Don't be alarmed, this is not the bloody aftermath of a tortoise taking a bite out of an insulator thief. If you have not visited us in the recent past, allow me to introduce you to Geronimo, our Mojave Desert Tortoise. It's cactus apple season and Geronimo keeps the fallen apples clear of the insulator garden by devouring them, thorns and all! ([id=163536413] for a 2006 pic of the garden, which has grown considerably since).

As far as we know, Geronimo holds the record for the largest/heaviest Mojave Desert Tortoise, weighing in at 42 pounds. The standard weight for a Mojave species is about 12 pounds. Geronimo has been raised in captivity most of his life and the previous owners did not monitor his diet, feeding him anything he would eat, including potato salad and meat loaf. In the two years we've owned him we have weaned him back to a more standardized diet. Geronimo is approximately 65-70 years old, with a life expectancy of 100 years. He is registered with the California Fish and Game, which is a requirement to own one in captivity. They are an endangered species in their natural habitat and it is illegal to remove one, resulting in extreme penalties. ([id=253573099] to see next pic--Part 2)