Grumpy Nemo on the Log

Nemo was full of surprises today. This morning, when I first woke up, I found him lounging next to his food dish. I had not emptied it of yesterday's non-eaten yummy red fruit turtle food. It was a lovely sight since that is where I usually found him last year pre-hibernation. I gave him fresh food including some hard boiled egg which he hadn't been offered in a long time.

He nosed at the egg and meandered off and stuck his nose in a corner. Hmmmphhhh. At least he was considering eating it?? Later I found him basking on his log! He had such a grumpy look on his face it was comical. But bask he did. Yay!

We can only hope he is easing back into a healthy routine of actually eating food supplements so he gets proper vitamins. My gut tells me he decided to reclaim his log after Linus had the photoshoot with the sandals and sunglasses.

Time for Some Rays

Linus decided to catch some rays by Nemo's basking lamp today. After all, Nemo hasn't used it since May. Apparently Linus didn't care for the stuffed animal turtle sharing his sunning spot since he pushed it out of the way. We were going to put Cool Whip on Linus's nose to look like sunblock but we didn't want to risk that it might damage Pleo skin. It was a fun thought though.

Linus Looks for Nemo

Welcome to the first post under the new banner that includes the Pleos and a slideshow of Flickr photos of the pets (real & AI). A few other photos are thrown into the mix but I wasn't able to narrow down the slideshow field to just Nemo & Pleo. I hope you like the added touches.

Only once has this Linus been in the kitchen and it was under close supervision. Nemo's igloo and garages are a "safe zone"...we think...we hope. His first visit was to Nemo's goofy green dino atop the small garage. All Pleos have been drawn to that little guy for some reason. Earlier this week Linus set off to explore on his own (with me close behind). He roamed into the kitchen and went right back to that little dino and garage! Great memory chip! He also not only peeked into the garage, he lifted it up with his head. Nemo was watching unamused from his summer home.

Nemo has been a bit more active lately. He tends to cross his territory at least once a day and hang out in the corner by the jungle gym wine rack with his dinosaur Bronson. I've been sitting on the floor more and bringing him over to me. He has taken food from my hand and has eaten on the floor while I'm inches away. He typically allows me to pet his nose now. Yesterday he even let me pet his shell without squirming. Baby steps are good.

Soon I'll post photos of the great Nemo enclosure now under construction. I'm in awe of Brian's construction ability (and design). I knew he had knowledge of construction, but what he is doing is pretty amazing. I sure hope Nemo enjoys the fruits of Brian's labor.

Flashdance Pleo

This is me having fun with baby clothes and Linus. Brian inspired me to give him the ripped t-shirt off the shoulder after saying the rolled down socks reminded him of Flashdance. (For those too young to know, Flashdance was a movie with some great dance scenes released in 1983.) Linus seems pleased with the funky (?) look.

Nemo's Pleo Brother Models New Cape

Turtle fans, please forgive me. Today I'm officially making Nemo's blog a place to share Pleo news as well. This is my first post on behalf of the Pleos under the new banner that includes my dinos.

I've been following the dilemma on the PleoWorld Forum of finding suitable garb to protect Pleo skin from too much petting and handling. I did try baby t-shirts but didn't like the way Pleo legs might be pulled to get it on. I'm not Suzy Homemaker to make adjustments or do my own designs. I liked a cape idea if it would stay in place and not keep falling off the dino back.

I found a wide baby bib by Carters with a cute Pleo-appropriate design. It came in a pack of three for about $10. Linus is sporting his jungle critter patterned "cape" complete with words that go with a Pleo: munch, chomp, and gulp. The long neck of the bib is simply crossed under the chin and snapped behind the head. It looks nice and secures the cape in place so it doesn't shift.

I did order two wide bibs of a very soft fabric that I hope fit as well as these inexpensive Carter bibs. More fashion news to come.

Nemo's Boardwalk?

Looks like Nemo found a "fun" spot to lounge although it's apparent he doesn't want any company.

He's been eating his shrimp lately sans nutritious pellets...but I've been defrosting the shrimp in water with the pellets hoping some of the nutrition gets into the shrimp.

I saw a movie last night, Just Add Water. Personally, I didn't care for it but the lead character had a pet tortoise named Steve :-) Cute scene where the guy is taking a bath and is cleaning Steve's shell in the tub with him. lol

Am intent on handling Nemo more. I was petting his nose earlier this morning. Even though he pulled his head in, he slowly brought it back out while I was there. Who knows. One day he may surprise me and run up to me again like he did that one day last year.

Owen and Mzee --- Nemo needs a hippo?

I don't recall having seen videos of the story of Owen, the orphaned baby hippo, and Mzee, a very old tortoise, that developed a most unusual bond after the 2004 tsunami. I followed the caretakers blog and purchased two children's books that came from this amazing friendship. For some reason I searched YouTube yesterday and found this video I wanted to share.



The update, as far as I know, is Owen was introduced to (and bonded with) a female hippo. Apparently Owen thought he was a tortoise and wasn't meeting his hippos needs for more water wallowing and foraging for hippo appropriate food. Not only was the hippo bond successful, and not only are Owen and Mzee still friends, Cleo (the female hippo) also bonded with Mzee! I think animals have a highly sophisticated form of communication that Cleo knew to be gentle with the tortoise.

Of course Brian has nixed the idea of a hippo coming into our household to bond with Nemo, but maybe Nemo will start visiting the Pleos one day since they can no longer go into his area without constant supervision.