Nemo's little friend

Nemo is still being monitored and his next vet appointment is next week. He is now bathing on his own each morning, sometimes with a little help. But he does his complete Zen bath and we haven't had to place him in the inescapable soaking tub for about a week. He has also been eating most of three shrimp every other day. I still give him 2 ml of baby food with his vitamins mixed in to make sure he's getting the proper nutrition.

With Nemo's lethargy, possibly empathy pains from my lethargy (?), we've talking about getting him a companion. We didn't want another box turtle because of aggression with another mail and mating with a female. While looking for live earthworms at Petco a week ago (ewww), we saw two Russian tortoises. Their care was nearly identical to Nemo's. Brian and I bantered back and forth about it. What if they didn't get along? What if it helped Nemo by having another creature who was eating and running around being curious in his territory? Pros...cons. Yesterday, we made the decision.

Lucy (name goes with Linus and Schroeder) is our new addition. She is one fast little tortoise. She is much lighter than Nemo even though she looks stocky. Her shell is the size of my palm and I am the size of an average 11-year-old. First there was curiosity on Nemo's part while Lucy hid inside an igloo prepared with reptile bedding and misted moss. Nemo knew something was in his territory. He was funny stalking around. He finally gave up looking and went into his big garage. Lucy came out of hiding, saw Nemo in the garage, and raced toward him literally bumping her nose into his side. I'm not sure if she was trying to snuggle or climb on top of his shell, which we later learned is a penchant of hers. In any case, Nemo wasn't about to budge. He just stood his ground and the two remained under the garage napping.

Later, when Nemo relocated to behind his summer home, Lucy once again ran over to him and climbed atop his shell perched there like it was her safe place. Nemo wasn't amused but didn't fight it either. Each found their own sleeping spots last night and stayed there till I came down this morning. Lucy likes being on the basking log. Nemo prefers his snuggly blanket under the summer home and now with a warming pad. Lucy voraciously ate a grape and then a piece of watermelon. I moved her food dish with a huge pile of leafy greens near her but she ran for cover under the iguana. About an hour later when I checked on her, her dish was empty except for a single blueberry. I guess blueberries are out. lol. Nothing wrong with her appetite.

And so the adventure begins. Will Nemo warm up and befriend Lucy? Or will he continue to tolerate her presence? Either way, it looks to be a good fit. Lucy is young enough not to be afraid of people. I think she's going to enjoy being handled and possibly follow us around. Russian tortoises only get to be 8-10". More to come. Will try to be more active with posting. I especially would like a photo of Nemo and Lucy together.

The Blanket Connection

I haven't wanted to overwhelm Nemo's blog with Linus news, but I did want to share that Linus was named before his affinity for soft toys and blankets was known. It dawned on me that blankets was something both Nemo and Linus have in common. Maybe they will share blankies. Then again, I doubt Nemo likes to share...

At last report, Nemo had changed his hibernation site to his main igloo. For about four days he had "hung out" in the doorway watching Linus when he was in Nemo's area. It was nice to be able to see that Nemo was okay. Even when he burrowed further into the blanket, throughout the day he would turn around or change the position of his head. Movement is good. Yesterday afternoon, however, he went into deep blanket hiding again. I can barely see where he is. In fact, I checked the other igloo because I wasn't sure I was seeing him. Until his next hydration, I guess that's where he'll stay. At least I know he's comfy. He IS like Linus from Peanuts. Nemo demands his blankies!

Hibernation is Scary

Scary for me...not Nemo. Nemo is my first indoor reptile. I did have a box turtle when I was 11 that lived in the yard. I studied the different requirements for turtle hibernation and then set up three areas for his blanket hibernation. Curiously, he chose one of the igloos the day Brian and I finally "got it". Nemo doesn't need to eat and he doesn't need to exercise and he doesn't need it warmer. He needs to be left alone to hibernate.

He seems to have gone into full hibernation mode as of Sunday evening. He is wayyyy back in the igloo on a blanket and under a blanket. I'm so used to checking on him whenever I am in the room. You can see from his videos that he was one active little guy before September. It's a little disconcerting when your pet doesn't eat even if he does look perfectly healthy.

