Dr Atlas & Frankie

The consequences of Frankie's confinement while I was out of town has shown its ugly head...or should I say eyes. His eyes were so terribly watery yesterday, as if he were crying, I made an appointment to see Dr. Atlas.

Dr. Atlas and I had other things to talk about, mainly six leopard geckos that I am fostering from Hurricane Katrina, but I took the opportunity to get Frankie taken care of quickly.

I put down the back seat of our pick-up, put down a bed liner, brought Frankie out along with a Frankie-accident towel, loaded the little-red-wagon and set off for a twenty minute ride to Riverview Animal Clinic (also on 280 past PetSmart). Frankie must not have been feeling all that great as he settled down quickly in the back seat rather than wander around.

Dr. Atlas agreed that I had caught the "cold" early before it advanced into a respiratory infection -- a rather difficult trial for big sulcata to overcome. Frankie got Terramycin for his eyes and directions to up his temperature during his sleep. (And, Frankie weighed in at 34.2 pounds)

Greg put both of the pig blankets on the bottom of Frankie's box, added insulation foam around the sides, slid a piece of plastic insulation below the box and put Frankie in for the night.

When I went down this morning, Frankie wide awake waiting at the box front, ready for his breakfast. It is a wonder what eight hours sleep in the upper range of a Sulcata's optimal temperature range will do for a turtle. He is already gone for a walk around the gecko room and is just now coming back inside the office to finish his breakfast.