Welcome home, Shelldon
We adopted Shelldon on . Yellow-foot tortoises can live 50 to 60 years (and often more), so this is the start of a very long, very slow friendship. We're settling in for decades of muddy paws, papaya breakfasts, and morning soaks — and we couldn't be happier to have him as part of the family.
Meet the yellow-foot tortoise
Chelonoidis denticulatus — the yellow-foot tortoise — is a rainforest species native to the Amazon basin and the Guianas. They take their name from the bright golden-yellow scales on their legs and faces, set against a deep mahogany shell.
They're built for warm, humid forest floors: 75–85°F by day, a basking spot in the upper 80s, and 70–90% humidity. Adults reach 11–16 inches and 20–40 lbs, and grow slowly — patience is the whole hobby.
Yellow-foots are forest grazers and opportunistic omnivores. The bulk of the diet is leafy greens, flowers, and fallen fruit, with occasional protein (a worm, snail, or a Mazuri pellet) and a steady calcium supplement to build shell.
They're quietly curious — slow to startle, fond of routine, and surprisingly social once they recognize their people. Done right, a single tortoise is a half-century commitment, not a pet.
Say hi to Shelldon
The humans
Proud parents of Shelldon
Behind every well-soaked tortoise is a team of devoted humans. We're the ones chopping greens before sunrise, double-checking humidity at midnight, and lovingly narrating Shelldon's every slow, deliberate step. Here's to the next 50 years together.
The kids pitch in right alongside us — washing greens, refilling the water dish, and being Shelldon's favorite slow-motion adventure crew. He's growing up with a whole little family looking out for him.
Everything in Shelldon's world
One slow tortoise, a lot of corners of the internet. Here's everything you can poke around in.
Dive deeper
Photo album
Every photo we snap inside the Forage app lands here automatically.
Picture book library
Tap a cover to read one of Shelldon's bedtime stories.