Mazuri Madness

I'm a little nervous this morning. I've been faithfully eating my Mazuri Tortoise Diet mixed with vegetables, but that's all. No yard grazing. I sniff the grass sometimes but I just have no bite strength for it. Anyway I'm a bit worried because my weight is down from this time last year. I only weigh 3160 grams this morning, despite all our efforts. But I have been pooping almost every morning and even left some urates in the little blue pan yesterday morning, so maybe that just means I'm cleaning out my system for hibernation?

Well it's a good thing I'm seeing my two vets this morning to get the whole scoop on how I'm doing. The truth is, I've been feeling a lot perkier and generally happier. Now let's see what the doctors say....

Ready for my close ups

I'm all set to go to Eye Care for Animals tomorrow morning to show Dr. Church how much I've improved after three weeks of anti-inflammatory eye drops. Oh it's been an adventure, starting with getting the medication. The Target pharmacist said he'd never dispensed for a tortoise before, and the Bashas' pharmacist couldn't imagine how my Tortoise Mom would install the drops by herself, "afterall, it's not like she can't pull in her head." There was much hilarity, but I got my eye drops and my Tortoise Mom and Dad worked out a system to get them in my eyes with no muss, no fuss. One, two, THREE--blink. One, two, THREE--blink. It happens so fast I usually don't have a chance to get upset, and now I'm such a veteran that I don't bother to struggle.

The good news is I can see out of my left eye again. In fact, I peek over my left "shoulder" to see if I'm in the clear to escape back into the old burrow. Sometimes I'm more wily than others, but I always get caught. I'm pretty resigned to it. I know the drill by now.

After seeing Dr. Church, we're going straight over to get my pre-hibernation check-up with Dr. Johnson. Hopefully the anemia is gone and I'll be good to go. The only thing worse than staying in the winter burrow is having to stay indoors. Trust me, no one wants to go through that again. Anyway I'm hoping I'll be cleared for hibernation, which means I'm well enough to survive the big drop in immune function that happens when the metabolism slows down so much.

Well I know I'm in good hands, and that helps a lot. I wish I could go where I please, but I did get a treat from my Tortoise Dad this week. He let me "go for a walk" around the yard to get some exercise and maybe perk up a little as I have just resigned myself to sitting in the winter burrow so I don't sit out in the sun at all.

Tortellini got her pre-hibernation check up last week. She's quite a handfull and not as charming as I am, so there aren't any photos to show. But she's in great shape. The funny thing is Dr. Johnson thinks she's 5-10 years older than we thought. We really don't know her age so just guessed it back in 1987. Now it seems she could be a lot closer to my age. We are two tortoises of a "certain age." Except she's so healthy and active that she runs circles around me. And my Tortoise Mom. And she is not happy about not getting fed any more treats this year. But we can't hibernate with any undigested food. Besides treats are treats, not a substitute for grazing in the yard, which she is still free to do. But she'd rather nag at the back door. Give it up, Tortellini. They always do what helps us instead of what we want. (Sigh). But still, we are TWO very lucky tortoises. Your friend, Grandma

Blogging from the winter burrow

The eyes have it

At my last visit in July, Dr. Johnson said to watch my left eye. Well, it suddenly swelled up last week, so this morning my Tortoise Mom and Dad took me to Eye Care for Animals where I got a thorough exam by Dr. Church.



I got the full treatment, including Tonometry, just like people get from their opthomologists. Who knew?



Dr. Church found that my right eye has problems too: red spots on the iris (should be green) caused by bleeding and minor inflammation.



She diagnosed the left eye, the worst one, with a small cataract (but not the usual variety) that releases protein to cause inflammation. As a result that eye has "discoria" which means an abnormally shaped pupil. Plus I can't see out of it.

 

She said the underlying cause is systemic or metabolic health problems, or even anemia (why I'm eating Mazuri Tortoise Diet now).So she'll talk to Dr. Johnson about that, and she prescribed anti-inflammatory eye drops.



Eye drops? Yikes! Having eye drops twice a day means I have to stay in the winter burrow and can't hunker down in the old burrow. You know how I feel about that. But I also know how lucky I am to have such good care from my Tortoise Mom and Dad, and from Dr. Johnson and Dr. Church. I am one lucky tortoise!

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.

