Lady Hermann not her usual self

zolasmum

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Thank you Angie, that is most interesting!
Zola's stroking must be a very sweet sight.
I will do as you suggest and move the mirror out of the way and let her patrol the room to set her mind at rest.
Thank you Richard, for the weather tip.
It definitely makes sense.
I do hope the Lady Teztez will soon be back to her usual self - it is so worrying when they can't tell you what the problem is. Zola and I send our love xxx
 

zolasmum

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I do hope the Lady Teztez will soon be back to her usual self - it is so worrying when they can't tell you what the problem is. Zola and I send our love xxx
I think you may have to let Teztez into your livingroom several times, as she may not be convinced that the intruder has gone for good, at first. A xxx
 

ruthiepo

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Dear Angie and Zola,
We are wondering if Teztez is wanting to lay eggs. She is attempting to dig holes in various locations and sits on warm bits of patio straddling and circling her legs in a digging movement. This would fit in with her restless patrolling and climbing behaviour. And her loss of appetite.
I'm making sure she has 2 soaks a day to help her to be hydrated.
Do you think this could be the reason for her odd behaviour?
If so, should we try to make a nest box for her? As the garden soil isn't really very warm yet and I don't want her to possibly retain her possible eggs and be ill later on.
Your advice would be very valuable.
Love from Ruth xx
 

zolasmum

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Dear Angie and Zola,
We are wondering if Teztez is wanting to lay eggs. She is attempting to dig holes in various locations and sits on warm bits of patio straddling and circling her legs in a digging movement. This would fit in with her restless patrolling and climbing behaviour. And her loss of appetite.
I'm making sure she has 2 soaks a day to help her to be hydrated.
Do you think this could be the reason for her odd behaviour?
If so, should we try to make a nest box for her? As the garden soil isn't really very warm yet and I don't want her to possibly retain her possible eggs and be ill later on.
Your advice would be very valuable.
Love from Ruth xx
Dear Ruth - it does sound possible, I agree, but it isn't something I know anything about. I suggest you start a new thread about this, and I'm sure there will be other people who can give you advice. (luckily, we don't have this problem with Zola) If it is the case, you certainly don't want her just retaining the eggs,as you say.
Zola is still out for a walk with his dad, so Ican't ask either of them !!
Good luck
Love from Angie xx
 

zolasmum

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Dear Ruth - it does sound possible, I agree, but it isn't something I know anything about. I suggest you start a new thread about this, and I'm sure there will be other people who can give you advice. (luckily, we don't have this problem with Zola) If it is the case, you certainly don't want her just retaining the eggs,as you say.
Zola is still out for a walk with his dad, so Ican't ask either of them !!
Good luck
Love from Angie xx
You could certainly provide her with a nice nest box - a wooden box with lots of straw or sand, perhaps - and see what she does. Is there any chance she has met up with a male tortoise in the past, as I believe they can retain sperm for long periods ?
Let me know if I have to start knitting little woolly jackets !A xxx
 

zolasmum

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Dear Ruth - I keep thinking about Teztez - I really wish I could help - It may be just a phase, which she could get over quite soon, of course. I even wondered if seeing the "other tortoise" in the mirror might have set her off, but Richard doesn't think she would realise it was a tortoise, just a creature who shouldn't be there. If you are very concerned about possible eggs, you could take her for an Xray - that would clarify the matter. Personally, I would leave it a bit, and see if she gets back to her normal self once the weather changes - but ,as I said, this is something I really don't know much about.I I do hope she will settle soon.
Love from Angie xxx
 

ruthiepo

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Hello Angie,
Thank you very much for the advice. I thought we could at least offer her ladyship a nest box option, and see if she thinks it would do. We could fix her favoured heat lamp over it, to give a warm ambience.
As far as we know she has not been mated so any hypothetical eggs would not be likely to hatch. Thank you for the offer of woolly jackets!!
If she doesn't settle down I suppose we could do the x ray option but let's hope its not necessary.
Hope Zola is well and enjoying his lovely walks.
love from Ruth xx
 

ruthiepo

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Dearest Angie and Zola
I hope you are both enjoying the warm sunshine.
I am very busy digging a hole in this nice warm loose soil I've found.
I don't quite know what I want to achieve. It makes a change from tangling my arms and neck in the ivy stems covering the garden walls.
I will let you know if anything interesting happens, meanwhile i must get on...
love from your unfathomable friend Teztez xxx
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ruthiepo

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Poor Teztez! She working so hard!
She's been digging on this spot for over an hour now, I don't know how successful she will be as there are rather a lot of roots around that place. It's just outside the garden door, south facing, a narrow sunny bed.
Is she really going to deposit eggs in her hole?
I wish I could help her, but I'm totally not interfering with her decisions.
Her poor back legs are all black with soil and trembling with exertion.
Will let you know what, if anything, transpires.
She evidently has a plan in mind....
 

zolasmum

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Now she's filling it in!!
I didn't see if she actually laid an egg.
Dear and most wonderful Lady -I am utterly fascinated by your activities, and look forward to hearing more. I have been out today on Dartmoor with my parents, and we are all rather tired, but I will write to you later, when my mama has recovered herself sufficiently to assist me.
With love and ever deepening admiration from Zola xxxxxx
 

zolasmum

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Dear unfathomable Lady - I hope you are now having a rest from your arduous activities. Perhaps you would care to cast your eyes on these images my papa took on the moor. There are many hawthorn trees on the moor, and at the moment they are all covered with white blossom - it looks like snow from a distance, and the effect is stunning. We have never seen it like this before, though we have been up there many times.
Wishing you a peaceful night, after all your work -humble regards from your friend
Zola xxxxx
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zolasmum

