Welcome to TFO Feylin. wonderfull tort you've got there.
I had no idea tortoises could enjoy traveling thar much. (wich is somewaht reassuring).
16 years... wow.
oh, feel free to post more pics.

My very first tortoise was Mi-Shell, a California desert tortoise. I took her in about 35 years ago. I still have her, but she is very sick with an infection (abcess) on her head that has a bad strain of bacteria that is almost impossible to kill. For the past three years we've been trying everything we can but we can't get rid of it. Now it has gone into the bone. I'm afraid I'm going to lose her.

Yvonne

She looks really good...and BIG!

oh how terrible, emysemys! I always worry about Lois getting sick since it takes so long for them to show symptoms and then it seems like twice as long for things to clear up. The one big scare we had (a respiratory infection) was more than enough for me! We'll be thinking of you- I hope your Mishell gets better.

Lois LOVES to travel, Testudogeek. I think this iss because the zoo had her and her siblings as part of a teching program for local schools. She spent the first year of her life traveling every day to kindergarden classrooms! As a kid, Lois and I were so attached I carted her everywhere with me. My parents have pictures of a baby Lois scrambling after me in all kinds of places from the living room to a sand box- she didn't want to be left alone! She still likes to stay around me, but she's content to keep tabs on me from across a room now. She gets agitated when I've moved though- new floor plans means she can't be sure where I am in the house! She's not very good at staying in her OWN enclosure but I keep humidifiers in most rooms for her.

Now, she's a creature of habbit and gets crabby with me when I don't take her to school. She knows that her carrier is for HER too. I recently had to make an emergency trip to a vet with a sick guinea pig and the only carrier I had was Lois'. ( I disinfected it first!) She was SO MAD that someone else was in her space and was getting to leave too!

Welcome to the TFO family! Lois looks great, cant wait to see more pictures. I think more teachers should have reptiles in the classroom. My 8th grade honors Bio teacher did and it was a great year for all of us.

Feylin, it sounds as if you and Lois have such a special relationship. Your stories made me smile and lifted my heart when I read them. I am happy to welcome you and Lois to the forum. I think you will be a great asset.

Yvonne, I am so, so sorry to hear bout Mi-Shell. My thoughts and prayers are with you and her.

Well, the administration is worried (paranoid) about samonella harming the students and I"M worried about the students harming Lois (they're 17 after all). So I dont know that it is a good idea in all situations.

I have strict rules about hand washing and my admisitration is content with that.

Welcome to another long time Redfoot lover from another lond term Redfoot lover (33 year).

When I used to take turtles/tortoises to schools for education purposes I always brought a roll of paper towells and several bottles of hand sanitizer. You can usually buy the hand sanitizer pretty cheaply (in a pump bottle, too) at the dollar store. Then before anyone handles or touches a turtle, they sanitize, and after each touch they sanitize. The teachers were usually ok with that system.

Yvonne

ohh, 33 years! Lois and I look like babies in comparison. Well, teenagers more like.

The hand sanitizer doesn't cut it around here. Lois is basicaly free range in my classroom and its impossible to sanitize everything. So I just have students trained to wash their hands on entering and leaving (it's a science classroom so we have 6 sinks). It's something we establish at the begining of the year with the other rules. So far every one (including Lois) is just fine.