With the Leopards and guest Sulcatas in the Greenhouse, I was kept very busy feeding them and then, of course, cleaning up the mess afterwards. Most of the tortoises are overly friendly and will run over to greet me as soon as I step inside. A new resident is a fully grown Hermann's tortoise. He was turned in to the Bunker in December - which was too late for him to be put outside to hibernate and Hermann's become livid if they are kept indoorsat any time of the year. I had no choice but to put him into the Greenhouse. He blended right in and began falling in love with everyone immediately! This gives me hope that he will be a good breeder when he can go outside to be with the female Hermann's who desperately need a new boyfriend. And at this point, I can't wait to open that door and let them out into the yard again to eat the grass and enjoy the fresh air and warm sunshine.

Last October, right after our meeting, I came home and spotted the large Leopard tortoise, Fat Toad (recently re-named KULA which means "to eat" in Kiswahili) digging a nest in the Greenhouse. She was living in there because of the cold weather. At midnight the hole was quite large and she was still vigorously digging. I went to bed. In the morning, I looked in and saw that the nest was completely covered. I had breakfast and prepared the incubator and then went out to dig up the eggs. When Leopards lay eggs, they add a lot of "water" to the dirt to make it softer. The sun was shining brightly. The Greenhouse temperature was rising quickly. I was on my knees with 14 curious tortoises sniffing about my feet and hands. The dirt had hardened into cement. The nest was very deep. When doing a job like this, you have to be very careful because you could slip and break the eggs. It took me an hour to dig with a popsicle stick and by this time the sweat was pouring off of my brow, my hair was a mess and my clothes were filthy and some ants found me. At last I got to where I was going. The earth was finally soft. The eggs were here in the bottom of the nest. I couldn't wait to see them and count them. SURPRISE. The nest was EMPTY! What a complete disappointment. Has anyone experienced this phenomenon? Let me hear from you.

BEFORE RUSHING TO THE VET

Swollen eye or swollen eyes? A swollen eye usually means the turtle has injured it somehow by either rubbing it or walking into something sharp or fighting. Treat the eye with ophthalmic ointment 3X a day, trying to get it INTO the eye and the problem should clear up within 2 weeks. BOTH eyes swollen is not a good sign but don't panic. The turtle could be dehydrated. Apply the ointment 3X a day and also soak the turtle in warm water up to its nose as often as possible. You can add vitamins to the water but refrain from using Cod Liver Oil because it gums them up and makes matters worse. You can use Vitamin A capsules and squeeze some onto the eyes every day.

White stuff coming out of the rear end of tortoises is usually normal. It is uric acid crystals. A red/purple object protruding from the rear end which goes back in easily is normal male behavior.

Not eating is normal at times, seasonal changes, mating urges and egg laying times cause appetite changes. Constipation? Soak in water. Loose stools? Add fiber to the diet. Dry skin? Add humidity to the environment. Males jerking and twitching their heads? There is probably a female nearby they are trying to attract.

RUSH TO THE VET IF YOU SEE: Sunken eyes; blood coming out of anywhere; lumps on parts of the turtle other than the neck; badly cracked shell; constant squeezing as if trying to expel an egg or B.M.; any part of intestine sticking out of an opening that does not go back in; anything that looks or smells bad - IS bad.

BUGS IN YOUR PANTRY??

Several years ago I brought home a 5 pound bag of pelleted tortoise food from the Reno TurToise Club meeting. It was a late October meeting and not many tortoises were awake to eat it so I left the bag in the laundry room. Around Christmastime I began to notice tiny brown bugs flying around the house. Of course they soon found their way into the kitchen, invaded the stove and got into the boxes of food in the pantry. I thought they were coming in through the patio door. Wrong! I finally traced them to that package of food in the laundry room. In order to spare yourself this pest invasion, be sure to put the dry food in your freezer. This includes dog food, monkey chow and trout chow and Pretty Pets turtle and tortoise food as well. Putting your dry goods in airtight containers will help keep the bugs from multiplying and ruining a great dinner!