Betz's Tortoise page

On April 30, 2005, Derek installed a new roof for a Vet near Lansing. On that same day, I was busy filling balloons, as I do every year, for U of M Commencement. It's a pretty stressful week, with deadline after deadline and a lot of pressure to make the place look really good for all the alumni and parents.

So he called me as I was finishing and asked me to call off my plans for the afternoon and drive up to the job site. "But I'm supposed to go shopping for flowers with Kathy! It's my first afternoon off in over a week!" "Just come up here. I promise you won't be disappointed."

An hour later, determined to be annoyed with him when I arrived, I realized why he'd insisted that I go up there. It was not only a veterinary clinic, but an animal sanctuary of sorts. Aside from the dogs, horses, and other assorted livestock, there was a beautiful African grey parrot--whose name I didn't catch because we had to keep moving along--and Meku the tortoise. I couldn't spend much time with or take a photo of the African grey because I didn't want to scare him (and the doctor was doing a procedure in the room on an anesthetized cat, or maybe it was a dog--from where I stood it was just a very large lump of motionless fur on a stainless steel table). But Meku came outside for about an hour and wandered in the back yard, grazing on dandelions. He was also kind enough to let me take over 40 pictures. He is quite photogenic (and it was also a prime opportunity to play with my new digital camera, which Derek had bought as a shared gift for our anniversary just a week before).

Calling me up there was actually a sort of romantic gesture on Derek's part, which, if you haven't figured out, is not his usual M.O. He knew I'd love this place. He's no Antonio Banderas, but sometimes he surprises me. J


Dr. B advised me that Meku is an African scale-thighed tortoise.	When he pulls his head in and covers his head with his thighs, they are virtually impenetrable (much like his shell).	Meku is very tolerant of people. The boys on the crew were very excited--whooping and hollering--but Meku was unfazed.	He's been around people ever since he was little, so he's very tame.


After a few minutes, the roofers lost interest, and I was left to babysit for Meku.	Meku gets a treat (usually a banana) every day. He devoured it in less than a minute.	There is a large enclosure in the back yard for him, but he will make a dash for the door and try to get out.	Apparently, Dr. B was confident that I would be able to outrun Meku if he decided to make an escape attempt.


There are few animals--wild or domesticated--about which one can safely make this assumption.	When he finished, he looked like a happy little kid, with smooshed banana all over his snout.	See? So cute.	Awwww.....


Al was the one who sold this roofing job. Dr. B is his vet.	Al loves animals and would like nothing more than to adopt Meku, even if it's only for a summer.	The buys on the crew wondered out loud: which of these creatures is slower?	Bill's nickname (courtesy of the Honduran guys) is "Tortuga." I'll bet you can guess what that means in Spanish.


The nurse told me Meku has never bitten anyone (even though, by watching him yank greens out of the ground, it was clear that he could cause serious damage if he got ahold of your finger).	One time, during mating season, he did nip at someone's pant leg.	But as we all know, males will do crazy things when they are horny. Even tortoises. Imagine: he hasn't even seen a female tortoise for almost 30 years!	When Dr. B hauled him outside, Meku had barely hit the ground before he started munching on the dandelions. He was clearly in tortoise heaven.


There's a little "trough" all the way around the edge of the fence. You can tell he's created that trough because the tracks match his feet!	It makes me sad though--that tells me he doesn't want to be in captivity.	He can't be left outside, even in the summer. Too vulnerable to predators. But when the weather gets warmer, he stays outside for hours and hours, soaking up the rays.	Wilmer the tortoise jockey! Don't worry, Wilmer's not resting his weight on Meku. And even if he was, Meku could probably handle it. He's pretty tough.


Meku weighs about 65-85 pounds. A couple of times, he wandered too close to the roof, and I didn't want anything to fall on top of him. Not only could I not pick him up, I couldn't even turn him around.	He stepped on my foot once during a trot across the yard, and I swear he could have broken my toe if he'd been so inclined.	Carlos & Meku	Alexis & Meku


Salvin & Meku	Steve & Meku	It was only about 50° outside that day, and reptiles love heat, so we were surprised how active he was. Even when he's indoors, he sits under a heat lamp to feel more at home.	Catch ya later, Meku!

Not only did I get to spend an hour with this awesome, majestic creature, I stopped at the outlet malls on the way home and got some great bargains on things we needed around the house. Thanks for calling me, Honey!

I searched for "African scale thighed tortoise" on the web, but didn't find it. I think Dr. B must have meant "spur-thighed." Maybe that's what he said, and I remembered wrong. Regardless, learn more about Meku and his kin (also referred to as "spurred tortoise") by clicking on any of these links: