inspired by @penandinkprincess talking about spaghetti the snake, i think shane would also really enjoy tortoises, maybe a sulcata because they get pretty big and live a looooong time. he would research absolutely everything he could before getting one, he’d have a large space outside for it to play in, he’d know exactly how to bury/refrigerate them during the winter, all of it.
he’d get one as a baby so he gets to watch her grow from fitting in the palm of his hand to weighing well over 100lbs. ilya loves naming stuff so shane would let him do the honors, i think he’d pick something cute like karena. ilya would be nervous at first that anya will think she’s a toy but once karena is a little bigger they become bffs.
they’d both be good tortoise parents, too, because even once she gets pretty large, they’d still be able to pick her up to take her inside/outside/to the vet, wherever. i’ve seen people have to use wheelbarrows or those big industrial moving cart/dolly things to transport large tortoises, but they could lift her easy peasy because they’re big strong hockey bros. big strong hockey bros who happen to dote on their massive shelled daughter like she’s a princess.
i also feel like ilya would be a bit more receptive to a tortoise than a snake, especially once he learns that they can feel you petting their shell (!) and that they can play with toys, not unlike a dog just. slower. because tortoise. ilya’s biggest concern about getting a tortoise overall would be who will take care of her when he and shane are both gone because she WILL outlive them (sulcatas regularly live into their 80s but some have even lived to be near 150 years old!), but he and shane find a really nice terrapin sanctuary in ottowa that agrees to take her in the future. so the terrapin sanctuary gets added to their will to make sure she’ll always have people who care about her around.
