# Bob



## Maggie Cummings (Jun 8, 2010)

There's one thing that Bob loves better then strawberries...watermelon. These pictures need no set-up no words. BTW, he has settled down and now is enjoying his new fence. He is not trying to escape anymore and i can just relax and enjoy him and his new fence. I love seeing images like you will see in these pictures. King Robert III...
































Do ya suppose he can get a tummy ache from too much watermelon???


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## Laura (Jun 8, 2010)

I should post pics of my big guy.. we could have compettions! but Bob has a much better personality!


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## DeanS (Jun 8, 2010)

OH! If only that third one hadn't gotten cut-off...that would have been priceless! I love watching these big guys eat...especially royalty Is that a boomer ball in the background?


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## Tom (Jun 8, 2010)

I used to think all that fruit was really bad for them. But after you and Ken from Hawaii, I'm not so sure just how bad it is. Obviously not good everyday to the exclusion of other stuff, but how bad could it be? Fruit and figs fall off the trees during and after the rainy season in Africa. Monkeys often take a bite or two and chuck it to the ground. I know they eat some fruit in the wild, its just a question of how much and how often.

Either way, Bob is awesome.


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## DeanS (Jun 8, 2010)

I will let the big ones polish 1 watermelon/pumpkin a week when in season...along with the occasional apple or banana...and I can't pass up a handful of strawberries now and then...and neither can the torts





Climber at 3 months


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## Maggie Cummings (Jun 8, 2010)

DeanS Bob uses that ball to play soccer. He hits it with a front leg then he runs after it and rams it full on which usually carries him up on to the ball. His last toy was a 5 gallon bucket. He rammed that until it was totally broken and squashed. 
Bob very much plans on how to play with the ball. His movements are deliberate and there's no doubt in MY mind that the game is not an accident.
That's a cute baby, looks like Bob's competition for who can eat the most berries.

Tom, Bob not only eats the fruit I give him, he has access to part of the blackberry bramble and when the berries ripen he's back there eating all he can reach. I watch him walk past the bramble and it totally looks to me as if he's checking to see if they are ripe. I wonder if he is really that intelligent, or he just walks by looking at the vines...
Bob get a variety of food, he also has graze and he eats hay. I offer him kale, mustard greens, collard greens and others that the names escape me now. He eats hay and his yard is red and white clovers, and I planted grazing tort seed mix, Russian tort seed mix and the clovers. All that is coming up now so he has so many different things that are his diet. The Russian mix is mostly broadleaf weeds and the grazing mix is different grasses. If a tort is just fed Spring Mix or lettuces I wouldn't feed him fruit. So he gets a varied diet and I think that makes a big difference in eating fruit or not. He gets Mazuri as well. Oh cactus pads too


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## DeanS (Jun 8, 2010)

Again disspelling another myth...no fruit for sulcatas? Sounds like KRIII would destroy his new pen if he didn't get his blackberries

Now I'm thinking about working at Wildlife Safari in Winston, just so I can go hang out with the KING!


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## Maggie Cummings (Jun 8, 2010)

Do you live up here? I thought you were in Hawaii for some reason. I would LOVE to work there. I think they need to jazz it up some, get more exotic animals and let me fed them and scoop poop. I would just love it!


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## DeanS (Jun 8, 2010)

No! I live in LA, but recently received an offer to work elephants up there...they give elephant rides using Africans...only facility outside of Africa to do so...everyone else uses Asians! Elephants are the ONLY reason I would ever consider going back to zoo life. That and the fact that they have the most successful cheetah propagation program in the States.


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## dmmj (Jun 8, 2010)

Not to mention all the baby turtles and tortoises you can fit in your pockets.


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## jackrat (Jun 9, 2010)

dmmj said:


> Not to mention all the baby turtles and tortoises you can fit in your pockets.


That would be a hard one to explain in prison.


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## South FL Katie (Jun 9, 2010)

Love the pictures! Bob is quite a special guy.


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## Missy (Jun 9, 2010)

Bob is super great. I have become a big fan. Where do you get your broadleaf seeds? I ordered grazing seeds but need broadleaf (I cant believe im saying that)


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## Maggie Cummings (Jun 9, 2010)

Missy said:


> Bob is super great. I have become a big fan. Where do you get your broadleaf seeds? I ordered grazing seeds but need broadleaf (I cant believe im saying that)



Russian tort seed mix. It's mostly broadleaf weeds

http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/catalog/index.php


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## Jenilyn (Jun 9, 2010)

i <3 bob

i guess i just love the big guys hahahaha


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## Scooter (Jun 10, 2010)

Great pics of Bob as always Maggie!


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## DeanS (Jun 10, 2010)

Hey Maggie...just dropped by for my daily Bob fix


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## Maggie Cummings (Jun 10, 2010)

I so appreciate the way you guys act about Bob, thanks so much...


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## Stephanie Logan (Jun 10, 2010)

It will be cool when some reptile researcher (Meg?) does a study someday to measure how intelligent tortoises really are. I'd like to know if there's a huge variation among species too, since it seems like Sulcata have exceptionally good memories, determination and planning skills...

I think it's great that you showcase Bob with some more great fruit-eating photos during the month of June, when he's our TFO calendar boy anyway.


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## DeanS (Jun 10, 2010)

I don't think research is necessary...I think we ALL know how intelligent torts are...were talking about one of the original species on the planet...that's millions of years of instinct.


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## Stephanie Logan (Jun 10, 2010)

Yeah, smart enough to be around 200 million years, I guess that proves they know how to avoid extinction at least! 

Still, it would be interesting to get a grant and set up some serious experiments--maybe get Bob to participate in return for all the watermelon he can eat...


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## mightyclyde (Jun 10, 2010)

Great pictures!


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## DeanS (Jun 10, 2010)

Stephanie Logan said:


> Yeah, smart enough to be around 200 million years, I guess that proves they know how to avoid extinction at least!
> 
> Still, it would be interesting to get a grant and set up some serious experiments--maybe get Bob to participate in return for all the watermelon he can eat...



Actually, that's an excellent idea...and I volunteer. Maggie, hurry up...drop what you're doing and bring Bob to my house for an indefinite period of time, so I can study all facets of sulcata life...physiological and psychological...his reward? watermelon and a new soccer ball... your reward: a report card. C'mon! Time 'sa wastin'


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## Maggie Cummings (Jun 11, 2010)

Oh yeah, I'm thinkin I really would throw him in my immaculate IROC-Z and dash him 1200 miles down to you. I'm on my way!!!


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## DeanS (Jun 11, 2010)

Why aren't you here yet? IROC-Z...that was my favorite car back in the 80s!


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## Maggie Cummings (Jun 11, 2010)

DeanS said:


> Why aren't you here yet? IROC-Z...that was my favorite car back in the 80s!




Yep, a one owner car. When I got 250K miles on it I had a new motor dropped in...a beautiful car...1989


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## DoversMama (Jun 12, 2010)

Bob is FANTASTIC! Ohhhh, how I wish I could have a big handsome guy like him! (Dover, if you're reading this...I love you too, little man!)


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