Frankie Tortoise Tales Frankie Tortoise Tails sulcata care tortoise sulcata husbandry Frankie Tortoise Tails Frankie Tortoise Tails: October 2012

Frankie

Frankie

October 24, 2012

UFO Sighting

The video of Frankie, aka Unidenfied Frankie Object aka UFO was picked by by Right This Minute TV.

Viral? Maybe!

Click to view Right This Minute clip "Time to Dress Up Your Pets"

Whoooohooooo!

The full video of UFO:
Click to view UFO in action

October 22, 2012

UFO


An Unidentified Frankie Object.....aka Frankie the sulcata tortoise.

I wasn't even sure the costume was going to look okay.  It looks really stupid....until the lights switch on.  With those lights the costume is awesome.

We took UFO to PetSmart for it's Halloween Costume Contest.  UFO didn't get 3rd....or 2nd....or 1st.  UFO beat by Bumblebee dog.  What can we say?  It's a dog's world.

The dog world is about to be invaded.

UFO looking for a little fuel in the form of treats.

UFO flanked by mom.

Submarine friend licks the UFO to death.

UFO caught on film
The UFO needs to be seen in action. (Click on links below) 

Next week:  UFO invades Petco.  They better have carrots.

___________________

UFO costume appears on Right This Minute TV!  

 click to view video clip "Time To Dress Your Pets"




Special thanks to 
Greg Christenson, master technician
Greta Maloney, assistant costume construction
 

October 12, 2012

We Need A Bigger Boat

It is very true that sulcata tortoises don't stay in their first homes for long. Even before we got Frankie, I knew that 4 out of 5 suclata will be turned over to a rescue group, abandoned or just taken to a remote area and set loose.

Greg and I put a lot of thought into Frankie before we got him.  We got the facts.  We made the commitment.  We prepared ourselves to anticipate every pound. 

As Frankie enters into his "Big Sulcata" phase, I remain aghast that what we thought to anticipate is so very unexpected.

The Year of the Ram continues.

I often sit for hours at a time in front of my computer.  And that occupied computer space looks out a large double window with an awesome view of our back yard and Frankie's domain.  I planned it that way.

So I am sitting at my computer answering e-mails and balancing the check book and I hear Slam, Slam, Slam.   It's becoming all too familiar.  It's Frankie.  He is ramming.  Again.

Frankie has torn up an innocent white pipe that rans from under his cave by ramming it over and over.  I removed the white pipe.  So Frankie began ramming the less than an inch pipe that sticks out from behind his cave.

The tiny bit of pipe is way above his head but it matters not.  Frankie forces his shell up the side of the house so he can ram the pipe end.  The pipe end is shredded.

So I decide that if the pipe is to ever be useful again I needed to need to put something in front of the pipe end so Frankie can't see it.

Frankie just rammed the boards aside till he got to the pipe.

So I put his Dogloo in front of the pipe.

So Frankie rams his Dogloo.  Over and over again.  And one more time for good measure.

I placed a lawn chair up against the Dogloo to block Frankie from ramming the Dogloo.

The chair no longer functions as a chair because Frankie rammed it to pieces.  Pieces of chair get stuck on Frankie's shell so he triumphantly drags chair pieces all over the yard.

Then he goes back and rams the Dogloo.

I thought he liked the Dogloo?

I watch Frankie hour after hour having the time of his life ramming the Dogloo.

What am I going to do?

I think this is one of the days when the owner of a large sulcata decides that one too many pieces of lawn furniture has been destroyed by said large sulcata and something has to be done.

I made a commitment.

Where would one pick up one of those One Man Football sleds?