I feel pretty, oh so pretty!

Does this hibiscus flower disguise my rehab look? I'm pretty tired of stitches in my neck and stretchy cloth tape wrapped around my front leg so my scales won't catch on the tube. After 7.5 months, it looks pretty ratty and makes my leg look like a mummy.

There's also tape on my shell to hold the feeding tube in place. Except the tape won't stick to my shell anymore so they keep trying different spots on my shell. This means I could easily be a walking sticky note now. Wonder how that glue will come off the ridges of my shell? A gal always wants to look her best.

Just think, when my feeding tube comes out, my neck can heal and I won't be wearing tape anymore either. Maybe I'll get a spa day to clean my shell and spruce up my scales? I have shed a few on my other front leg for some reason. My tortoise mom found one stuck to the bottom of her sock the other day. That was some trick: spontaneous scale ejection.

Countdown to Freedom!

I get to see Dr. Johnson today and we're all hoping he'll yank out my feeding tube. Well, not "yank" exactly, but whatever it takes to set me free. Without a feeding tube, I can go back to the burrow, grazing when I want and generally being an independent tortoise gal again.

I've been practicing for this day. My tortoise mom has been taking me out for "walks" in the back yard so I'll start nibbling on globemallow, hibiscus and grass again. So far, I've only munched a few globemallow leaves and some interesting weeds in the grass. But it's May and my internal clock is saying it's time to get more active, including eating and drinking.

I've been pretty impatient and just a little huffy for a week or so as I REALLY want OUT! So I thump my shell in the tub to protest having to be confined until I've done my tortoise "business" on the papers. Then it's full speed ahead as I go for a walk outside, or at least get to "graze" on romaine leaves in my indoor set-up in the guest bathroom and the laundry room. I always have to walk around to survey the area before I settle down to eat. And boy do I eat! Sometimes I spend an hour or more just chowing down on romaine which I get besides my morning and evening feedings of Oxbow Critical Care in my feeding tube. My tortoise mom has been making it up twice a day for 7.5 months now so she's counting the hours until the tube is removed too. My tortoise dad is looking forward to getting the guest bathroom and laundry room "back," whatever that means.

Since I've been more active lately, I've been playing in my blue soaking pan every day. I don't really like it when there's water in it, but when it's empty, I climb in and play for long time. Finally I decide it's time to get out and that's when the real fun begins. I hang my front legs over the edge and try to climb out, but there's no traction for my back feet so it's like working out on a treadmill. Eventually I'm able to make it over the side by tipping the pan a bit. Then I climb out feeling very proud of myself. Tortoise Gym.



So here's what it looks like on a typical day after I've grazed on romaine leaves, dragged my favorite yellow box around which rearranges all the towels on the floor, and played in my blue soaking pan. Not even the magazines are safe from me moving them around. Ah, a tortoise's work is never done!