Frankie Tortoise Tales Frankie Tortoise Tails sulcata care tortoise sulcata husbandry Frankie Tortoise Tails Frankie Tortoise Tails: Low on the Solar Batteries

Frankie

Frankie

November 8, 2012

Low on the Solar Batteries

It is fall and it is cold.  Been three days since Frankie has emerged from his cave.

I gotta see Frankie daily even if he doesn't get outdoors but I sure miss watching him romp around the yard when the sun is out and the temperatures are in the 70's.  Frankie just walks, and walks, and walks, and walks and walks.  He is a solar powered train chug chuging across the yard from first light until the sun drops below the fence line. 

Since Halloween the temperaures have dropped and the sun is hiding behind clouds.  Frankie just stays tucked up in his cave staying warm and quite.

I miss him.

I can see him by looking at the live camera feed from inside his cave.  It's not so exciting.  He just sits there.  A lot.  All day.  Basically I am staring at a shell.  Frankie is just doing nothing.

I wend to Petco and bought the largest bag of hay I could find.  Took the bag of hay outside to Frankie and spread it around his cave floor.  Frankie can eat the hay.  Frankie can sleep on the hay.  Frankie can dig into the hay and burrow in snug. 

I like the multi-use hay for Frankie.  It's better than the old straw which Frankie doesn't eat.

Hay makes me sneeze and cough and makes my eyes tear up.  What I will do for Frankie.  But it's worth it.

Today it's sunny.  Frankie did not come outside.

I go outside, open up the cave and dig Frankie out from under all his hay.

"Time to get up. Time to go outside and bask."

I was ignored.

I do what I gotta do.

Time to drag the monster outside.

I can't pick Frankie up.  This happens by the inch. 

It took just under ten minutes to scoot Frankie around his cave, direct him toward the door and push him out the door.  After that it was just encouraging him to walk toward the light.

Walk toward the light!

Frankie is not toasty hot.  He is not toasty.  He is warmish.

He is walking...no make that Frankie is strolling....no, no.  Frankie is barely moving.  Well, it's more like snail pace.

He is gonna make it to the sun.  Eventually.

I had enough time to travel around the yard and pick a variety of weeds and green, pick out all the brown stems, arrange the grass from short to long and then mix the weeds within the grass so every bite will be a delightful mix of tastes.

Frankie eventually makes it to a sun spot.

His eight foot walk from the cave to sun spot in the middle of the yard was slow.

Oh!  This is how the people in Do Dah Day Pet Parade picture Frankie....walking so slow that he looks more like a speed bump.  

Frankie is solar powered.  He is a little low on sun.

No doubt Frankie needed the sun.  I am glad I dragged him out.

 I miss Frankie when it get's cooler. 

I just know I'm gonna do something stupid.

I can feel it in my cold bones. 

I am gonna let Frankie inside. 

I am a sucker for Frankie.

  

3 comments:

  1. Yes, I think Frankie needs to come indoors .....

    ReplyDelete
  2. This makes me want to bring Frankie right in and snuggle with him under a toasty quilt!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm pleased to meet a fellow sulcata tortoise like you, Frankie! I'm glad to join your site :) Please "follow" my blog, too :)

    ReplyDelete