The clincher was yesterday when, after I hadn't seen him move even a fraction of an inch for nearly two days, I placed my hand in the igloo and placed it gently on his shell. He was so cold! I spoke to him gently saying I just wanted to make sure he was okay. After about 20 seconds I started to panic that he was so cold and not moving. Finally, he moved his foot, I breathed a sigh of relief and respectfully thanked him and removed my hand. Whew.

Apparently I did the hibernation set up right because he's doing it. Yay for my Nemo! Next year I'll be more educated about his needs. I've had pets all my life that were rushed to the vet when they stopped eating for two days. It's going to be a long winter...as well as quiet. Pictures coming soon. Since there will likely be no new Nemo activity for awhile, the photos I haven't been able to post because of computer problems will be used to entertain those who happen on this blog. Hope you are enjoying the build up to the holidays. If not, remember to breathe...slowly!

Blanket Hibernation

Nemo seems to be fully in semi-hibernation. Semi because he still comes out of his sleeping spot to bathe, chew the cuttlebone, step in his food dish, and choose the sleeping spot of the day. We are expecting snow and freezing rain today. Nemo hasn't moved since last night. He has a comfy little spot in the fold of a blanket behind his summer home. Occasionally, I peek under the blanket to check on him. Each time I find myself giggling at how his legs are so peacefully sprawled behind him and how sometimes his head is stretched out resting on the blanket or a fold of blankie like a cat would do.

One time today I was going to move him so he would have to hike back to get some exercise. But he looks soooo comfortable. I think it's going to be a quiet winter.

Nemo's Favorite Napping Position

This is Nemo's favorite way to sleep--head buried under a blanket. For winter, I placed an extra blankie for burrowing in each of his hides for warmth and extra deep snuggling. For now, he's happy just tucking his head out of sight.

My lesson for the week is blogs and computer problems do not go together. Am borrowing Brian's laptop while mine is "on vacation".

Earlier this week, Nemo turned video into reality when he decided to bathe while my Tao of Relaxation music was playing in the room. It was quite lovely to watch. Recently I have turned on "zen music" when I first wake up to feed him and make sure his cool mist humidifer is filled. Each time I have done that, he has come out of hiding. He must like it! He really is a zen turtle.

It had been suggested to me that possibly Nemo has been running and hiding from me lately is because my energy is low--I'm not feeling well. Maybe part of turtle "people recognition" includes sensing their energy. If mine changed, maybe he's not recognizing me right now? Maybe I have to rebond with him? The morning after considering this possibility, he awoke to zen music and proceeded to wander to my side of the room and meander around me--even touching my feet as he circled me. I didn't intrude--did not try to touch him. I thanked him for being nice. I'm hoping the tide is changing and he will "come out of his shell" for me. lol. Well, you can use your own words...

Preparing for Winter

See his foot in the lower left of the igloo? That's where Nemo spent from about 2 pm yesterday until sometime after I left the house for a few hours at 2:30 pm. When I returned home, he was perky, alert, and lounging in his little turquoise summer home across the room. "Yay, mom's gone. Now I can really have fun!"

Nemo Finds A Bit of Sunshine

Nemo was lounging in his summer home yesterday when the sun through the back door surrounded his blanketed hide. He seemed ambivalent to my suggestion to come out into the sunshine. In fact, he turned his back to me so his head was in the far left corner. You can barely see the outline of his shell shaded in the house. But he shoved his head under the back corner so just his face was exposed to the sun.

I have no idea what he hears or understands, but he certainly did it his way. He remained in this position for quite some time. Also shown is a view from the other side. Enjoy!

Nemo Goes From Grumpy to Comfy

One area where Nemo is very turtle (although many humans fall into this category) is he detests when you move his stuff around. Turtles are very sensory and learn their territories by sight and smell and touch. It disorients them if something is moved. I did rearrange some of his area to better accommodate for chiller weather. He was mad at me for a day. He pouted the next day but poked his head out when I was around. Yesterday was wine rack jungle gym time so he was getting over that change. Today he found a comfy place to lounge at the base of the wrought iron table used as an attractive place to clamp his basking lamp.

If you have seen Cirque du Soleil Nemo balanced on the wrought iron curly cue base, the green blanket in the photo is a cushion for those things. He does like to perch himself on those...heaven only knows why.

