Pansy

[Maggie Cummings]

Some of you know I am fostering a 2 month old Sulcata named Pansy. She's red. She's only gained 26 grams since Feb 5th. Her 'rescue' mate a 2 yr old has gained 2 lbs and now is 3lbs. something.

I decided to make Maggie's version of Tom's closed chamber, I got my neighbor to saw the holes for lights in the lids and a tube to go from hot and humid to hot and normal. Making a 2 chamber what I thought was great place for a baby. 2 big hot/warm pens.....humidity, etc. But she's not growing. 26 grams? poo! So I get worried cuz I'm that way, so I post about it and (Oh, now instead of sleeping in a humid hide like she used to, now she's sleeping in the 70 degree tube). She doesn't eat well and is not gaining weight like a Sulcata should, and yes, she's soaked daily.
So someone I respect tells me to block off the tube and put her in the hottest side for a few days, that should increase her appetite. So I did. It worked fine the first night, the second night (last night)for some reason there was a failure of some sort and, most importantly I was not connected to my WiFi this morning and her CHE was off and it was 68 degrees in her 70% humid tub. She was freakin cold. So now she's soaking in warm water and angrily trying to get out....hhahaha
I have no clue how I used to care for 20 to 25 crowds of desert tortoise babies for my sis, headstarting so to speak. And I was good with them. Darn, Bet before I moved it had to have been over 500...or so it seems. Was prolly just 10. tee hee. But this one baby is giving me a heart attack. And if she pees on ME one more time I'm gonna give HER a heart attack. She acts like she was either not handled at all, or was abused with hands somehow. She happy and fine until she see's my hands. Then she totally pulls in and covers up, and I'll wrap a towel around for protection,and hold her for a while and she will only rarely bring out her head. Guess it will just take time for her to realize she's got it pretty good. Now if Spring with sun would just hit I'd be happier than 15 pigs in...well, you know

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Listen here Josh, I need more than 10 minutes to edit my posts. I gotta get out all the unacceptable sentences, words and all the opinions that might not go over good and so finally I have a nice interesting funny post asking about my little Sulcata, and oh hell.....my 10 minutes are up, so just like John Steinbeck my writing is lost. Lots of work for not too much reward. I'd let a mod edit, but I'd prolly get banned.......

 

[Maggie Cummings]

This is what was cut off....I am going to keep her Maggie's way, not this closed chamber stuff.
and that is....
1 A wild hand picked varied diet
2 lots of exercise
3. good UVB be it the sun or a fresh bulb
4 80% humidity.
and lots of handling. I'll pay attention and if she starts to bump, she'll go back in a closed chamber.....any truthful opinions?

And I mean NO disrespect against Tom's way of closed chamber. It has saved the lives of untold numbers of Sulcata. It has literately changed the way most Sulcata are kept. Oh God, my 10 minutes are almost up....but I am going to raise her Maggie's way, just the way I have lived my life. I do what I want. But I'll watch her, if my way starts to look odd, she's be in a humid hide.....

 

[Jodie]

Maggie you crack me up. I fail to see the difference really, if the humidity will be 80%. That is the point of the closed chamber. If you achieve it a different way, results should be the same. Am I missing something? Was giggling through most of it, so certainly possible.

 

[Speedy-1]

Nothing wrong with that , at least you can sing , " I did it my way ! "

 

[Levi the Leopard]

I can't pin point the difference either, silly..

But share more about "your way". Just handling them more? Humid and warm but an open top, is that the difference?

Btw, anything unusual in your mailbox lately

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Mostly open top. Substrate level is about 80%. my point is there's more to the whole deal then simply a closed chamber. Mine is not closed, there's exercise, in the wild they walk for miles. Our slugs lay under UVB bulbs. "cept mine, I make them exercise. Speaking of which ,our club house put thhousands of dollars worth of exercise machines. So last night I got brave and went up there. I had been told already, don't go more then 10 minutes when you first start. So I did the stair stepper, at 1 minute 59 seconds, I was looking for the ambulance. Today, my calfs are killing me.....

