Some couples like to coordinate outfits with each other. Some like to coordinate with their kids. But one couple from California loves to match their clothes with their pet tortoise.
Kasey Kuchinski, 33, and Daniel Rodriguez, 33, have a four-year-old bet Sulcata tortoise named Ethel, who’s just about the most glamorous turtle that Instagram has ever seen.
That’s because Kasey and Daniel, who live in Sonoma, like to pick out outfits for the 20 lb. pet that go perfectly with their own clothes, and pose together for pictures to post on Instagram.
Hey lil guy! Kasey Kuchinski, 33, and Daniel Rodriguez, 33, have a four-year-old bet Sulcata tortoise named Ethel
Matchy-matchy! The couple, who live in Sonoma, like to pick out outfits for the 20 lb. pet that go perfectly with their own clothes
Copycat: Kasey will find outfits for her and Daniel first, and then make one for Ethel
Popular: She posts photos on Instagram, where Ethel has thousands of followers
‘I was seeing a trend on Instagram where families with children would take photos wearing matching outfits,’ Kasey said.
‘I just thought it would be funny to do the same but with our tortoise — it’s sort of an inside joke, I guess.’
Kasey, who has a background in fashion design, makes all of Ethel’s outfits herself, or alters them from children’s clothing.
First, she’ll find coordinated outfits for herself and Daniel — then she’ll look for something for Ethel that matches.
She doesn’t spent more than about $5 per tortoise outfit.
In Instagram photos, the trio have posed together in dark jeans and salmon-colored shirts. They’ve worn matching terrycloth bathrobs, fair isle sweaters, and denim overalls.
Kasey knows it’s silly but also finds it adorable — as do Ethel The Glamour Tort’s 40,000 followers.
‘I was seeing a trend on Instagram where families with children would take photos wearing matching outfits,’ Kasey said
She added: ‘I just thought it would be funny to do the same but with our tortoise — it’s sort of an inside joke, I guess’
Creative: Kasey, who has a background in fashion design, makes all of Ethel’s outfits herself, or alters them from children’s clothing
Budget-friendly: She doesn’t spent more than about $5 per tortoise outfit
‘It’s really no different than putting a jacket on a dog or shoes on a baby,’ she said
‘It’s really no different than putting a jacket on a dog or shoes on a baby,’ she told Bored Panda. ‘No, it is certainly not necessary but dang, is it funny and cute!
She also insisted that Ethel doesn’t mind wearing clothes, and if she ever showed discomfort, they’d ditch the outfit.
‘We only have her in the outfit for the photos so all in all, about 10 minutes every two weeks! If you look through our feed, you’ll see she’s naked 99 per cent of the time. ‘ she added.
Kasey loves having a tortoise as a pet.
‘You really couldn’t know just how much a tortoise can capture your heart until you’ve spent a lot of time with one!’ she said. ‘Ethel is a particularly great example of her species, I think so. She’s easy to love!’
As for what Ethel likes, Kasey said: ‘Ethel’s favorite activity is eating, she also likes basking in the sunshine and going for walks in the park.
Quick: ‘We only have her in the outfit for the photos so all in all, about 10 minutes every two weeks!’
No big! Ethel doesn’t mind wearing clothes, and if she ever showed discomfort, they’d ditch the outfit
Kasey said: ‘Ethel’s favorite activity is eating, she also likes basking in the sunshine and going for walks in the park’
Found: Back in 2018, Ethel caused an uproar when she went missing from her home
‘Her favorite treat is bell peppers. She also likes bok choy, zucchini, and pumpkin. Normally though, she just eats grass and weeds.
‘Although she is not a sea turtle, she really enjoys beach days. There is plenty of sunshine, and a lot of rocks to climb and sand to dig in,’ she added.
Back in 2018, Ethel caused an uproar when she went missing from her home.
‘She really was a spot of sunshine in our life, part of our routine, part of everything we did, so losing that feels very much like losing a loved one,’ Kasey told the local CBS affiliate at the time.
‘People keep telling me. “Oh she’s a tortoise how far can she go?” They’re built to walk miles in a day. They can walk really far looking for food,’ she went on.
Luckily, Ethel was found after 27 days and returned to her owners.