AKA: This fairy tale has a happy ending!
Once upon a time...
My electric bill is too high in the winter time, and one thing I thought might help was to tear down all the cinder block tortoise houses and put up wood framed sheds instead. Last summer I did Dudley's house and this summer its the Manouria houses' turn.
In order to make it easier on this old body, I removed one wall of the lath house that surrounds the Manouria houses.
For the time being, I just leaned the lattice panels up against the fence. While I was working inside the lath house, Mutt and Jeff, the two Manouria intergrades that I got back because of a divorce, took one look at the lattice and said, "Wow! Look at the opportunity someone has left for us!"
I worked on my project for a couple more hours, then went inside to rest. Later towards evening, I went to the barn to start my evening feedings. This is what I saw behind the barn:
OMG!! How did this happen?? I put him back in the pen and did some detective work (and a head count!) and saw that my laziness in leaning the lattice up on the fence rather than take it to the wood pile was the culprit. Thank goodness only one more is missing. But I searched my property to no avail.
You have to understand, that I've accumulated quite a bit of junk in the 70 some odd years of life on this planet. I turned over every board, shined the flashlight under every wood pile, walked and looked at every inch of this property! The two gates allowing entrance and egress both are up off the ground high enough for a tortoise to escape.
First thing I did was to call the paper and place an ad:
Classifieds Fresno bee
Announcements : Lost
By Date
TORTOISE, Shaw & McCall
Tortoise, lost near Shaw & McCall. Call 559 298-7114
Then I placed signs around the neighborhood:
Then I just worried...No one's gonna' know that he's from the rain forest and can't be in the sun...no one's gonna' know that he doesn't hibernate...he's not gonna' be fed right...a dog or coyote is gonna' get him...
As the days went on and no word was received either from my ad or from my signs, I began to resign myself to the fact that he's gone. Then, 9 days later, I had my can of cat food in my hand and went into the old house to feed the cats. OMG! Here's what I saw:
I have no idea where he'd been for the previous nine days, but was I ever happy to see him in the old house. He had to climb up some steps to get in there...and I never even thought about looking there for him.
After a good soak and some fresh food, he's back to his old tricks and wondering what kind of trouble he can get into next!
Yvonne
Once upon a time...
My electric bill is too high in the winter time, and one thing I thought might help was to tear down all the cinder block tortoise houses and put up wood framed sheds instead. Last summer I did Dudley's house and this summer its the Manouria houses' turn.
In order to make it easier on this old body, I removed one wall of the lath house that surrounds the Manouria houses.
For the time being, I just leaned the lattice panels up against the fence. While I was working inside the lath house, Mutt and Jeff, the two Manouria intergrades that I got back because of a divorce, took one look at the lattice and said, "Wow! Look at the opportunity someone has left for us!"
I worked on my project for a couple more hours, then went inside to rest. Later towards evening, I went to the barn to start my evening feedings. This is what I saw behind the barn:
OMG!! How did this happen?? I put him back in the pen and did some detective work (and a head count!) and saw that my laziness in leaning the lattice up on the fence rather than take it to the wood pile was the culprit. Thank goodness only one more is missing. But I searched my property to no avail.
You have to understand, that I've accumulated quite a bit of junk in the 70 some odd years of life on this planet. I turned over every board, shined the flashlight under every wood pile, walked and looked at every inch of this property! The two gates allowing entrance and egress both are up off the ground high enough for a tortoise to escape.
First thing I did was to call the paper and place an ad:
Classifieds Fresno bee
Announcements : Lost
By Date
TORTOISE, Shaw & McCall
Tortoise, lost near Shaw & McCall. Call 559 298-7114
Then I placed signs around the neighborhood:
Then I just worried...No one's gonna' know that he's from the rain forest and can't be in the sun...no one's gonna' know that he doesn't hibernate...he's not gonna' be fed right...a dog or coyote is gonna' get him...
As the days went on and no word was received either from my ad or from my signs, I began to resign myself to the fact that he's gone. Then, 9 days later, I had my can of cat food in my hand and went into the old house to feed the cats. OMG! Here's what I saw:
I have no idea where he'd been for the previous nine days, but was I ever happy to see him in the old house. He had to climb up some steps to get in there...and I never even thought about looking there for him.
After a good soak and some fresh food, he's back to his old tricks and wondering what kind of trouble he can get into next!
Yvonne
This was a pick me up story thanks for sharing.