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Oh.... Happy Easter
from, Queenie, Bright Eyes, Abscess Nose, Spot, Tripod, and Meanie. Ginger, Spike, Pansy, and Daisy Mae. Maks and Lil Roxie. The 5 parakeets, Laverne and Shirley (a long term couple), Greenie Beanie, Mellow Yellow, and Blue. Now there's Baby Blue Blue, an Indian Ringneck. Gosh, he'll eat anything, eggs, cheesecake, fried potatoes. I have to fight him for MY food. He'll eat right off my plate. So Hppy Easter from all of them.....


Here's Queenie in her Easter Dress......

 

[Maggie Cummings]

AND....I got this in the mail today. It made me cry. There's so many of you who understand and have such sympathy for me.....I'll let her say who she is if she wants to. But she says she just started woodburning, so this isn't very good. I think it's perfect. Nothing wrong at all. Thanks so much to all of you who felt my pain too. I try not to talk about it too much, but man, he was so much a part of my life......thank you wood burner, it's just perfect and it came at the just right time....

 

[MPRC]

Precious gift. I am still trying to figure out what to do to commemorate my bearded dragon, he was a constant fixture at my home. He was with me for 12 years and he moved with me 9 times. It may be a little morbid, but he's been in the freezer since he passed because we refuse to bury him at this rental that we hate. He's going to get a special spot at the new house.

 

[Big Charlie]

Oh.... Happy Easter
from, Queenie, Bright Eyes, Abscess Nose, Spot, Tripod, and Meanie. Ginger, Spike, Pansy, and Daisy Mae. Maks and Lil Roxie. The 5 parakeets, Laverne and Shirley (a long term couple), Greenie Beanie, Mellow Yellow, and Blue. Now there's Baby Blue Blue, an Indian Ringneck. Gosh, he'll eat anything, eggs, cheesecake, fried potatoes. I have to fight him for MY food. He'll eat right off my plate. So Hppy Easter from all of them.....


Here's Queenie in her Easter Dress......View attachment 167178 View attachment 167179 View attachment 167180

That's adorable! Your posts are very entertaining.

I hope Pansy starts growing like a weed.

I think it might be a good thing that I didn't find this forum until Charlie was big. I had no idea tortoise babies were so hard to raise. If I had known, I would have been sick with worry all the time.

AND....I got this in the mail today. It made me cry. There's so many of you who understand and have such sympathy for me.....I'll let her say who she is if she wants to. But she says she just started woodburning, so this isn't very good. I think it's perfect. Nothing wrong at all. Thanks so much to all of you who felt my pain too. I try not to talk about it too much, but man, he was so much a part of my life......thank you wood burner, it's just perfect and it came at the just View attachment 167181 View attachment 167182 right time....

I'm tearing up. That is perfect.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I my world there are 4 things that keep from pyramiding....
1. A wide variety of wild hand picked food.
2. Strong UVB either from the sun or a bulb
3. LOTS of exercise. They walk for miles in the wild.
4. Humidity, except my top is off. woo hoo, oh maybe not THAT top.......

I have moved the 2 yr old, Daisy Mae, into Bob's shed. Last night she slept on his pig blanket. She's eating good and very active. She's already broken some toys I put in there for her. Got the humidifier going all day. It's 95 degrees in there. I hope this works for her, she's too bad and active for in the house. Now she'll get lots of exercise and be strong like bull.....

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Big Charlie, I am glad you think I'm funny, cuz I do too. I try to make most posts humorous somehow. But most TFO members don't get me....

 

[MPRC]

She looks like a little terror, I bet she's going to like having a big space to patrol.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

So glad you like the gift Maggie

It looks better in person, right? I can't get the photos to do them any justice.
Again, I'm so glad you like it.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

@Team Gomberg ...I think my pictures did it justice. I love it totally, it made me cry. You did wonderfully, and at the right time too. I needed that....I think this is just beautiful.....