Round Up

[rcklmbr2586]

It gets hot down here this time of year.....because of this, I have a little "A" frame up under all of my grape vines for Spike to chill in during the summer. He really likes hanging out under there during the hot parts of the day. Well, the neighbor decided he didn't like the portions of the vines that had made their way over the fence, and instead of just trimming them, he decided to hit them at the source, and sprayed a boat load of round up over the fence into my yard. My grapes are now dieing off. Spike is about to loose most of his shade, and chances are, he was probably right under them when the dude was spraying. I didn't flip out on him, but it has been made very clear that that sort of thing will not happen again. I'm pretty nervous now. He hasn't been as active as usual for the last couple of days, and has been pretty "blah" as well (yeah...that's a scientific description ). Other than rake up the dead leaves a couple times a day to try and keep him from eating them, what else should I do? If he gets sick, our previously calm discussion is going out the window, and I'm going to flip out on him. I'm so irritated right now....

 

[rcklmbr2586]

 

[Sierra B.]

I don't have any advice, but oh my gosh I can't believe your neighbor would do that! I would be livid! I hope Spike is okay (I have a Spike, too!) I would make the neighbor pay to replace the grapes and if Spike gets sick he should pay the vet bills too! People baffle me sometimes at how inconsiderate and just plain dumb and selfish they can be...

 

[Yvonne G]

Bummer. The same thing happened to my sister up in Oregon. She lives next door to a farmer's field. He sprayed a toxic chemical on his field on a windy day. She had quite a few plants burn and die, and her sulcata lives in that yard and grazes on the grass that probably got oversprayed. When she found out what happened she locked him in his shed, but he was out for a couple days before she knew about it. He was lethargic and not eating for a while. Still not up to snuff after a month or so.

 

[mike taylor]

Man that sucks . I wouldn't have been nice at all . It would be *** kicking time .

 

[Yvonne G]

May I suggest that if the vine hasn't died and sprouts back, you hop the fence monthly and keep the vine trimmed off his property so he's not tempted to do that again.

 

[rcklmbr2586]

Thats exactly what I told him, and gave him my cell number. What's crazy though, is that there really wasn't much on his side of the fence....I keep it trimmed away from the fence on my side to prevent this sort of thing from happening....I've just been a little busier than normal lately. It could have been chopped down in less than five minutes....probably took more time to do the round up. I'm just glad the falcons were inside, because round up will cause SERIOUS respiratory issues with them. I have a good vet....I just don't know what she could do for spike. I havnt really heard of anything that can be done other than to just "wait it out"

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm not sure but I think I remember hearing that Round-Up may cause fertility issues. I know that the chemical is supposedly safe to re-renter the field an hour after spraying.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

I'm not sure but I think I remember hearing that Round-Up may cause fertility issues. I know that the chemical is supposedly safe to re-renter the field an hour after spraying.

Yvonne, I'm glad you wrote up about Maggie's experience, saved me from doing so. As for the “safe after an hour" that's not for something eating the plants sprayed or living within 4" off the ground.
I'd go overboard right now with soaks and food stuffs that could help clean out his system. Aloe leaves, cactus pads. That sort of food. I've no professional background with this, it just seems a logical step. Please keep us updated. Best of luck to you and yours. (Contact a couple local realtors and suggest your neighbor might be interested in selling!)

 

[Chantel]

I would soak him like crazy to make sure there is no round up on him, and wash what I could off the grapevines as well. Less contact for your poor tort. Any way to temporarily relocate him in the yard?

 

[rcklmbr2586]

I'm so mad right now, I could sucker punch a baby! His "A" frame is in direct sun right now, and my 100+ pound tort that's never dug a day in his life since I've had him, has dug 3 or 4 feet into the ground under the frame (and is still getting after it). He is angling under my rock wall, and has has been scratching the crap out of the front part of his shell while doing so, which might just put me over the edge (it's rubbing against the bottom of the wall). I can't pull him out....I'm just going to have to have big rocks and concrete ready when he comes out this evening, and block his way. I guess the good news is, that he feels good enough to dig....

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

If you've got a piece of plywood laying around just cover the hole with that once he comes out. It doesn't need to be a full sheet, just one large enough to cover the hole.

 

[rcklmbr2586]

Good advice. I have a portion of the yard fenced off for the pointers as a dog run though, so I'll probably just put them in their kennels for the next week or so, and put spike in there. That way I can keep him out of the chemicals, and have time to relocate his summer digs to a spot still covered in grape vines (assuming they don't all die).

Sierra, I agree....people are really irritating sometimes. Mike, I like where your head is at, but I'm about a foot tall, and my neighbor is a really big guy. I think I would be the one hurting in the end .

 

[rcklmbr2586]

Ken/Chantel I'll load him up with cactus pads and the like to keep him moving, and he will be getting a couple soaks a day for the next while. I'll also soak down the whole area tonight to make sure and get the rest of the residue off, though that might just wash it into the yard?
-Dan-

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

As for runoff, I don't know your yard.

 

[rcklmbr2586]

Right. I guess I was thinking about it more in the context of if the residue was up on the grape vines high, it wouldn't be accessible to Spike until the leaves fell off (which I will rake up before he is back over there) as opposed to if I washed it off, then it would be down in the yard where he eats. In the scheme of things though, it probably makes little difference by this point.
-Dan-

 

[Carol S]

To create shade for Spike you can use shade cloth. I put some up to shade their house and it works great.

 

[Tom]

You have my sympathy and you are a better man than I. I would have seriously gone off on the guy. In the long run your way will be better, I'm sure.

I am glad I don't have any neighbors. This would not be tolerated.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Hell, my neighbors call me when they find painted turtles to find out if one of my tortoises has run off because they're pretty sure they found it.