Wandering tortoise happy to be sheltering in place

DEAR JOAN >> The kids found this guy — a gender-neutral term in this house — doing a fast walk down our street in a subdivision.

The turtle is not in any distress and is happy scooting around the kitchen doing turtle things and mystifying the cats and dogs. We’ve posted, asking if anyone’s missing their free-range turtle; if we don’t get a response, we’ll add it to our menagerie.

Meanwhile, we don’t know whether to put him in water or keep him away from water, nor, being good hosts, do we know what to offer him to eat. I cut up tiny bites of orange for him but so far, he’s not interested.

Can you tell us what he is, how we should house him, and what he would like for dinner?

— The Real Family, Martinez

DEAR REAL FAMILY >> Your new house guest appears to be a tortoise, not a turtle, and he’s happier scooting around on the ground with a shallow pan of water for drinking.

You can usually tell the difference between turtles and tortoises by the shape and thickness of their shells. Turtles, which spend a lot of time in the water, have sleeker, thinner and more water-dynamic shells, while tortoises typically have thicker, domed shells. They also have what experts describe as “club-like forelegs and ‘elephantine’ hind legs.”

Tortoises eat some protein, usually in the form of crickets and mealworms. Most of their diet is plant-based, so you should offer your tortoise dark, leafy greens such as kale, collards or mustard greens, and throw in some green or yellow bell peppers, sweet potatoes, squash or cauliflower for variety.

You can feed him fruit a few times a week — apples, melons and grapes are good. If you happen to have alfalfa hay, they’ll also eat that. To improve shell strength, add some powdered calcium and vitamin D3 to their food about three times a week. There also are commercial tortoise food products.

If you end up keeping the tortoise, you should build a shelter for him outside. Extend fencing below ground to keep him from digging out, and a roof for shade and to stop him climbing out. If he wanders your yard, make sure he can’t slip out.

I can’t tell what type of tortoise he is (maybe a Greek?), but you should consult an expert. Most tortoises are long-lived, and some can get very large. I can, however, tell you how to tell the difference between boy and girl tortoises.

Look at the undercarriage. If it’s completely flat, it’s a girl. If it is concave, it’s a boy. The shape allows him to cuddle up close to the female when mating. Females also tend to have shorter, stubbier tails while the males’ are longer.

DEAR JOAN >> I’m writing to ask your help in discouraging two mallard ducks using our swimming pool as their residence. They are cute to observe, but are making a mess inside and outside the pool.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

— Virginia Brown, Bay Area

DEAR VIRGINIA >> Hanging around a pool isn’t good for the ducks, so discouraging them is the right move. You can buy a cover for the pool, or try a less expensive option by floating a lot of inflatable animal toys in the pool.