Turning a blind eye

Sorry I've been gone so long. I've been doing my best, honest!! But it's taking a lot of energy to deal with extreme heat this year and some worsening health problems. I really work hard just to eat enough, with lots of help from my Tortoise Mom and Dad. He rounds me up and she hand feeds shredded food. But still....

Then my favorite Tortoise Sitter stayed with me last month and noticed my worsening/different struggles. So before my trip to see Dr. Johnson at Exotic Animal Hospital for my latest check-up, my Tortoise Dad made a video of me eating. Oh it's not pretty as I bite the air a lot. A lot. Anyway until that visit, everyone thought the problem was my weak bite from jaw muscles that have atrophied. And we thought that was from my original struggle with the bladder stone, but that's not it either. It's something else. Old age? Kidney failure?

Anyway, here's the big surprise, er, well, shock to everyone but me: I can't see out of my left eye. Dr. Johnson thinks I have glaucoma, and I definitely have a cataract. My pupil doesn't constrict and I simply can't see. So that explains why I bite at the air a lot. I line up for a bite when I can smell food, but when I go in for a mouthful, I end up with air or a twig instead. Very frustrating and exhausting.





Then just as we were reeling from that news, Dr. Johnson called with results from my blood tests that say I'm anemic. Why? That's the million dollar question. But we do know that I need to eat more protein so my Tortoise Mom ordered Mazuri Tortoise Diet for me. I haven't tried it yet, but we're hoping it's as good as they say. Zoos use it, so it must be good. Anyway that's next on my plate.

Meanwhile my Tortoise Mom is feeding me on the right side of my head, and talking to me more so I'm not startled by movements that I can't see way ahead of time. The irony is that my Tortoise Mom has the same eye problems. What are the chances?? And, did you know tortoises can get all the same diseases as people? Whoa, I thought all I had to do was keep my shell in good shape, my bladder flushed, and I'd be healthy for several more decades.

The good news - yes, there is some - is that we've had a lot of rain this week. Finally!! It's been 114-117 degrees for so long that it's just too hard to come out and eat as slowly as I do now. But the rain was so refreshing that I even slept out of the burrow one night, just hoping for another drink of fresh rainwater. Pure joy!!! Life is hard, but always worth the extra effort to keep on keeping on. Stay tuned for my report on the new Mazuri diet. If I like it, there might even be recipes!!

Today is my 47th birthday!!!

Wow, hard to believe I'm 47 already. Where does time go? Oh, yeah, I do spend all winter hibernating. And then I spent 90 percent of my time underground the rest of the year to regulate my body temperature. Especially these last few years as it's been hotter than ever here. Tortoises respond to the increasing heat by staying underground more and more. Even Tortellini just dashes out for 15 minutes at 6 a.m. as it's too hot to graze like we used to "back in the day".

The good news is that because it's been even warmer than this time last summer, I got my birthday present early: Yep, right now I'm cool as a cucumber deep down in the old burrow. Home Sweet Home!! Before that, my tortoise mom and dad monitored me from my special winter burrow and pen every morning. So I got "walks" in the grass every morning, plus water from the sprinklers -- like rain on a timer!! -- and then a special shredded tortoise salad back in my pen, which I heartily ate every morning. I can eat well if the food is easy to bite. My tortoise mom figured this out while watching me try to bite food that took too much tearing for my weakened jaw muscles. So she made me a salad of shredded kale, bean sprouts, carrots, and even hibiscus flowers for me. It's like having my own personal chef!! Anyway I did gain weight and feel good until someone turned up the thermostat to Blazing Hot, so I started trying to escape to the old burrow even more and then I started losing some weight. That's when my tortoise mom and dad realized I needed more relief from the heat, so they let me go back to the old burrow. I thought that was too good to be true after they had nabbed me so many times over the last few months (Curses, foiled again!), so I got right to the burrow entrance and stopped: Not falling for this again. But my tortoise mom assured me it was ok and even gave me a nudge to go in the entrance. Wow! FREEDOM!!

I haven't been back for a check-up with Dr. Johnson because my tortoise mom isn't able to take care of me following endoscopy due to her own health problem, so that's why she came up with the plan to "walk" me every morning to encourage eating, drinking, peeing, and just generally perking up. Anyway I'm really grateful for all the TLC. The best days were when Tortellini came out to graze too. Woo Hoo, just like old times!

