Room Two with Dr. Johnson

It's been a busy few days getting ready for my big check-up with Dr. Johnson this morning. I've been eating and weighing and pooping and soaking. And I outdid myself this morning by pooping in the yard and in my travel box once I got to Arizona Exotic Animal Hospital. I knew exactly where I was as I remember all the sounds and smells, so I was really paying attention after getting weighed in, and then I decided to do my tortoise business right in my travel box while I was waiting for Dr. Johnson. Perfect timing! The good news is my fecal test came out good, with no parasites or other signs of disease.

Here I am, ahem, concentrating on the job at hand in my travel box:





Dr. Johnson was glad to see my green beak, which means I've been eating grass. In fact I've only been eating grass, no treats or supplemental feeding with lettuce. And I think fruit has been purged from my memory a la "Men in Black," because I need to get my fluids from drinking and soaking in water to flush my bladder. I don't want any more bladder stones!





I had a pretty good check-up, and Dr. Johnson called me a "testament of persistence." Yep, we never give up around here. He pronounced me alert, with healthy looking scales (no Botox for me!), a green beak and the inside of my mouth and tongue look pink and healthy too. But my hind legs are very weak, and I've been losing weight since my highest post-hibernation weight of 3590 grams back in April. I weighed 3456 grams 5 days ago, 3339 grams yesterday and 3230 this morning. Whoa! Even lots of pooping doesn't explain that. So Dr. Johnson rated me as slightly underweight and then he ordered blood tests to check my calcium and other levels just to see what's going on with me. My blood work hasn't been totally normal since my surgery back in September 2009, which could mean a reproductive problem (lady issues), but we were hoping that normal hibernation last winter would help balance things out. Cross your fingers and toes that it did, ok?

So I had a busy morning and then I slept in the new burrow all afternoon. Dr. Johnson that I could be losing fluid and being less active with less appetite since it's so hot now. I'm hoping that explains it. I don't want any more medical procedures!! I just want to be a normal tortoise living in my back yard, hanging out with Tortellini in the old burrow. It's so deep and dark and cool in there that we are very comfortable.

Dr. Johnson will call with my test results in the next few days. My 46th birthday is Tuesday and all I want is a good report. That would be the best birthday gift of all!!!

Playing Musical Burrows

I'm playing a game with my tortoise mom and dad. When they see me heading for the old burrow after eating, they put me in the new burrow. I humor them by staying in there a while, sometimes overnight, but then I skip out and go back to the old burrow. Once I'm in the old burrow, good luck on getting me out. Meanwhile, I've turned the tables and I'm giving my tortoise parents lots of exercise. Oh this just delights me!



But in the middle of this elaborate musical burrows game, I'm eating. Since Friday I've gained 87 grams! So I'm up to 3456 grams as of this morning. And I was very cooperative about soaking in my little blue pan too. I did my 30 minutes with no complaints, and then I ate some new globemallow leaves on my way back to the old burrow. But my tortoise mom snatched me from the entrance and put me in the new burrow in hopes that I'd come back out to eat this evening. Which I did. But, like I said, I went back to the old burrow. Then tortoise dad mowed the lawn and then put me back in the new burrow, which is where I am right now. Oh the madcap life I lead!

I'm feeling better all the time. Grass tastes good and so does the globemallow. I haven't been well enough to eat these things since long before the surgery for my bladder stone (September 2009). The weather is heating up and that revs up my metabolism too. I am getting better and better! I sure hope Dr. Johnson thinks so too. I have to see him for a check-up this Saturday. You know what that means: Road Trip! I like my travel box and I don't mind riding in the car one bit. I wonder... if they put it in the new burrow, would I work so hard to go back to the old burrow? I don't know. My tortoise GPS says the old burrow is home. And you know what they say about that: There's just no place like it.