Holy Guacamole!

I'm feeling much better since I got to drink rainwater the last few days, enough to add nearly 100 grams to my weight. Yay! And I've been having my new special breakfast in my blue pan that sits near the kitchen table so I can take my time eating and get help with finding my food. The latest thing is eating the Mazuri pellets soaked a bit to make a sort of dip that's spread over shredded kale with a few shreds of carrot for color. It's a tortoise version of chips and guacamole, with the kale acting like chips for the Mazuri dip. Pretty good!

Of course I end up wearing a lot of it so get hosed off back outside along with the blue plan when I signal that I'm finally through eating, but that's not a bad thing either.



Yesterday it was still stormy all day, but no more real rain. Still I felt well enough to march around the yard hoping for some, a big improvement for me. I feel a lot better in the last few days. Eating better helps, plus drinking actual rainwater (Perrier for tortoises), and the temperature has dropped 20-30 degrees with the storms. Whew!! A little relief from the extreme heat sure makes a big difference too.

I sure am grateful that my Tortoise Mom and Dad are taking extra care in feeding me what I can eat better in a way that's easier for me too. Coming indoors means no competing with Tortellini who is definitely a fast eater. With eating in my blue pan, I can find my food easier as it doesn't sink down into the grass where I can't find it. You might call it "The Blue Pan Special." (Tortoise grin...)

Humpty Dumpty had a bad FALL!

I couldn't see where I was going this morning and fell off the edge of the winter burrow. It was a big surprise and I ended up on my back. I was struggling there until my Tortoise Mom and Dad came out to check on things later in the morning. They were horrified to find me turned upside down and in obvious distress. So my Tortoise Dad climbed through the thorny cordia to rescue me. Whew, that was a very close call.

My Tortoise Mom was crying while trying to cool me off, but I was very upset and wouldn't tolerate being hosed off, soaking or anything. So she made me a special breakfast with the new Mazuri Tortoise Diet, which I'd never seen before. The pellets are hard so she soaked them and mixed them with a few bites of watermelon to get my attention. Then she put the food in my blue soaking pan and let me eat indoors where they could watch me closely, because it was too hot for anyone to stay outside.

I settled down, cooled off, ate as much as I could and then announced I was through eating by climbing on the edge of the blue pan. So everything got hosed off outside, especially me. I might have worn more Mazuri than I actually ate (it's mushy like dog food), but hey, it's a start.



The good news is I'm still here. The bad news is that my vision problem, even though it's just one eye, caused a near-fatal disaster this morning. So my tortoise dad has to do some pruning and digging to keep the way clear for me, now that I just can't get around the yard safely like before. And my Tortoise Mom will have to check the yard more often every morning and night, just to make sure I haven't gotten in any trouble. I was just trying to eat more cordia flowers this morning, right where the branches overhang the winter burrow. I just didn't see where I was going, so then I tumbled over and found myself in serious trouble in a hurry. Scary!!!!

Oh what a morning!!!! But we get another chance, and we'll all try to do better. It's a big adjustment we all have to make. I sure wish I could see well again. And eat normally again. Between you and me, I'm kind of worried... But I hear my Tortoise Mom has plans to make sure I'm eating safely. I know I am one very lucky tortoise.