So today is my birthday, but it's so hot that I'm staying in the burrow this morning. Tortellini dashed out for a few minutes but she's a lot more active than me and always has been. But even she is having to stay underground more with this heat. I know we live in the desert, but it wasn't always this hot all the time, especially overnight. We used to come out and graze for an hour or so every morning AND evening. Plus we had rain! Oh how we love rain!! We practically dance in it!! But we've only rain once this year. I tanked up and then flushed and flushed and flushed my bladder (Ok, I'm a hoarder), unlike Tortellini who flushes her bladder a lot so it's just a ladylike amount of urates that she leaves on the grass. Not me. So that's why my tortoise mom sits me in the sprinklers a lot because it feels more like rain to me so then I tend to drink and flush more.

I really am trying to do better as I don't want another bladder stone. My goal is to live many more decades without any more bladder stones or surgeries. I'll always be a "special needs" tortoise with weak hind legs and jaw muscles from nerve damage from the gigantic stone that I was hauling around for so long, but my tortoise mom and dad love me enough to accommodate those needs. It's not easy but I'm very grateful for a second chance at life. Having more birthdays is the best gift of all!!

P.S. Happy Birthday to a very special girl who turns 7 today. I hope you can visit me again soon!!

Rain drops keep falling on my head....

Of course, that "rain" is on a timer. ((Tortoise grin)))

PSA: Tortoise Baby Shower today!

The nice people at Usery Mountain Regional Park (where my Tortoise Mom and Dad got married BTW), are having a "baby shower" tonight for two new baby tortoises. This should be fun as hatchlings are just so darn CUTE! Anyway the rangers are teaching about what to do if you find a tortoise in the wild (don't pick it up or it could die of dehydration after emptying its bladder in fear!), how they survive in the desert, and why they are a protected species, plus other fun activities.

Then they'll have a baby naming contest. How fun!! I got my glamorous name from someone I don't remember, back when I was a hatchling (they drilled a hole in my shell to chain me up too, very painful and cruel, but I guess they didn't know they were hurting me). My Tortoise Mom named Tortellini. It's a pretty good name, don't you think? Anyway here's the scoop on the baby shower. http://www.maricopa.gov/parks/usery/EventsDetailPublishers.aspx?EventID=17542

I wish I could go, NOT! That's a very long car ride for me, especially when I'd rather be tucked in my burrow for the evening. Early to bed, early to rise means I can get a big drink in the sprinklers while I'm grazing in the morning. Mmmmm, good! Also my Tortoise Mom has been making me breakfast and serving it in my pen when I'm through grazing for the morning. It's a great salad made of bean sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, shredded kale and snow peas, with strawberry leaves for garnish. The best part is since she started shredding it to compensate for my weak jaw muscles, I've joined the Clean Plate Club!



But even though my tortoise salad is so delicious, I still try to avoid going back in my pen as you know how I love the old burrow. So I always hunker down and try to look innocent when she catches me heading for the old burrow when I'm through grazing. Once when I got caught in mid-step, I dropped down and gave her my "Rats!" look. Did you know a tortoise could be so expressive? If you pay attention, you'll see.

Anyway since my Tortoise Mom started "walking" me every morning so I can graze and do my tortoise business, I'm feeling perky and I even get a little feisty around Tortellini. If this keeps up, I'll make it back to the old burrow before my Tortoise Mom can catch me. I have lots of strategies. Yesterday, I casually worked my way by hiding between the house and hibiscus shrubs, hoping she wouldn't catch me. She did. Today I didn't get even that far when she nabbed me. Curses, foiled again!! But never underestimate a very determined tortoise. Maybe they'll name one of those baby tortoises Houdini? He was pretty good at escaping right before your eyes!

Happy Mother's Day!

I'm wishing that for my very own Tortoise Mom who went out in the rain and got soaked so I could get a giant drink of rainwater on Wednesday. Wow, I thought I'd miss out because there's no good place to collect rainwater in my little pen, so I was out of the burrow looking up in the sky, just hoping I could get a refreshing drink. Rain water is not like hose water. Nooooo, rain water is primo and we haven't had much of it in more than a year, so I was really worried that I would miss out.

