legally or illegally.
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
According toEcohealthypet.com, The Russian tortoise is one of the most heavily traded reptiles in the world; 150,000 are
taken from the wild each year. Most (>90%) individuals in the pet trade are wild-caught.
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
There can be quite a market for some species, and I think we hear about this far too often. The bottom line – if you are
considering adding to your family, be sure you know where your pet comes from. Do your homework!
Comment From rejoyce
That's awful :(
Comment From rejoyce
Hi there Emma!!!
Comment From Dori
Human hand on relocation
Caring for Critters Spotlight Series: Emma the Russian Tortoise
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Comment From David in VA
Emma is trying to figure out what this new thing is in her house
Comment From Cathy
How sweet is she?!
Comment From Brenda from Virginia
Amen, rejoyce!
Comment From Jakermo♥
OH, thank you thank you!! I love seeing Emma walk. Precious.
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
At the Center, Emma acts as a kind of greeter for us – her enclosure is in the lobby, so everyone who comes through the
doors walks right by her. She meets thousands and thousands of people each year!
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
Since she’s in the lobby, that also means she’s essentially the officemate to both Kate and Heather, our two front-desk
coordinators.
Comment From Jakermo♥
Oh Kate is so sweet. She and Emma have bonded.
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
I asked Heather about how she felt having Emma as an officemate.
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
She said, “Sometimes Emma gets restless in her enclosure. I like to take her out, tell her how beautiful she is, and let her
explore the area behind my desk.
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
“Eventually she will tucker out and take a nap in the corner.
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
“The way she chows down on curly kale is how I imagine a dinosaur might eat.”
Comment From rejoyce
Aweeeeeeeee :)
Comment From Dori
Ha Ha, whadda tortoise.
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
Kate said, “She mostly chews with her mouth closed. And she doesn't play loud music.”
Comment From Jakermo♥
Oh GREAT story. Being an edu. ambassador at the Center must be lots of fun.
Comment From Jakermo♥
Looks like they have on matching broaches. From the Gala.
Comment From Dori
Perfect roomie.
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Comment From Lois
Nice and quiet officemate.
Comment From stpetejane
What's under the cam that Emma wants?
Comment From David in VA
I think she is camera shy.
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
Nope ... she's just burrowing!
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
Emma’s likes include burrowing in the hay in her enclosure (Russian Tortoises are burrowing tortoises – and spend more
time burrowing in the wild than they do being up and active!), and eating like a dinosaur.
Comment From Jakermo♥
Yes, a corner to burrow in.
Comment From rejoyce
Emma and Kate are great greeters!!
Comment From Guest
if she nap behind desk how she get heat?
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
Well, it's not like we work in a freezer! :)
Comment From rejoyce
What is her life expectancy?
Comment From sue in Maine
so Emma is roughly guessing 15 how old do tortoises live
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
Well, she's older than 15 for sure -- we found her 15 years ago, but she wasn't newly hatched or anything! So she could be
20 ... 25 ... or older! They can live to be 40 or more.
Comment From Jakermo♥
You mean they are taken from the wild to be pets, in Russia?
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
Many are taken from the wild to be pets, yes. Not from Russia. But maybe they are pets IN Russia too (many places worldwide).
Comment From Dori
ok ok, so I must get back into critter sponsoring
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
Emma eats a diet of leafy greens – and on some days, you can catch her chowing down with enthusiasm. As Heather also
mentioned, Emma looks very dinosaur-like when she does this – so one year she dressed up as a stegatortoise for
Halloween.
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Stegatortoise
Stegatortoise on the loose
Comment From rejoyce
LOL
Comment From Jakermo♥
OMG!! Those pictures are tooooooo cute. of Emma and Raina.
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Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
Another year, she dressed up as a bat!
Comment From Dori
Funny!
Comment From Brenda from Virginia
Kate and Heather are great!
Comment From rejoyce
She and Wilson always have great costumes!
Comment From Jakermo♥
Awwwww, again, jaw dropping cuteness!
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
When we need new photos of Emma, we often head out front to our little garden area. Emma gets to roam around while
we attempt to snap some photos of her.
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Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
This summer, she was our “book club model” – she helped us advertise for our online wildlife book club when we were
reading The Bees. She just somehow seemed perfect for the job!
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Comment From Dave in Missouri
I see grass moving but no turtle!
Comment From Jakermo♥
Yes, I do love their costumes. She is very photogenic!
Comment From Barb B in NJ
I always like a girl with an extensive wardrobe
Comment From Brenda from Virginia
Love the Stegatortoise and the daffodils painted on her vivarium.
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
I'll have to ask Kate if those are specific plants. Kate painted that backdrop for Emma -- it's of a desert area, where Russian
Tortoises are native.
Comment From Dawn in VB
We are glad you rescue Emma before winter in VA.
Comment From rejoyce
She's a great model!!
Comment From Jakermo♥
Who makes her costumes?
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
Angel!
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
Seamstress to the stars.
Comment From Jakermo♥
OH WOW!! She didn't tell me.
Comment From Guest
does she have a house like where she could hide?
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
Yep -- you can see it in the upper part of her cam window!
Comment From SharonShneyer,Philadelphia
What kind of noises or sounds does she make? It would be similar to Wilson, right?
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
Right -- not much noise at all!!
Comment From Lydia
So many places still sell wildlife as pets illegally. So sad
Comment From rejoyce
Angel is GREAT with knitting needles :)
Comment From David in VA
Must be custom made. I doubt there are patterns for a Bat Wing costume for a tortoise.
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Comment From cwerb ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ ♥ ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ ♥ ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ ♥ ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ ♥ ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ ♥ ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
turtles can really carry off so many different looks! Impressive.
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about Emma through our Caring for Critters spotlight! If you’d like to adopt
Emma, or any of our other education ambassadors, you can learn more here:http://wildlifecenter.org/s...
Amanda Nicholson, WCV:
Remember, we’ll be holding the spotlight every weekday from now through December 18. Tomorrow is a double-header,
so don’t miss it! The first spotlight will start at 12:30 p.m. Thanks, all!
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