The Scoop on Snorkel: A Profile on the Greenhouse's Resident Reptile

Story by Gabby Kutch | Design by Meredith Massey | Photos by Jakob Burnham

You knock on the doors of the campus greenhouse behind Dean Hall, anticipation swirling in your stomach. Someone inside opens the door and you are met with a wave of heat washing over you.

As you shrug off your jacket, you catch a glimpse of vibrant greenery you’ve never seen before through the clouded windows of the rooms down the hallway. The plants are intriguing, but they’re not why you’re here.

You step inside a room and find yourself somewhere brighter and hotter than where you were before, surrounded by cacti of all different shapes and sizes. It is in this room that you see him, the one you were looking for, your reason for being here.

Standing before you in all his glory, you see a large tortoise- munching away at some grass and completely ignoring your presence.

CWU’s Residential Shell-ebrity

Meet Snorkel, a 16-year-old Sulcata tortoise who is the one and only resident of CWU’s greenhouse.

While Snorkel isn’t the only animal that lives on campus, he is definitely the most popular and well-known.

“He's like the mascot of the greenhouse, lots of people like to come in to pet him and take pictures,” says Linnea Stavney, Snorkel’s primary caretaker and manager of the greenhouse and vivarium.

Snorkel first came to Central Washington when he was two years old in 2008, donated to the greenhouse by his original owners.

“Sulcata tortoises are somewhat common in the pet trade,” says Stavney, “but a lot of people don't realize just how big they get. A lot of people get them as hatchlings when they're the size of an orange, but they don't realize that they can grow up to 100 to 200 pounds. And so he was donated to us because his original owners couldn't take care of him anymore. He's been with us ever since.”

Snorkel lives a very comfortable life within the greenhouse. According to Stavney, Sulcata tortoises are native to the grasslands located below the Sahara Desert, which makes the desert room a perfect home for him.

Besides living in an environment that suits him, Snorkel is also well taken care of by his caretakers.

Snorkel starts his day by sleeping in until about 10 a.m. where he then makes rounds in the desert room until his bedtime, which is at about 3 p.m.

He eats lunch every other day at noon, most of his diet consists of hay and vitamin-rich pellets with the occasional leaves, veggies or flowers mixed in and fruit as an extra special treat. The only thing Snorkel doesn’t seem to like about living in the greenhouse is bath time, though he has learned how to get out of it quickly by spilling all the water out of the kiddy pool.

Even though he’s the only animal living in the greenhouse, Snorkel is never lonely thanks to his caretakers and visitors, though company isn’t always what he wants.

“He's kind of like a grumpy teenager,” says Stanvey, “I think he's used to people being around but reptiles don't necessarily enjoy being pet or receiving attention the way that maybe a dog or a cat would, so it's more that he tolerates it.”

Occasionally, Snorkel will take time out of his busy schedule to help out students, making appearances during herpetology classes, the study of reptiles and amphibians. “There's not a specific Snorkel class, as much as I wish there was,” says Stavney.

If you want to see more of Snorkel, you can check out the CWU Greenhouse Instagram to see pictures or visit him in person during the weekly open house on Fridays from 1 - 3 p.m.

If you’re thinking about visiting Snorkel in the greenhouse, here are some things you should keep in mind:

He gets scared of fast, sudden movements. So, approach him slowly and calmly
He doesn’t enjoy his head being touched, but pats on his shell are fine
You can feed him some of his food if you’re careful, but keep your fingers away from his mouth so he doesn’t accidentally bite you
If you’re unsure about anything, ask one of his caretakers