But then my Tortoise Mom magically appeared to "walk" me outside the pen, where I could get a good drink of the world's best water, fresh from the sky. So I drank and drank and then I flushed my bladder twice, leaving two piles of urates (ok, I've been saving up again). And then I drank some more. It was like I just can't flush my bladder until I have the water I like to replace it. So I'm all fresh and frisky now. Oh, and when they weighed me the next day, I had lost 124 grams which accounts for about 4 ounces of urates plopped out on the patio. That's a lot for a dainty gal like me.

So I'm really grateful to my Tortoise Mom who has been walking me, weighing me, giving me favorite foods to build up my strength. She's recovering from her own surgery so really trying to help me avoid more surgery. We'll see what Dr. Johnson has to say about that.



I also want to wish Tortellini a Happy Mother's Day. She was a very good egg layer when my brother Charlie was still alive. Anyway there were never any baby tortoise hatchlings until Tortellini arrived on the scene 25 years ago. For a while there, it was like having an Easter egg hunt in our yard twice a year when a clutch of eggs would hatch. Over the years, my Tortoise Mom adopted out nearly three dozen baby tortoises through the Turtle and Tortoise Society. Now they have to do it through the program at Arizona Fish & Game. Anyway I think Tortellini deserves a celebration for all the baby tortoises she produced to make other families happy too. Happy Mother's Day!

Dehydrated -- APRIL FOOLS!!

I picked today to belly up to the hose and gulp down as much water as I could, nearly 500 grams worth. I only stopped to smack my beak, take a breath and drink some more.

But I really wish it was rainwater. Mmmmm, it tastes so good. Even Dr. Johnson says desert tortoises can't resist rain water as it is part of how we've survived for eons. Besides there are no hoses or sprinkers or drip systems running out in the desert. So we dig burrows to manage our body temperature and we drink rainwater out of small depressions in the ground to refill our bladders. And did you know that we can retain that water and just flush out the urates (calcium byproducts)? Pretty handy when you live in a desert and never know when or if there will be any fresh water to drink. No wonder we can't resist rainwater!

No more winter soaking!!!

Great News!! Dr. Johnson said I don't have to soak every two weeks while I'm hibernating. Yippee, Skippy!! I'm so happy I could just, uh, well, you know I'm hibernating, so I guess snoring is the appropriate happy response.

Now I get to stay cozy and dry in my burrow until I decide to come out to look around and get a drink myself, maybe next month. The days are already getting longer and my body will start adjusting accordingly due to the amazing, complicated internal regulatory systems of tortoises that bromate (similar to hibernation but for tortoises). We know exactly how long each day is and our bodies change hormones, calcium levels, and other blood chemicals to accommodate each season.



Right now I'm blogging via Cacti WiFi so I didn't come out for a new photo. But here's a reminder of my winter digs, so you'll know just how comfortable I am right now. I am so grateful to not be disturbed until I'm ready to start waking up in another month or three. I am pretty lazy in the Spring, but I will come out and bask on warm, sunny days to rev up my nervous system for more activity later on.

Thanks for letting me sleep, Dr. Johnson. My dreams will be all sweet now... Zzzz....

New Year's soak a total bust

Ok, I was good to start out the New Year. I did my 15 minutes of soaking in the blue soaking pan. Here's actual photo evidence that my cloaka was underwater. But I weighed 3166 grams before I soaked, and I weighed 3166 grams after. So my tortoise mom will call Dr. Johnson to ask if he thinks it's still worth disturbing me every two weeks to soak when I'm just not taking in any water. Between you and me, I really hope he says no. Besides, it's clear my weight is stable. I'm just not taking in water to increase it.



It was 54 degrees inside my burrow today, but 81 degrees outside. They tried not to disturb me but I woke up and looked all around, wondering why they keep waking me up when I just want to stay in my nice, dark, cool burrow. So I'm back in my favorite corner of the burrow, hoping I don't have to get soaked in another two weeks. Dr. Johnson, please let me off the hook! Your friend, Grandma

Dreams from my Father....

Merry Christmas!

Guess what, it got down to 35 degrees last night, quite unexpectedly, so my tortoise mom got up and checked the thermometer reading for my burrow in the night. It was 48 degrees; ok, but a little cool. So she decided it's time I get a little extra warmth from Christmas lights at the entrance of my burrow. Just in time for Christmas!





This is a far cry from where I was exactly two years ago. It was nice to check out the Christmas tree back then, but I'm really glad to be extra snug in my burrow now (52 degrees, perfect!). I am absolutely not an indoor tortoise, even during rehab from surgery. Anyway I'm really grateful to be cozy in my burrow, especially with a little extra warmth coming from my own Christmas lights. They even wrapped them up so there's no light to wake me up. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good, long night!

