Catherine O'Sullivan, director of the Pequea Valley Public Library (PVPL), 31 Center St., Intercourse, has been thinking for some time about getting a tortoise for the library. When Jesse Rothacker of Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary presented "Rocketing Reptiles" at the Salisbury Township Branch Library, 835 Houston Run Drive, Suite 220, Gap, on July 1, O'Sullivan decided to ask Rothacker if he had any tortoises in need of rescuing.
Rothacker told O'Sullivan he had received an email just that morning from someone who needed help placing a 3-year-old Russian tortoise. "(The owner) was looking for a home (for the tortoise) because they traveled a lot," explained O'Sullivan. "I said (to Rothacker that) I wanted to adopt it, but I will let it live (at PVPL)." O'Sullivan is responsible for the tortoise. "No library funds are being used (for its care)," she explained. "It's for education."
O'Sullivan rehomed the tortoise, who happens to be female, in a terrarium in an open area of the library. She explained that the tortoise should grow to be 10 to 12 inches long and that she could live to be 60 years old.
"She is very low maintenance," said O'Sullivan, who explained that the heat lamp that runs over the top of the terrarium is one of the most important facets of care. "It's on a timer, so she gets 12 hours of heat, and then it is off for 12 hours," explained O'Sullivan.
In the terrarium, the tortoise's food bowl is filled with a colorful combination of vegetables. "She loves kale and carrots," said O'Sullivan, who explained that a staff member brings kale from her organic farm for the tortoise.
O'Sullivan will come in to tend the tortoise when the library is closed, and she will take her home with her when inclement weather threatens. Staff members have lined up to volunteer to care for the tortoise when O'Sullivan goes on vacation.
The tortoise seems to have everything she needs to live a long and healthy life in the library, but she does not have a name. O'Sullivan and the rest of the library staff are hoping to remedy that by holding a naming contest that will run through the month of August. O'Sullivan explained that the staff brainstormed a number of names. "There are Russian names or names based on book characters," said O'Sullivan, who said the staff intends to narrow the names down to five choices for voting. Suggestions that may make the final cut include Myrtle, Junie T., Tasha, Tillie, Miss Marple, and Shelly.
Library patrons who wish to vote may ask for a ballot at the circulation desk at PVPL. Completed ballots will go into a jar, and by Sunday, Sept. 1, the votes will be counted to decide the tortoise's name. In addition, voters will be asked to write their names on the ballots, and one will be pulled from the jar to win a special visit with the tortoise in the library before hours when she is allowed to roam free. The winner will also have a photo taken with the tortoise.
"Come to the desk and get a ticket," O'Sullivan encouraged.
PVPL is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays, and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. The Salisbury branch is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Salisbury is closed on Saturdays, and both locations are closed on Sundays.
Readers who would like more information about the libraries may visit https://pvpl.org.
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