Once upon a time, there was a Russian tortoise named Shelly. Shelly lived in a terrarium in the Pequea Valley Public Library (PVPL), 31 Center St., Intercourse. Catherine O'Sullivan, director of PVPL, took good care of Shelly, making sure she received food, fresh water, time under her heat lamp, and regular daily exercise outside the terrarium.
Even though she knew Shelly was healthy, O'Sullivan worried that Shelly would get bored in her terrarium. She dreamed of a home with better ventilation, varied terrain, and more room for Shelly to move around. She also wanted a home that was at eye level for the many children who came to see Shelly.
O'Sullivan shared her thoughts with Cecil Sudbrack. Cecil's wife, Sharon, was the youth services coordinator for PVPL for many years before she retired. "I had been looking around, but you can't purchase a habitat like (what I wanted)," recalled O'Sullivan. "I knew I had to ask somebody." In May, Cecil offered to try building a habitat. O'Sullivan sent Cecil a picture of a design she had found. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, most of the planning discussions between Cecil and O'Sullivan were handled by email. Cecil had questions about size, how much acrylic glass would be needed, and whether to make eye-level viewing available from four sides or only two.
Cecil went to work in his basement, and in July, he delivered the new habitat to the library. "This is beyond expectations of what I had hoped to have," said O'Sullivan as she watched Shelly venturing around her new terrain, which includes hills, valleys, rocks, mushroom mulch, living plants that are edible and nontoxic, drinking water, and a moisturizing pool that O'Sullivan calls Shelly's hot tub. "We have Christmas cactus, oregano, and blackberries (for her)," shared O'Sullivan. The finished habitat utilizes hydraulics to make the top easy to lift and leaves space under the lid for ventilation. It also sports wheels to facilitate transportation around the library.
O'Sullivan is thankful to Cecil for his efforts. "That a patron would take time to do this (is wonderful)," she said. "The finishes are beautiful." She added that Cecil said he enjoyed the project. "Sharon said he had fun doing it. I am just incredibly grateful," she noted.
Shelly is a very active tortoise, according to O'Sullivan, who confessed to sometimes struggling to find the reptile when she was traversing the library. "She burrows a lot," said O'Sullivan, who noted that Shelly tends to pull her plants out by the roots as she moves around. "You can tell by the way she is moving that she is so much happier (in her new habitat)." Because Shelly is gregarious and friendly, O'Sullivan wanted a habitat that would allow patrons to see Shelly and Shelly to see them. "She is so active and personable. She enjoys people," reported O'Sullivan. "I have wanted a living habitat so that kids could really see her moving around and learn," she said. "We put the bench here so they could sit and watch (her)."
The care and feeding of a tortoise involves more than throwing a few green leafy vegetables into the habitat. "She is out for her bath every week (to keep her from drying out)," said O'Sullivan. "We bathe her in a big plastic tub with water up to her neck, and she moves around and gets herself wet." When Shelly is not on the move, O'Sullivan said she enjoys her heat lamp, which is on a timer, so she gets 12 hours of heat at a time. The temperature in the habitat is monitored constantly.
During the month of August, the library will be open from Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3 to 7 p.m. On Fridays, the library will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 to 5 p.m., and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon. Masks are strongly encouraged during visits, and patrons are asked to observe social distancing guidelines. Visits should be limited to 30 minutes or less. The Salisbury Township Branch Library, located at 835 Houston Run Drive, Suite 220, Gap, is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
More information about PVPL may be found at http://www.pvpl.org.
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