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?