Deja Vu All Over Again!

I thought I was off the hook with soaking this time, but evidently my tortoise mom had second thoughts. She was worried about my kidneys, especially after comparing my pre-hibernation lab work from 2011 to 2010 (urates increased from 7.1 to 9.8!). So she came up with a new plan for soaking me today. All I know is I was peacefully sleeping away when suddenly I heard my tortoise dad's voice as he pulled me out of my toasty burrow AGAIN, then I got weighed AGAIN (still 3161 grams), and then put in the soaking pan like usual. Except this time it was slanted so my butt was at the low end. Then they added just enough water to make sure my cloaka was completely covered. My tortoise dad called it a butt puddle. Then they did something else that's new: they covered me with a dark cloth so I wouldn't be disturbed by sunlight, even on this rainy, gloomy day.



The only good news I can report about this new strategy is at least I could snooze during my 15 minutes of soaking as my head stayed high and dry. And when they weighed me afterwards, I did gain 10 grams this time (3171 grams). But I still thought it was a rude experience and so I gave them my "What the HeQQ?" look when they uncovered my head at the end of soaking. But I must say, they are fast at reweighing and scooting me back into the burrow.



Whew! Glad that's over for another two weeks. Glad I soaked up a little more water this time, and I'm really glad my tortoise mom and dad do all they can to help me hibernate safely this winter even though I don't like it one bit. But I didn't like this new burrow either, and now I must admit it's really comfy this winter, especially since Tortellini helped dig it out some more for me so about half my shell sits below floor level. Warm, dry, dark and quiet, mmm, the best place for a tortoise to spend Winter Solstice. Zzzzzz....

Tortoise Dreams (by Grandma's Tortoise Mom)

Poor Grandma! This business of soaking her during hibernation, per Dr. Johnson's orders, is giving poor Grandma bad dreams. You can tell by this soaking experience on Nov. 18 that she's asleep and wondering what's going on. The water was room temperature, but a little too deep so she couldn't hold her head up and kept dropping it into the water and blowing bubbles out her nose when she snorted awake. Also we realized that we only knew her weight after soaking, so had no idea if she was actually taking water into her bladder through her cloaka. Note to self: do better next time.



Two weeks later, December 4, we weighed Grandma before soaking, then used just enough water in the soaking pan to cover her cloaka for 20 minutes. It was 51 degrees outside and 53 degrees inside her burrow, so not a temperature shock to her system. We used room temperature water and tried not to disturb her with light or noise, including my voice. I'm sure you know she always perks up when she hears my voice. So we whispered and kept her in the shade. But it was still a rude experience and at one point she looked up at me like she was having a very bad dream.





Then we carefully dried her off, weighed her again, and discovered she had only "gained" 7 grams. We're not even sure that's water that made it to her bladder! It could be just what we couldn't gently dry off of her. Note to self: check her starting weight next time and then decide what's best for her. Maybe a call to Dr. Johnson?



Here she is all dried off and ready to go back into the winter burrow two weeks ago. Not exactly like going to the spa, but we did our best to help her. She didn't have such a tough time today so she can tell you all about it herself (see below). Thanks for letting me fill in a little for her. Love, Tortoise Mom

Time flies when you're sleeping.... (yawn) by Grandma

It looks like I aced today's weigh-in that my tortoise mom and dad put me through every two weeks. Usually I have to be SOAKED too. Oh the humanity!!! But they started weighing me before and after soaking and noticed that it's just not effective, and might even be stressing me into losing more weight. For instance, two weeks ago, I weighed at 3161 grams fresh from the burrow, with my eyes still shut tight. Then after a 20-minute soak, I weighed 3168 -- only 7 grams! I could be hiding that in my lady turtleneck or in my, ahem, bikini area. Anyway, it's likely no actual water is hitting my bladder because my cloaka is shut just as tight as my eyelids.

So my tortoise mom and dad reviewed my weight history and decided that this soaking business isn't helping and might even be stressing me by disturbing me so much. When I soaked back in November, I couldn't hold my head out of the water as I was so sleepy so they vowed to use less water next time, and also to weigh me before soaking to see how much water I was actually taking in. Anyway I weighed 3180 grams after soaking on November 18. But then I weighed 3161 grams when they checked me two weeks later. So maybe soaking makes me LOSE water instead of taking it in? Whatever it is, I'm just so glad I got to skip soaking today.

