Nemo's Latest Video Released to YouTube

I am proud to announce the release of Nemo's latest video--Crouching Turtle--Nemo's Art of the Zen Bath. He adores his new wading dish and I was able to capture many moments on camera during his recent baths. I hope you enjoy it.

Revenge of the Turtle

I spoke earlier about changes being made to help Nemo develop a healthy appetite. One change is more exercise. Three times yesterday I moved him into the living room so he could explore and/or hike back to the kitchen. Twice today I had moved him to another location to hike back. The third time I went to get him, he had strategically wedged the lower part of his shell on one side underneath his igloo and another part of his shell on the opposite side under the wrought iron table leg. When I went to pick him up, he was immovable!

Only Nemo knows which way he needs to move to unwedge himself. I certainly did not want to risk damaging his shell! Smart turtle. He decided enough is enough. So much for that idea. I'll get him when he's not figuring out how not to have exercise time. He's too much like me!

Lessons from "The Dog Whisperer"

Please don’t give up on blog posts. They are in my head waiting to be written even if I’m not able to write them each day. Since being on medical leave, I tend to stay up later. If I remember, I watch The Dog Whisperer because it’s a nice non-intrusive program to have on while I’m doing other things. A few days ago, I was mostly watching the show. I do know dog behavior is more about response to human behavior.

The episode I watched was about a very hyper woman with a very hyper Chihuahua. The woman was convinced being hyper was who she was but wanted her dog to change. It dawned on me that I AM that irritating energy around Nemo. Brian and I joke about my high pitched turtle voice. How Nemo must cringe when I sing him little songs. So why am I doing that if those are my own thoughts about the impact of my interaction? I vowed from that moment I would lower my voice, make it more calming, no more songs, and provide zen music—native american soothing drums and flute like Carlos Nakai and soundtracks like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Relaxation of Tao, Memoirs of a Geisha, and bamboo flute selections. That is now in place. I’m sure it will take him some time to readapt to the “new” me.

He’s also still not eating. My friend with the two baby tortoises found some information online relative to box turtles. It indicated their body temperature needed to be between 75 and 80 degrees before they would eat—which is why they tend to eat after periods of activity. I read so much about box turtle care before Nemo arrived. He’s from North Carolina and lived outdoors. Naturally I thought 70 to 72 degrees was fine and it was from the time he came to be with me in June until about late August—which is also when my medical trauma intensified. So either or both could have impacted the “no eating diet”. You can see from a few entries ago that Nemo adores his heater. After reading the care information last night, I moved the digital room thermometer into his area. It is maintaining the proper temperature but I tend to keep the back door propped open a bit if it’s nice outside. Will just maintain warm temperature until he begins to eat again. Because, to me, that would be the unturtle part—a typically outdoor turtle who burrows in mud and leaves year round needs tropical temperatures. So be it.

The good news is he LOVES his new bath. I am actively putting together a new video of his zen bath ritual. I have received such joyful comments about Nemo’s “butt misting” pose. Thought you would enjoy a close up still of that pose.

Change & Adventure

Nemo's new wading pool arrived. It is as beautiful as I suspected. Actually, it's a bit deeper than I expected but was able to make a few adjustments to the surrounding environment to help him climb in and out. He seems to love the new depth. He immediately began to wiggle his back legs, a sure sign of acceptance.

Yesterday, it was such a lovely day, I opened the back door completely in hopes he might venture out again on his own. Thankfully I happened to walk in the kitchen as he was gazing outside. And I caught him climbing back in (unstressed) on his own. Nemo's big adventure.

Finally, yesterday I also caught Nemo meandering about the living room. He found his way to the base of the step landing. I'm not sure what he would do if he actually made it up the landing and tried to go upstairs. He certainly is curious about it though--climbing onto my gardening shoes to give him an extra boost. Perhaps he is scoping out the terrain to tackle that challenge another day. And I hope I'll have my camera nearby when he does it!

Tuscan Zen Turtle

I had a funny incident happen yesterday. I wanted to find Nemo a new wading pool. The one he has is the saucer to a very large pot, but I only purchased the saucer. The size is great. The color was great. But it wasn't made so well and it was leaking onto the floor slowly. With the intention of finding a new wading pool, I substituted a serving dish that was appropriate high but gave him about 2" less diameter--and Nemo loves his baths.

So...at first I searched 14" serving dishes online but couldn't tell how deep they were. I decided to google "turtle wading dish" to see what was on the market so I could figure out a less expensive alternative. The first hit I got was this blog! lol! In glancing through some of the other hits, someone mentioned a Pyrex baking dish. I didn't find Pyrex, but found THE perfect Nemo wading pool. It's perfect size for him, but also matches our Tuscan Zen decor. It's called Terracotta Cazuel. Ahhhhh. I can just see him on his little floating lounge chair now in the mist sipping cactus juice. If anyone is interested, I found this at cooking.com.

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!

We're Having A Heat Wave

In yesterday's post, I spoke of the new smaller quieter space heater than shown in yesterday's picture. Because of Brian's knack for catching Nemo being more active than me (probably intentional on Nemo's part), he found our heat seeking pet sprawled out a few feet from the heater thoroughly enjoying the wafting warm air. Because one picture showing both the heater and Nemo would not be as expressive, I took the liberty of showing the new heater separately from Nemo luxuriating in the heat.

While I don't have a photo, Nemo did something rather extraordinary today. He went outdoors by himself! On nice days, I open the back door enough for a nice breeze to come through and place the draft dodger so the door doesn't close with the breeze. Knowing Nemo's feelings about the outdoors and the terrace, I have not worried about him attempting an escape. I'd been out of the kitchen for nearly an hour. When I returned I checked all the usual hiding places but no Nemo. After hearing a noise from outside, I glanced out to the deck (a/k/a the turtle terrace) and saw Nemo making a beeline toward the steps. I didn't know I could move so quickly. I grabbed the kiddie gate and made it outside before he reached the top of the step.

I guess because he "found" the terrace exploring on his own, the outdoors now seemed more palatable. I provided a folded up towel so he could reach the threshhold easily. Somehow I think his descent was not very graceful although he would have landed on the rubberized mat. He climbed back inside as if nothing eventful had happened. I watched from a distance for awhile as he climbed onto the draft dodger trying to balance himself on it to get back outside but he fell off, landing on his feet. From there it was time for a nap. Quite the busy unturtle day.