The diva Cocoa chose her new spot

A couple of days ago Cocoa was showing up in my office again. Like the last time right before she's ready to lay eggs, she gets extremely restless and needs to walk around a lot to exercise her muscles, obviously. She once again managed to climb out of her pen (if I only could see how she's doing it) and walked for hours around in the house. I am always afraid, she would have an accident on the carpet, but she behaved very well and didn't soil my floor.
After 4 hours she walked back into the tortoise room, how she's always finding back, gives me something to wonder, and scratched with her legs on the outside of the pen, so I could hear her and put her back. I'm pretty much aware of the fact that I have a very intelligent tortoise here, basically a one in a million. This girl is acting like a human being, she knows exactly what she has to do to get help, when and how to ask for it.

The next day nothing happend and she did only try to climb over to Daisy's pen that is right beside hers. Not sure, what she wanted there, because I made a huge pile of soil for her in her pen, that she can use to dig an easy hole for her eggs. But she ignored it and didn't give up trying all day long to climb into Daisyboy's pen. Today she managed it and what do I see now? She is digging her hole in Daisy's pen, where there is only mulch, no soil and not even piled up. Who understands the mind of this tortoise woman? This will be a royal PITA for her to dig a hole deep enough in this mulch.

Geez, like always, when I want to make a picture, my batteries die.....Charging right now, pics will follow. I hope she doesn't abandon this hole, I want it to be over now. She is keeping me from work all day long when she wants to lay eggs, because I am probably more nervous than she is herself and always fear she may become eggbound.

Here she is digging her hole in Daisyboy's pen

 

Here is where she obviously climbed over

And here is the pile of soil in her own pen that I had prepared for her.

Last thing Cocoa did in 2009

After Cocoa had walked for several hours around in the house, (God thanks she had made her business just before she climbed out of her pen) she obviously decided to go back into her pen and walked straight to her home. She stood in front of the pen and looked up to me to tell me, that I need to lift her up and help her go back in. Ok, we don't need any words, the understanding between us has developed to an unspoken act of gestures and body language, so I know exactly what my girl wants.

I lifted her up and she started immediately to dig a hole. Oh my, I almost knew it, that's why she became so restless today and needed a big walk. It took her several hours to complete the job of laying 3 eggs and covering up the nest and right around midnight she went to sleep.

I carefully dug the eggs out and threw them away. Yep, I won't breed any more, can't deal with the pain to give those cute babies away. It was an awful experience last year to separate from all my babies and I have decided to not put myself in this position any more.

Cocoa climbed out of her pen

Not sure, how she did it, but I was sitting in my office on the computer and all of a sudden felt something climbing on my feet. When I looked down, I saw Cocoa. She managed somehow to climb out of her pen and land on the feet, when falling on the floor. Obviously she was inspecting her new surroundings and the USPS boxes that I have stored in my office caught her special attention. She climbed on top of them to then slip down on the floor.

 

She seems to like that game and is repeating it over and over again. Who would have thought those USPS boxes could entertain my big girl so much :)

The gang moved indoors last night

Unfortunately the summer nights seem to be over. the temperatures dropped into the mid 50s, which means, I had to bring the torts in the house. The last days I made several trips to home depot to buy Cypress mulch for the indoor pens. Each pond is now filled with 8 cubic mulch, but I think, it's not leveled enough and I need to buy one more bag for each pen.

Georgy's pen: Like every year, when they change quarters, it takes some time for them to acclimate, and the first thing they do is pooping because they don't like changes. So I stood there with the paper towels in my hand and removed for one hour everything they left behind, until they finally must have been completely empty. I did not get a chance yet, to plant some plants in the pens, because honestly I didn't expect to get them in so early this year. Even during the day today, I couldn't bring them out again, because it's only around 70 and at this temperature they already don't move any more. How I would wish to live in a warmer climate!!

Daisyboy warming up under the UVB lamp, because the last night they spent outside was only around 60, so they already shut completely down.


On the left is Cocoa's pen, she pooped in pieces and dragged it around, it wasn't very nice to deal with, but after 6 years I got kinda used to it.

Here is Daisyboy not sure yet, if he wants to sleep in the plastic bin hide. It sure is a change from the big yard into those small pens. But next week the tempertures go up again and I hope to have them outdoors for at least during day time.

Cocoa again, also warming up under the lamp.

After they all 3 had a warm bath in the bathtub this morning, they got their food and everyone got some scratches and neck strokes. Cocoa is enjoying them very much like always and doesn't want me to stop. I know the picture is awful blurry, but you can at least see how she loves my attention.