So now I'm back in my burrow, tucked way in the back where I've been digging in. The burrow is staying a steady 51-55 degrees even though the outside temperature dropped to 31 degrees a few times. And I'm staying dry despite getting 1.5 inches of rain this week, but the burrow is well insulated with dirt and the opening is sealed with wood and foam to keep cold air and water from getting in.

All in all, it's good to be a tortoise right now. In this burrow, I'm definitely more snug than a bug in a rug.

The good, the bad, the downright ugly

Sorry I've been away so long. A lot has happened and I got in a funk and decided to tunnel deep into the old burrow and pretend I could stay there all winter, like that was going to work. Nope, not a chance. Now I'm sitting in my new winter pen with the new, shallow burrow and that's where I'm spending the winter. I alternate between being huffy about it and just tucking in the new burrow and pretending I'm where I want to be.

The good news is that when I went in for my pre-hibernation check up, I had gained weight. First time ever that Dr. Johnson rated my weight as normal and healthy. Yay! My beak was green, my scales looked good and I was acting very perky and alert, like a healthy tortoise. So Dr. Johnson said I wouldn't have to sit in my soaking pan, that I could just drink when I want to, whenever they run the hose near me. I like this news a lot! You know how I feel about that soaking pan.



The bad news came just three days later: the lab report on my blood work says I have elevated inflammation markers (herophils, lymphocytes, WBC), elevated calcium (wrong season for that), and elevated uric acid which means my kidneys are working extra hard. So Dr. Johnson delivered the disappointing news that once again (!) I can't hibernate in my favorite deep burrow as my tortoise mom and dad will have to monitor my condition all winter. Hibernation is a tricky time and could be hazardous to my health. So I have to hibernate in the new, shallow burrow so my tortoise dad can pull me out every two weeks to check my weight. Any weight loss means trouble and an urgent visit to Dr. Johnson. We did that last winter. But this winter, since my uric acid is also high, I have to get soaked for 20 minutes every two weeks too, to take some stress off my kidneys. Back to the blue soaking pan. Every two weeks. All. Winter. Long.

Ok, now for the ugly news: in the Spring, I will have endoscopy to see what's causing this "consistent blood abnormality". Dr. Johnson strongly suspects a problem in my reproductive tract. If he's right, and I have an ovarian cyst or tumor, that means - shudder - that means another "open-shell surgery". Oh no, not AGAIN!!! Do I need a trap door on my carapace? Hinges? Geezzzzz!

So that's why I marched into the old burrow a few weeks ago, and refused to come out. My Tortoise Dad could see my face but I was sleepy and not interested in coming out. My tortoise mom knew I had to come out of the old burrow before I was too sleepy to crawl out on my own, so last Sunday she spent a long time with a strawberry slice on a wooden spatula and her arm stuck as far into the burrow as she could get it. Then she talked and sang to me until I perked up at her voice (you know how I love her voice), yawned, looked around and noticed the strawberry. Guess what? She knows how to go "fishing" for a tortoise. Here's the proof:







Once I was close enough to the entrance, my Tortoise Dad pulled me out and sat me in the grass. I thought I was living large with strawberry tops, shredded carrots, cool grass and a drink of water. Yay, life is good after all.




But THEN, when I started walking back to the old burrow, suddenly I found myself plopped down in a new winter pen instead. WHAT??? Oh I did not like this ONE BIT! My Tortoise Dad put me in the new shallow burrow but I was having none of that. So I marched right back out and tucked my head in the corner of the fence and flipped dirt all over my shell to register my displeasure. Well it didn't matter, they left me there anyway. The next day I sat begging at the gate and my Tortoise Mom felt sorry for me so gave me a little treat to soften the blow, but I've had nothing since as it's time to clear out my digestive tract for the winter. She also gave me a pep talk about getting bad medical news, but still having another chance at life. Ok, I know that's true. I just don't want to have another surgery. But I do know it's time to have the endoscopy to find out what's causing all my bad blood work. I really want to get well, and if I have a big untreated problem, then it could contribute to getting another bladder stone. YIKES! I do not want that either!!

