More Mr. T updates

[Kim444]

So, Mr. T is doing well. Yesterday I left him in his soak for 20 minutes instead of 15 minutes while I fiddled around the kitchen(keeping an eye on him of course) and low and behold I went to check the temp of his water and WOW, lots of poop. Gross, hope he wasn't sitting in it too long, so I take him out, put him on the table, have my son watch him while I change the water. He promptly leaves behind a big urate mess on my new kitchen table cloth, but I have never been so happy to see urates. So, I clean that all up and put him back in a new soak thinking the poor thing just bathed in his own poop and my son promptly tells me, "Mom, he just pooped again" ugh...so for a 3rd time he gets a new warm soak which thankfully this time he doesn't poop in, lol. I then put him back in his enclosure, and he must of felt light on his feet cause he was the most active I have ever seen him, climbing over his log and kicking coco coir with his back legs while swishing his tail back and forth(what is that behavior?). So, I decided to go to a farmers market and picked up kale, swiss chard, spinach and dandelion greens. I knew right away there was something he did not like in the pile of greenery I gave him because he walked up to the pile, sniffed it then snorted at it and walked away. I took a piece of swiss chard, held it in front of him, and I swear he took a big aggressive bite as if to say "fine I'll try it but I won't like it" and he promptly spat it back out. Sheesh, so anyways Mr.T otherwise now known as Mr. Attitude ate the 1 leaf of spinach and the dandelion greens but left the kale and swiss chard untouched.
I have always wanted a tort, but had no idea they had such cool personalities. I am totally smitten with him as is everyone else.

 

[Yvonne G]

They really grow on you , don't they? I'm glad Mr. Attitude is coming along.

 

[Flipper]

ROFL! I think you should call him Poophead! LOL!

They really are full of mischief! My little Hermann's is the same way with food. I just sent away for some fancy cactus for her. I've tried feeding 2x and she turns her nose up at it

I just love her!

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

ROFL! I think you should call him Poophead! LOL!

They really are full of mischief! My little Hermann's is the same way with food. I just sent away for some fancy cactus for her. I've tried feeding 2x and she turns her nose up at it

I just love her!

LOL!
My russian is so picky, it's amazing he eats at all. He refuses any chard and occasionally chances the risk of being poised by the kale!
Never have had much luck with getting him to go in the bath... but he is more than happy to poop in HIS water dish!

 

[Kim444]

such characters they are. I put chard, kale and dandelions in his enclosure today, It looked like someone took a fit in his enclosure, chard and kale all over the place, but no dandelions in sight. I think he may have had a temper tantrum and took it out on the poor greens he dislikes, lol

 

[Kim444]

oh and nobody answer my question "kicking coco coir with his back legs while swishing his tail back and forth(what is that behavior?)" does anyone know?

 

[Flipper]

I'm sorry. Other than cuteness, I've no idea

 

[lismar79]

oh and nobody answer my question "kicking coco coir with his back legs while swishing his tail back and forth(what is that behavior?)" does anyone know?

If it was a mature female I would guess nesting.... but no clue!

 

[tglazie]

My old Greek male Graecus does this behavior also. I don't know what it means. After it rains, he does this business with the tail swishing while he walks about, which I think is his way of spreading his scent and marking his territory, but I'm no scientist, so I can't be sure. I do know that whenever I put something new in his enclosure, he does this move where he looks like he's rubbing his *** against it, whether it's a rock or a potted plant or what have you. He will also ram shoes, I guess because he somehow gets it in his head that the shoe is another tortoise. Perhaps this has to do with the smell, given that I often walk through other tortoise enclosures with the shoes, but he never does this with sandals. Only leather shoes or sneakers. Greeks are weird.

T.G.