Mardi Gras Vacation

Greg and I went to Mobile for Alabama for Mardi Gras and left the turtles and geckos under the care of Nicki (seen in an early Blog entry). The first day we were gone, the weather in Birmingham was sunny with temperatures over 65 degrees. Luckily, Nicki was willing to take Frankie outside for the day and then get him inside for the night. Although I have a cart to transport Frankie around, Nicki still had to lift him and put him on the cart. Although I was concerned, she managed to lift him on the cart. With sulcata, getting them around is a important consideration. There will be a day when I (at 125 pounds) will not be able to lift a 100 pound turtle.

An update on the solar panels: They are successfully heating up our hot water heaters but Greg thinks that without more solar panels, there will not be enough power to keep Frankie's outdoor enclosure warm. We are rethinking his situation. This summer will be the time to get a solution in place.

A Very Warm Day

Today it was 65 degrees and sunny outside -- a perfect day for Frankie. He got to go outside and enjoy sun, grass, and warmth. I, on the other hand, spent most all of the day feeding the geckos and turtles.

Mattie is doing very well downstairs in the gecko room. She is eating mango, apples and bananas. She is not doing as good with vegetables but I get back to those soon. Today she soaked in water for about 30 minutes and seem to really enjoy it very much.

Winter Woes

I don't look forward to going outside and getting Frankie's lunch as it is so cold outside. Yesterday, it was over 45 degrees and very sunny so I put Frankie outside but regardless of the 'warmth" it wasn't warm enough and Frankie just turned around to come inside. So, today, I will go outside to get him food again.

Mattie, on the other hand, is responding well to being downstairs in the gecko room. She has eaten a bit at every meal (preferring fruit to veggies). I will try a pumpkin meal on Frankie, Mattie and the other turtles.

I can't imagine living in Oklahoma during this time period, especially in our old house (very, very small). Frankie would be a nightmare. We had planned on Frankie's growth in Oklahoma, but this colder than usual weather would be very hard on him. Of course, the box turtles would be no problem as they always hibernated each winter.