Well I'm sorry I don't have all good news. It's disappointing when we've all worked so hard for exactly two years now, but obviously something still is going on with me. This afternoon I decided to make the best of it. I came out of the burrow and they weighed me. I weighed 3320 grams. I ate a little grass and then I got a big long drink when they soaked me in that crummy blue pan. Anyway drinking and soaking usually makes me "express my bladder" so that's what I did. I did a good job too, complete with lots of urates. I did such a good job they weighed me again and I weighed 3230. Yep, I expressed 90 grams of urates, about three ounces of prevention....

Close call

This morning was a bit cooler so I was sitting under the little leaf cordia when I heard my tortoise mom talking to me. I was hoping she had lots of desert willow flowers for me, so I was in kind of a hurry to get my breakfast. Anyway I took the shortest route, which meant climbing up and then sliding down the side of the new burrow. All of a sudden, I let out a hiss as I flipped over on my back and slid down the bank, under the branches of the cordia. My tortoise mom heard me, so I got rescued right away. It was a little scary but I forgot about it as soon as I saw the flowers she had for me.

(Actual accident scene in upper left of photo)


But this explains why my tortoise dad found Tortellini in almost the same place a few weeks ago. She had been struggling upside down for a little while and was very stressed and upset. No one could figure out what had happened to her, but now we know that the side of the new burrow is too steep so we can flip ourselves over easily. So our tortoise dad will fix it today.

Tortoises are excellent climbers and thrive in rocky hillsides. But going downhill is always harder, and it is easy to flip over when places are too steep. So you have to look at the yard with a tortoise-eye view. That burrow mound didn't look too steep until I veered off to the side and then it turned into a dangerous situation in a hurry. We can't survive for very long when we are flipped upside down. If the sun doesn't overheat and kill us in a hurry, then the stress of carrying all our weight directly on our lungs will do it for sure.

Whew, that was a close call. Now both Tortellini and I have been rescued from the same place for the same reason. Thanks for tortoise-proofing the yard for us, Tortoise Dad, so we won't have any more life-threatening accidents. These things can happen so easily. It's a good thing my mind quickly switched to eating flowers or I could have PTSD. Ok, back to thinking about delicious flowers... (shudder)

Adios, August!

After surviving the hottest August on record (seriously), we awoke this morning to just enough rain to leave dark splotches on our dusty shells. But it was cloudy for a change, so I could venture out from under the Little Leaf Cordia to graze on grass and hope some flowers would magically fall from the desert willow tree. They finally did, but only because my tortoise mom picked them for me. For some reason, the desert willow tree with darker pink flowers doesn't produce as many flowers as the lighter pink variety, and they don't drop on the ground either. They just shrivel up, still stuck on the tree. So my tortoise dad planted this new tree for me in 2009 after I had my surgery, but now my tortoise mom has to pick the flowers. It's not the automatic tortoise feeder like the old tree, but at least it still puts on flowers. The Mexican Evening Primrose and verbena finally fried up in this "excessive heat," and other plants are burned and brown. August didn't used to be like this here. It rained every afternoon and it cooled off at night. Not any more!

My tortoise mom tried to soak me while I was busy eating flowers under the desert willow this morning. The drip emitters were watering the tree and she added a slow running hose in hopes I'd soak a little without putting up a fuss. Let's face it, she was hoping I wouldn't notice that my cloaka was taking in water, the most direct route to my bladder. But the water wasn't deep enough, and really, I'm not tolerating that soaking business even if it is in a tree well instead of my blue soaking pan. I have my standards!



My weight goes up and down depending on whether I've had a good drink and/or "expressed" my bladder, which means flushing out the urates that cause bladder stones along with urine. So on Monday, another 116 degree day, my tortoise mom was alarmed that my weight had dropped to 3120 grams, a new low for the summer. She was really afraid the heat was hurting me. But bright and early on Tuesday, I let her know I wanted a drink from the hose, and I really tanked up. When she weighed me, I was at 3303 grams. That's only a few ounces, but it shows that things are moving in and out as they should.

Anyway I happily drank from the hose, with my face in the water. Oooh, so cool and refreshing! Did you know that tortoises don't drink standing water? We need fresh, running water. So that's why not having rain all summer with this record heat has really been so hard. If we ever do get rain, we will be so happy! Tortellini and I always know when it's going to rain ahead of time, and we sniff the ground looking for rain water. I hope that happens before hibernation. We only have a few more weeks to really tank up for winter. By early October we stop eating so that our digestive systems will be empty during hibernation. We don't want any undigested food sitting around all winter!

