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fenwoman

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Horatio the tortoise wakes up, starts shuffling about under my bed and I have to rush out to buy his favourite delicacies as soon as the shops open.
:rolleyes:
Yes folks, he is awake. My house dinosaur has had a warm bath, chomped a few bits of cherry tomato, lollo rosso and flipping expensive imported strawberries. He went to sleep in November.
Must get his little daylight lamp switched on for him. He is now downstairs in the living room scaring the living bejaysus out of the cats who seem to think he is some scary rock come to life as he stomps determinedly across the rug towards them lol.
horatio3.jpg
 
Aaaaw shame, how cute is he. :wub:

How old is Horatio?? He is so gorgeous. How big is he??

:D
 
What a babe :D Is it early for tortoises to be waking up (I dont know about their hibernation routines)? Could be because January was the warmest January since 1917 (or somewhere around then)? Apparently some flower that shouldn't be about for months popped up somewhere in the UK last month - and they found a bumblebee buzzing around on it!

I'd love a tortoise, but my kids are about as reliable as a...erm...unreliable thing, so I couldn't trust them to look after him/her once I pop my clogs. :rolleyes:
 
AlexAndCarmen said:
Aaaaw shame, how cute is he. :wub:

How old is Horatio?? He is so gorgeous. How big is he??

:D
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when I got him 2 years ago, I took him to a specialist tortoise vet for assesment and worming. She said he was around 50 years old. He is about 8 inches long and heavy.

LisaLQ said:
What a babe :D Is it early for tortoises to be waking up (I dont know about their hibernation routines)? Could be because January was the warmest January since 1917 (or somewhere around then)? Apparently some flower that shouldn't be about for months popped up somewhere in the UK last month - and they found a bumblebee buzzing around on it!

I'd love a tortoise, but my kids are about as reliable as a...erm...unreliable thing, so I couldn't trust them to look after him/her once I pop my clogs. :rolleyes:
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Dunno what other tortoises do but Horatio comes indoors when the weather gets cooler. He has the run of my bedroom which I don't have heated . He goes to sleep when he feel like it and wakes when he feels like it.
 
Horatio is quite a handsome man. I think I am in love with him from afar. That is so totally cool that he just comes inside when it gets cold and then sleeps for months. He sounds like a very interesting guy to have around actually. I quite like his sense of humour, stomping around after your cats LOL
 
well what a little stunner,sounds like he has a wonderful life sleeping for weeks on end only to wake up to a feed fit for the highest flying tortoise lol
 
I never wanted a tortoise. Didn't know much about them but they just didn't seem interesting. However, he was phoned in as a found one by an old gentleman so I took him in, did some speed reading about what he needed, and took him to a specialist vet. After living with him for 2 years now I have learned that they can show affection, do recognise people and do understand some words. When I sit outside with him on my knee and gentle stroke his carapace (shell) he gets all relaxed and pees down my leg :crazy: I imagined the shell was hard and he couldn't feel anything through it but now know otherwise which makes it all the sadder for him because someone in his past had drilled holes in the edge of the shell to tie string through it to fasten him in the garden. This practice is outdated cruel and dangerous as they can strangle themselves. They are also very strong and indeed Horatio pulled himself away and literally tore chunks out of the shell as he did so. At some stage he had trauma to the top of his shell either by being hit with something hard, or by a dog being allowed to try to chew him.Personally, looking at the shape and depth of the marks, they actually fit the head of a hammer.The vet agreed with me. Someone had also fed him high protein. Years ago people used to believe that they needed cat food.This caused a growth spurt and weakening on the shell.
He had severely infected eustachian tubes and the vet said he'd had it for years. She picked away the scales covering his ear holes and pulled out a solid lump of pus the width of my little finger and half an inch long. I had to syringe his ear holes daily with some special stuff.
I am very fond of Horatio and think he likes me. Certainly in summer when he is out in his flower garden and I call him, he comes to me wherever he is. Probably thinks I have either a hibiscus flower or strawberry for him, both are his favourite. I bought a couple of hibiscus shrubs especially for him when I read that they like them. Both beautiful flowers but I never get to see them cos I pick them as soon as they apear for Horatio. I grow strawberries in a strawberry tower just for him too.
Kip used to look for him for me.Sometimes Horatio finds a spot under a shrub where he scrims up and no amount of looking or calling will fecth him out. I used to tell Kip "find Horatio" and he would look and look for him then stand looking at the spot, wagging his tail to tell me where he was. One time Horatio got out of the flower garden onto my land. I have nearly an acre and stood no chance of finding him by myself so asked Kip, and Harley the giant schnauzer to "find Horatio". They searched all over the land in unison and eventually, Harley squeezed underneath the cochin houses and came out holding him gently in her mouth and brought him to me. I lost Harley only 2 months after I lost Kip. 2 great dogs gone at once. I no longer have my 'tortoise monitors' as the lurcher is an amiable fool and the new border collie is just too stupid. I still have my carpet dinosaur though lol.If Horatio died, I would not get another one. They are quite high maintainance pets.
 
congratulations on rescuing him :good: how many animals/species do you actually own?
 
smurfy said:
congratulations on rescuing him :good: how many animals/species do you actually own?
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No idea as to the actual number. In my situation you stop counting. I have approximately 200 chickens, 2 geese, 3 ferrets, 40 parrots and parakeets, 8 dogs, 10 cats, 2 rats and a tortoise, plus tropical fish and a pond outside with lots in.
 
fenwoman said:
smurfy said:
congratulations on rescuing him :good: how many animals/species do you actually own?
Click to expand...

No idea as to the actual number. In my situation you stop counting. I have approximately 200 chickens, 2 geese, 3 ferrets, 40 parrots and parakeets, 8 dogs, 10 cats, 2 rats and a tortoise, plus tropical fish and a pond outside with lots in.
Click to expand...


jesus!! i want to come and live with you. I'm not allowed any more animals :sad:
 
that's the blessing of living alone Miss Wiggle. I can do as I please and have what I want :)
 
fenwoman, are you the crazy lady at the end of everyones road with all the animals?

that's my ambition in life that is.
 
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