Generally when I post something I try to be informative or funny...this is none of those...I got medically retired from my career as an over the road truck driver or otr...and I started hanging out with my sister at her turtle and tortoise rescue and one day she says to me...I have too many male Sulcata here will you take this one and keep him until I find a home for him about 2 weeks...His name was Bob and I loved him so...He was 8 lbs and unknown how old but life goes on and I needed to move to Oregon I ended up with a small special needs turtle and tortoise rescue. I was good at treating and rehab who knew??? and I moved here with somewhere in the neighborhood of 25-30 box turtles and Bob, the 2 weeks was nowa buncha years and more Sulcata came and went...hey Y remember that 120+ Sulcata who's keepers drove from Seattle with this monster Sulcata who only ate carrots...he lived on freakin carrots but was he was big and beautiful...I hadda rent a van for him and his carrots to Y's house.anyway that is kinda how I got interested in Sulcata. So numerous tortoises after Bob, and now it's Mary Knobbins. My sister taught me a whole lotta stuff 20 years ago that has held sted to this day. The animals come first. Period... no matter how sick you are feed the ones who need feeding...you do what it takes. Anyway...I'm getting off track (as usual) This about 5-6 pounds tortoise was found wandering the streets of downtown Portland Oregon during one of The Proud Boys riots and brought to our local wildlife rescue who called me right away cuz they don't do tortoises...they were pretty sure it was a Russian..it was Knobby...here on my far left. I wish I had that many Sulcata today...
oh heck...I can't find it...
So now I have this badly pyramided ugly Sulcata. I thought he looked like a dirt bike tire hence the name Knobby...time passes tortoises come and go, but nobody wanted Knobby. However he was developing a personality that kept me hopping...and I am telling you all this because it was pointed out to me that there are some members here who questioned the birdbath photo...here is why...Knobby cannot stand this bird bath and he knowed it over as many times as I put it back up...
so some years pass and somehow I got really good at what I did...I virtually have no formal education outside of truck driving and AHT...so time passes and Knobby becomes Mary Knobbins, renamed by someone who loves Mary or Knobby. and a sex change operation...most readers here understand how I feel about Mary K...however...most of you here read about how Mary seemed to not feel good wasn't going outside normally.wasn't eating etc.so I decided that in 40 degree weather to give this 35+lb tortoise a soak...so...here's my tort shed...
I was cutting down trees...anyway, I put the tote in her shed...then carrying 3 one gallon jugs at a time, I walked across the deck, up 8 stairs into the house in order to fill the tote deep enuf for a 35 pound tort...physically it was hard after the 4th trip, my bad bad was killing me, my lungs evidently stopped working...it started to rain...even God is pissing on me...but I plodded on...I really don't know how many trips I made 8 or more? I do know that on the last trip...when I went into the shed with sympathy in my heart... that beast of a tortoise had urinated a gallon and was eating. I really got irritated..."Mary don't you understand what I just did for you...and then you flaunt that there is nothing wrong with you"?? So I soaked her anyway and went in the house pouting and really thinking hard...do other keepers go to the extent I do? Is that extent really important? Then I hadda wait for my strong neighbor to empty the tote. The extent of care goes out to my yards and pens...everything except for a few things is grown for the torts. I worry about grass and blooms and leaves...My electric bill is high because of all the UVB CHE's heaters and crap. I also have birds and cats that I don't worry about like I do the chelonia. My Safeway store saves their old produce for me but if I don't have gas or am feeling sick I have to ask someone else.
I guess I am having thoughts like...if I didn't have these torts or turtle I could have naps, or read a book or just watch tv. Wash my car, go to a movie. If I downsized my animals I could travel now
before I can't. Maybe it's past time thinking about that I need to do something...
there are 7 bird cages in my living room...noisy messy but not much care..here's half of my living room....I could keep going but my thoughts are this...maybe I would have an easier live without the chelonia...my second thought was this...omg! Last night I went to close Mary's doggie door and the other 4 tortoise were tucked into their sleeping spots and Mary was not visible in the shed...I looked into her sleeping box, oh crap!!! Back out to her pen and did another scan...the gate is open...and Mary K is gone... really and seriously...gone to be continued
oh heck...I can't find it...So now I have this badly pyramided ugly Sulcata. I thought he looked like a dirt bike tire hence the name Knobby...time passes tortoises come and go, but nobody wanted Knobby. However he was developing a personality that kept me hopping...and I am telling you all this because it was pointed out to me that there are some members here who questioned the birdbath photo...here is why...Knobby cannot stand this bird bath and he knowed it over as many times as I put it back up...
so some years pass and somehow I got really good at what I did...I virtually have no formal education outside of truck driving and AHT...so time passes and Knobby becomes Mary Knobbins, renamed by someone who loves Mary or Knobby. and a sex change operation...most readers here understand how I feel about Mary K...however...most of you here read about how Mary seemed to not feel good wasn't going outside normally.wasn't eating etc.so I decided that in 40 degree weather to give this 35+lb tortoise a soak...so...here's my tort shed...
I was cutting down trees...anyway, I put the tote in her shed...then carrying 3 one gallon jugs at a time, I walked across the deck, up 8 stairs into the house in order to fill the tote deep enuf for a 35 pound tort...physically it was hard after the 4th trip, my bad bad was killing me, my lungs evidently stopped working...it started to rain...even God is pissing on me...but I plodded on...I really don't know how many trips I made 8 or more? I do know that on the last trip...when I went into the shed with sympathy in my heart... that beast of a tortoise had urinated a gallon and was eating. I really got irritated..."Mary don't you understand what I just did for you...and then you flaunt that there is nothing wrong with you"?? So I soaked her anyway and went in the house pouting and really thinking hard...do other keepers go to the extent I do? Is that extent really important? Then I hadda wait for my strong neighbor to empty the tote. The extent of care goes out to my yards and pens...everything except for a few things is grown for the torts. I worry about grass and blooms and leaves...My electric bill is high because of all the UVB CHE's heaters and crap. I also have birds and cats that I don't worry about like I do the chelonia. My Safeway store saves their old produce for me but if I don't have gas or am feeling sick I have to ask someone else.
I guess I am having thoughts like...if I didn't have these torts or turtle I could have naps, or read a book or just watch tv. Wash my car, go to a movie. If I downsized my animals I could travel now
before I can't. Maybe it's past time thinking about that I need to do something...there are 7 bird cages in my living room...noisy messy but not much care..here's half of my living room....I could keep going but my thoughts are this...maybe I would have an easier live without the chelonia...my second thought was this...omg! Last night I went to close Mary's doggie door and the other 4 tortoise were tucked into their sleeping spots and Mary was not visible in the shed...I looked into her sleeping box, oh crap!!! Back out to her pen and did another scan...the gate is open...and Mary K is gone... really and seriously...gone to be continued