Weighty matters

If urates were gold, my tortoise parents could have my vet bills covered for life!

When I said I outdid myself last night by drinking and expressing my bladder so it flushed out the urates, I was not kidding. Those urates must weigh a lot because I weigh 116 grams LESS this morning than just two days ago. Yikes! Who knew a bladder flush could add up to so much weight? (4 common ounces)

So it's obvious there's a lot of variation in my weight depending on what I've been up to. Back when I was tube feeding, a meal would equal 100 grams. And to keep things simple, so could a healthy poop. Equilibrium!

Well I'm not upset about this weight loss. Losing urates is a very good thing. Two years ago I was hauling around a bladder stone that Dr. Johnson said accounted for 1/10 of my total weight. Shudder. So I think flushing out 4 ounces of urates last night is a very good thing. I have to work hard at it because Dr. Johnson says some tortoises, especially urban tortoises, tend to make bladder stones. We don't know if it's diet, access to water or just genetics, but now that we know I have that high risk factor, we stay on top of it with soaking to promote bladder flushes and check-ups with Dr. Johnson. He can actually feel stones when they're smaller and remove them without invasive surgery. My goal, of course, is to not form another stone if I can help it. So I'm a soaking/flushing tortoise now. Who says a tortoise (of a certain age) can't learn new healthy habits? You can see what I'm trying to prevent here.

Did you know that tortoises don't drink standing water? That's why we come out if there's a chance of rain. Oh we love rainwater! We'll sip it right off the patio or when it collects in the grass. And then we store it in our special bladders that take in water from the mouth and from the cloaka. When rain comes so infrequently in the desert, it's a handy thing to be able to tank up from both ends!

The rest of the time we get water from our food and store it all until the next rain. That's why picking up a tortoise in the wild can kill them as they will flush their bladder in an attempt to protect themselves. Then the bladder is empty and they might not survive until the next rain. They don't get to soak like I do.

Grazing again!

It's been a very hot, tough couple of months and I haven't felt perky enough to graze on the grass in the yard. I either didn't come out of the burrow at all for days on end or I just sat under the Little Leaf Cordia and nibbled on dried flowers. My tortoise mom picked Desert Willow flowers for me, which I love, but that's not enough food for an adult tortoise. So I haven't been blogging and I hadn't gained any weight at all. My tortoise mom was really worried. She even coaxed me into eating a little romaine and kale while waiting for Dr. Johnson to call back last week, but he said they don't offer enough fiber so that ended that. My best bet is eating grass which has the right amount of protein, vitamins and fiber to pack on the pounds for hibernation.

Anyway, I started feeling better in the last few days and I've been coming out of the burrow to eat grass again. My tortoise mom was so happy when she found out I had gained 30 grams in just two days. Finally some progress and normal eating behavior! I know I have to tank up so they'll let me hibernate outdoors again this winter. No one wants me to have to stay indoors all winter again. So I'm eating again, but much slower than Tortellini, so I stay out in the yard longer to make up for it. She, of course, is at an ideal weight and lack of appetite has never been her problem. In fact, if she went shopping, it would have to be at Tortoise Shells Big & Tall.

Dr. Johnson rates my weight at 2.5 on a 1-5 scale with 1 being way underweight and 5 being very overweight. My goal is to hit a "3", the healthy weight, again. I haven't been at that weight since the bladder stone surgery almost two years ago. So I'm working on it!



Last night my tortoise mom gave us some strawberries. Oh what a treat! We smacked our beaks and savored every mushy bite. By the time we were finished eating, we looked like toddlers who got into their mom's lipstick. But we sure were happy!



Tonight I outdid myself when I let my tortoise mom know I needed a drink by sniffing at the ground and following her. So she filled my soaking pan and I went right to work drinking water and expressing my bladder to get rid of urates. Usually I fight the soaking pan, but not tonight. No more bladder stones for me!

By that time it was late and I was so tired I was literally dragging my shell as I lurched along heading for bed. I decided to sleep outside, tucked under the edge of some yard equipment instead of going back inside the burrow. I'm weak but I'm feeling better. I finally feel like grazing again, and that's really good news.