Let me out! Nevermind, let me in!

Today is the first day in three days that Frankie got to go outside. He was insistent - one can tell because he stands by the gecko room door and paces. I kept delaying letting him out till it was above 40º and hoping to get him out when it was above 50º (the expected high today). But Frankie was hungry.

First thing this morning, I gave him a carrot. I think he would have run me over to get to it! I had some cactus from the health food store and he devoured that. I even went outside and picked some freeze-surviving weeds, mixed it in with some damp Orchard hay and he did his best to pick through that, too. But what he wanted was OUTSIDE grazing time!

Fine.

I put on my coat, opened doors (three total to get to the yard) and let Frankie outside. He made a bee-line (tortoise-line) to his winter patch of grass (rather bleak from the freeze) and ate what he could. He lasted about ten minutes outside. Reluctantly, chilled shell, he came back inside and got under his heat lamp.

(If you read the Sunday Birmingham Newspaper, check the Lifestyle Section, Pet Column for a surprise)

Water Falls

So much for potty training when Frankie soaks - that is when I put him in his "pool" to soak in water he will pee and then not pee on the floor. He has been so good! But today...well not so good.

I was sitting on the floor in the gecko room feeding super worms to the box turtles. Frankie was walking around the gecko room and suddenly I hear this sudden rush of water - lots of it. I know its Frankie peeing on the floor. Quickly, I get up and throw a towel on the pee. I wash it up and clean the area. I go back to feeding the box turtles.

Frankie walks over my way and he is behind me when I hear that sudden whoosh of water again - RIGHT BEHIND ME. I jumped. I barely missed getting pee on all over my behind...I mean just barely.

Where does all that pee come from???? I have seen a tortoise vent - the vent is not a big spout yet the amount of pee that can rush out is absolutely astonishing. But I digress.

So, Frankie's training isn't perfect. I guess I will be happy when he does pee in his water and not on the floor.

The good news is the gecko room gets mopped cleaned every time Frankie does let loose. I like a clean gecko room floor.

New Year's Resolution

Frankie has decided make some New Year's Resolutions. How nice.

His first is to exercise in a more spiritual way. He is doing yoga every morning.

Here is a pose of him this morning doing Upward Facing Dog Pose (Urdha Mukha Svanasana).

I have yet to catch a photo of him doing Lion Pose (Simhasana) but he does this one quite regularly.  I call it the Big Frankie Yawn.

What a nice way to start the New Year.