Kiwi, Lily and Cookie are doing fine

Yesterday I got an email from the second adopters with several pics of Kiwi, Lily and Cookie. It was a happy day for me to finally see them again. They have been growing a lot. So now I am sure, all my babies are well taken care of - what a relief!

I am so happy

This morning, when I looked at Brandy's blog, my heart danced. The last 3 babies are doing extremely well. I couldn't be happier to see them fighting for food and I think they grew already a lot since they left me.

Only a few days ago we were worried so much about their health and if they would make it, but God thanks, it wasn't anything serious and we worried for nothing.

Sometimes I still daydream about all my babies and how it was when I held them on my hands, when I helped them hatching, when I worried about their poop, their appetite and other things.

It is so good to see them happy. I rather don't want to talk about the second adoption. I am sure, the first 2 babies that went to Kathy are well too, she is a very good Mom, just a bit behind in making pictures.

Thank you Brandy to give the 3 little guys such a good home. I know how much you love them already. Who wouldn't?

It was coolish last night

The temps dropped below 57 degrees last night, and I am thinking about getting the indoor pens ready this week.
9:30 and it's still only 65 degrees, and I found Daisyboy beside the ornamental grass plant, slowly warming up in the sun.

Georgy and Cocoa (right behind him and not to see on the pic) sitting between the Cannas in the deep shade. Georgy will soon come out to walk in the sun, but Cocoa tends to not move at all when it's cold. She didn't move one inch yesterday.

The food I put out for them also was untouched, but I watched them and saw how they ate leaves from different plants in the yard.

I will give Cocoa a warm bath today, so she warms up and has some reason to walk around. She's getting a little lazy lately, but that may be because she has bunches of eggs growing inside of her. She ate almost a half small cuttlebone yesterday, which indicates, that she needs calcium for the developing eggs.

Sea turtles hatching in Alabama

I just got this video from a friend and thought I'd share it here, even though it has little to do with Redfoot tortoises.

Enjoy

See turtles hatching on the gulf shore

Who announced the banana event?

Georgy was full and gone and of course it didn't take too long until Cocoa showed up.

"Did I hear Banana, Mom?"

Mmmm, yummy...

Yeah, that is a feast!


I'm alone in this world with only a banana.

Let me get myself comfy so I can enjoy it better

Stretching my neck while eating banana makes me feel so goooooooood.

*Burp* I am a tiger

Wanna lick it a bit before eating all.

The Banana news have spread

As soon as Daisy was done with his Banana, he left the patio and a few minutes later Georgy showed up, looking at me, saying "where is MY Banana?

Ok, Georgy, here it is.

Mmmm that thing is big, but I can do it.

I start at one end and eat through to the other one

Can't get my mouth full enough

I don't have time for breathing right now.

But a good burp is a must

Let's see how we can get this done without suffocating

Mom says, I have no manners - but who cares????

*Burp* iI'm busy Mom, don't bother me now.

I could get addicted....


Ok Mom, here ya got a photo face

Daisyboy wallows in the Banana voluptuousness

Daisyboy climbed up the first step to my office (obviously didn't see me sitting on the patio) in the hope to get a afternoon treat. I thought it's time to get him a banana, knowing how much they all love bananas. I don't feed them very often, because Banana binds the calcium intake and isn't meant to be a daily food source, but once every 2 months I can spoil them with it.

See how Daisy gets crazy

Woah, it must be a good day, a banana just showed up here, right in front of me

Yeah, that is what I call tasty

*burp* Man am I glad there is no competition here right now

If I only had a bigger mouth

*burp, burp* need to get that thing down, before somebody takes it away

Do I look greedy? Nah!!!!!

*burp* Mmmm, that is Banana heaven!

Almost done!

The tort food is growing nicely

After only one day my seeds have sprouted. I mixed the soil with the coir from the baby pen that I had cleaned out and misted them from above from time to time. They have been growing outdoors in the biggest heat, although in the shade.

Here are the little seedlings

Mustard Seedlings

Romaine seedlings

Dandelion seedlings. I've planted those on top of the sphagnum moss, because they are very heat sensitive. The moist sphagnum moss kept them pretty cool. They also germinated on the second day.

Cocoa resting between the tall Cannas

Daisyboy pretty sleepy in his bin.
No sign of Georgy. While Cocoa and Daisy prefer the same spot every day to hang out, Georgy always has to find a new one. So I never know where he is, until he shows up somewhere in the evening.