"Go look in the back yard and see what I found at the dog park!"
I sighed.. OK
Meet Moo (and Maggie...she's the one on the left). The daughter calls her Moo because she immediately started eating the lawn.
The funny thing is, I was working at a client's home today and told her about finding the tortoise and she said, "WOW!! I used to raise tortoises! HOW COOL!!" She said they are very sociable and will respond to their name. (This one comes out when people are in the yard and likes to be petted on the head.) So she gave me a lot of advice and care and feeding tips and knows about a "Tortoise Society" locally. We did some googling and found out we have an African Sulcata Tortoise. They get upwards of 100 pounds or more. Moo is well on the way.We were talking at supper. We're the only people I know that have found three turtles in Arizona. I think she's a keeper (Moo and Maggie...)
Hi, it's a very great blog.
ReplyDeleteI could tell how much efforts you've taken on it.
Keep doing!
OTGE, Thank you very much. I enjoy writing the blog. I looked at your blog. Where are you in Taiwan? I lived in Taipei (Near Green Mountain) from 1960-1962 and went to Taipei Dominican Catholic School. My father was in the American Navy. I would love to visit again.
ReplyDeleteOkay, folks. Here's the Rresssst of the ssstory (RIP Paul Harvey). A dog park crony and I brought the tortoise home to my yard to keep it safe until the person whom I had arranged to TAKE IT could come pick it up. I'm not a reptile person. I don't feel confident about taking care of a creature that doesn't have hair, fur or feathers. However, when s-p saw it, he got really excited and wanted to keep it. I said, "I don't know...I already found somebody..." Then he talked to the lady he was working for and called and asked me to put the decision on hold...well, he put up with two cats that he was highly allergic to for 14 years, and he put up with Peanut the stray dog tearing things up and running amok for 6 months...how can I refuse? He's not the excitable type and when he gets like this, well...we'll try it out for awhile, but I have two people who will take Moo if push comes to shove. Love you, Old Man!
ReplyDelete-wifie
She is a keeper! I am not talking about the turtle. I would die if I found one of them in my backyard.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you both! Oh and Moo too!
Awww, cute picture :)
ReplyDeleteLove your humour.
Let us know if you keep this new pet of yours. You will have lots of intresting stories if nothing else.
So does Moo feed mostly on grass?
I so love that tortoise !
ReplyDeleteWhat a glorious pet :-)
I have been reading your blog for a while and I really enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteKeep up the wonderful, funny, and insightful work!
Many Blessings!
Elizabeth, Yes, it is a "grazer" and bermuda grass is at the top of the list for its staple diet (which we have in our back yard)...so we have a new lawn mower now. I wanted to name it "John Deere", but the daughter beat me to it.
ReplyDeleteNina, I looked at your profile. I think our families should live next door to each other, we could start a petting zoo. LOL!
Linda, actually I'm glad she keeps ME. :)
Nice! Free (pet) food and free lawn mower - what could be better?!
ReplyDeleteWait, were we thinking about NOT keeping Moo????? Mam, you know I'm usually on your side but I have to side with Dad on this one! However, I'm really concerned about fish because 1. they are like Dad's children, 2. how can we tell Molly AGAIN that the Disney world is dead, but if Moo doesn't swin, then hopefully we are all good! Besides, you guys need something to replace Jesse! I don't know that we are doing a family vote, but I vote yes!
ReplyDelete~The smartest child
You make me sound like i'm like 5 years old in this thing. hahahaha. but its all good. i just give amazing names to things..:]
ReplyDeleteSmart One,
ReplyDeleteYes, the original plan was for one of Sadee's uncles to come pick up the tortoise. I only brought her home so she could be in a safe place until he could come get her, but Dad really wanted to keep her.
Tonight Kenzy and I were out back furiously digging up my periwinkle vine because Moo kept trying to eat it and I couldn't let her because it's poisonous. I kept having to give her more lettuce to distract her. I had gone to Sprout's to see if they'd give me the greens that they were going to throw away and they gave me a great big bag of it. Moo ate every last morsel. She can really put it away!
Anyway, this is her probationary period. As long as she doesn't become my responsibility and as long as she doesn't demolish my yard, we should be fine. There is one other type of plant that is flourishing in the yard...I don't know what it's called and so I can't find out if it's on the list of forbidden foods for Moo. I have to take a sample to a nursery, get the name, and see if it's on the list. If it is, we're toast, because I can't possibly dig up every last one of those, nor would I want to. It would change the whole character of the yard.
I think the two great big potted plants I have out there ARE on the list. We'll have to figure out what to do about those.
In the meantime, I spoke with animal control and told them that we have her, just in case her owner calls to see if she has been turned in to them. And a lady from the Arizona Herpetology Society suggested I put up signs in the neighborhood. She says tortoises often escape out of their yards.It sure seemed like somebody dumped her in the dog park, but you just never know. So I'll do what the lady suggested and we'll see.
-Mam
So are you gonna have turtle races? That would be cool.
ReplyDeleteTurtles races? I was thinking turtle soup.
ReplyDeleteThat is SO cool. I would've thought a tortoise would get sort of stressed-out (verrry slowly, of course) about being carried around, let alone patted on the head and called Moo. Shows what I know.
ReplyDeleteIn Arizona? Who knew?
ReplyDeleteWe had a couple of snapping turtles when I was a kid -- briefly. Course, any body part near the head was a bad idea, and petting the top of his head just never happened.
They did snap a few tree branches in half, though.
Turtle soup? Hmmm...we'd have enough to host the entire agape meal on Sunday. :)
ReplyDeleteAbogada-wan-kenobi (Uno who you are...), it doesn't swim, so I'm good to go. No "Circle of Life" action in the pond again.
RWP, Yep, its jaws look formidable but it's pretty slow, but I'm catching up to it. LOL!