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Dear and delightful friend Teztez - I hope you are now resting and recovering from your efforts yesterday. It was grey and a bit cold this morning, but this afternoon the sun appeared, and I went for a long walk with my papa on the coastal path.There are some workmen dismantling a look-out tower near the cliff edge, and re-building it a bit further inland - I have met them all on previous walks, and they call out "Hello Zola" when they see me. At first they may have thought my papa was a bit weird, carrying a tortoise around, but now they are really interested, and one held me today. As my papa often says, I am a tortoise ambassador to the world !!!
My mama and I have been thinking about you a lot, dear friend, and hoping you have had an enjoyable day, whatever you have been doing.
With deepest affection and admiration from your friend Zola xxxxx
 

ruthiepo

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Hello my wise and intrepid friend,
I have very much enjoyed the pictures of you basking on a rock with the gorgeous background of countryside. You look very beautiful with the sunshine on your golden shell and luscious legs!
My digging activities were rather tiring, I decided not to deposit anything in my hole in the end, so I filled it in carefully, then rested in the shade.
After a while I was given a long warm soak, which was refreshing, and I accepted an offering of lettuce, plantain and cucumber.
It's pleasant to receive all this special treatment.
My retainer is rather worried and is talking about my visiting the vet, as she thinks I may have a problem somewhere inside.
I cheered her up this morning by eating several soggies with olive oil on them, and by producing a lot of urates in my bath.
I hope Angie is well, and has recovered from your wonderful day out on Dartmoor. The air must be so lovely, especially in springtime.
Fondest regards from your mysterious friend Teztez xxx
 

zolasmum

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Dear and delightful friend, I had another lovely day today. We went for a drive to Roadford Lake, which is on the moor - it was sunny all the time, the leaves and flowers seemed really brightly coloured, and the water was very blue . We met a little girl who had never seen a tortoise before - she was really interested and gave me some cucumber. Her mum thanked us for letting her meet me, and said she had worked at an animal place where children would come and say -oh, look at the hedgehog - who was in fact a guinea-pig !! Lots of people have never seen a tortoise, and certainly never touched one - some people think I am going to be slimy (because I'm a reptile !)
I am glad you had a more restful day today - I'm sure soggies with olive oil are especially delicious, and no doubt particularly good for you.
I send my highest regards to you, as always -and to your dear retainer too, who I know is devoted to your care -as you of course deserve. Zola xxx
 

zolasmum

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Dear and precious friend - today I went to the craft market near the canal - I have several friends who work there - and a lady carrying a very small child noticed me - she lifted him up to see me properly, and he gave a huge smile, and reached out his tiny hands to me. It was so very very sweet !!! His name was Gabriel, and he was 6 months old
he wasn't a bit afraid of me, and I think we could have played with him for hours. My dad said he had never seen a young child react with me in such a lovely way. Often small children are a bit nervous about being close to me at first - well, you have,of course , observed such reactions yourself,in the past , I expect. Anyway, it was wonderful.
I remain, as always, your devoted admirer
Zola xxxxx
 

zolasmum

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Most precious Lady - I trust you are well, and have not felt the need for further digging ,wearing yourself out - I just wanted to tell you about a rather remarkable thing that happened this morning. I was about to go out with my parents, and my papa was standing by the car, holding me in his special wee-ing way, (I'm sure you know I generally wee when he does this before we go out - it makes my parents life easier in the car, and also means they can let another person hold me, if it seems they deserve it ! Anyway, I did my wee, and then my papa called out to my mama in amazement - I had produced a lovely picture of a white dove flying up to the sky ,-in my urates!!!
I am sure this must be some kind of good omen !!!
I wish you could have seen it.
With love and respect from Zola xxxxx
 

ruthiepo

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Hello my wise and revered friend,
I am glad you are well and doing everything you should, even making skilled artwork on the driveway! Not many of us can do that.
I am always praised for producing these things, but it's usually in my bath, so apart from some swirly patterns that's about it.
I hope the white dove omen is successful and you have many peaceful years and walks ahead of you.
Thank you for your kind wishes about my digging activities.
I haven't done any more, as my legs were very achy and I didn't feel like doing much, except sitting in the sunshine and snoozing quietly..
I have got my appetite back and have been enjoying my soggies, and also some tasty red and yellow peppers and sweet gem lettuce leaves. My retainer has found me some delicious sow thistle which I relish.
I have been pooing again so my retainer hopes I am perfectly ok, we are not sure if I actually had eggs inside or if it was all a sort of phantom idea I had.
We haven't been to the vet as yet, as I have been eating normally, although I have not been rushing down the garden lately, but have moved peacefully between sunshine and shade near the house.
I hope you have an enjoyable day and my retainer joins me in hoping Angie and Richard are both well.
Love from Lady Teztez and Ruth xxx
 

ruthiepo

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Here is a picture of the earth mound I have been provided with, in case I want to do any more digging
And here i am doing a little gardening, these bean sticks should be in by now!
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