Nite Nite Nemo

The quality of this photo is not the greatest. I was up in the wee hours of the morning and could barely see Nemo in the corner. I didn't want to turn the light on and wake him. I took the picture with flash and then used about every touchup filter to make his snuggledness visible. He is so relaxed. Love his left arm tucked backwards and how he is under the blanket so just his shell is covered with his little leggies sprawled out the back. Shhhh, he's sleeping.

Nemo Curls Up Like Cat ?!

You have to admit, Nemo is strange. He's the most relaxed turtle ever. For a few days, it has appeared to me he has snuggled up like a cat (kinda wrapped around himself with his head out resting on the ground as if on a pillow) curled in the direction of his shell. I couldn't be sure because he was under his hide.

Today he had another busy morning. It was so unhumid and gorgeous outside, I let him run up both sides of the yard. When he went inside, he immediately marched over to his wading pool. After hydrating for a few minutes, he began to move his back legs like he were swimming--which is normal for him. It is rather comical to watch. Soon thereafter, he figured out, if he held onto the edge of the dish, he could splash his little legs more vigorously. At one point, he looked so happy and nearly jumped out of the wading dish in the way a puppy playing would suddenly squirm.

For the remainder of the day, he chose to do off-the-log basking. By late afternoon, he crawled under the log blanket. The photo you see is what I saw when I randomly came in the room a few hours later. Even though it appears someone "tucked him in", he managed to get in that comfy position with the blanket all by himself. I now have the answer to my question. Yes, my turtle curls up like a cat--kinda sorta.

When I first adopted Nemo and began to observe him, I would panic thinking he broke his leg because of some of his positions. Both Brian and I have each had the opportunity to walk through his area in the wee hours of the morning to find him totally sprawled out on the linoleum floor (as opposed to asleep in his hide curled up in a blanket or a lump under one of his blankets). The first thought the first time for each of us was that he was dead. omg. But noooooo. It was Nemo just chillin'.

"Outward Stretching Palms" Yoga Basking

So far, no turtle owner has come forward to let me know that Nemo's seemingly strange poses are normal. I don't know what goes on in his little turtle mind to choose his basking poses, but the common element of his basking ritual is to turn in 90 degree increments until he has basked all sides. Just before I took this picture, his head was straight up in what I call the periscope position for maximum "sun" exposure to his neck. I do think he's a little ham since he often looks right at the camera.

This particular pose is unusual because of the position of his front feet--outward stretching palms. See his back right leg stretched straight back? His left toes can be seen behind and to the left of his head. Must be comfy to him.

Today was a blanket basking day as opposed to a log basking day. I wonder what determines what kind of day it will be.

Nemo had his first "home alone" experience this past weekend when I unexpectedly had a two-night stay in the hospital. Poor little guy had his basking light on all night on Friday. Saturday night, Brian checked on him and had some quality bonding time. He really is enamored with Nemo. I think Nemo was mad at me when I came home for abandoning him. He perked up when I first went over to talk to him but then he turned around in a little turtle huff and crawled under his blue blanket. About an hour later, I noticed he had worked his way from under the blanket to the opposite side to peek out so he wouldn't miss any of the view.

His new diet isn't working too well yet. I did order some special turtle veggie treats. Am hoping he might actually like them. He continues to have his own mind and surprises me everyday with something adorable. Me and a reptile. I still can't believe it.

Turtle Blanket Laundry Day

I guess not too many pet turtle owners have turtle laundry day. Mine averages about once a week. I decided to stack the clean blankies on top of Nemo's igloo today while he happened to be lounging inside watching all that was going on. It was so colorful and cozy looking. New to the habitat is the Baby Boyd's dinosaur "Rex" now living atop the garage.

When turtles live outdoors, they like to burrow into the mud or leaves just until the bottom outer part of the shell is covered. Nemo has developed the art of burrowing "into" a blanket. Except what he really does is fluff up the blanket around his shell. I haven't actually watched him do it but am guessing he does a swimming motion with his legs to create the desired little piles of blankie bunches around him. However he does it, he sure looks comfy. Who would want to go outside in the rain and mud and eat worms if you could be inside being pampered and stay nice and dry eating prosciutto bugs or fruit yogurt? Un-turtlism is definitely an artform to my handsome guy.