- Joined
- Jul 16, 2014
- Messages
- 29,133
- Location (City and/or State)
- South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
I'd been waiting to post this pending the outcome.
72 hours ago, I noticed that I could not find the two Redfoot recently given to me by a fellow member to keep in my permanent collection.
They were being housed in a pretty sturdy, but hastily assembled large, wooden pen.
They had been acclimating great and seemed 100% healthy so I began to drop my guard a bit.
The last three days, it has rained pretty much all day. And I just tossed food into that pen and my other pen and ran back into the house. It didn't concern me much that I didn't actually see them. They are often hard to see.
Yesterday, I discovered that those two Redfoot weren't just hiding. They were actually gone. And I saw an area in a corner of that enclosure that had washed away. Leaving a perfect sized hole. And evidence that at least one tortoise had crawled through.
I've spent hours out there on my hands and knees all along the fence line. Cutting down Hibiscus plants, etc.
Nothing.
I placed signs on light poles in the neighborhood and told most of my neighbors.
Today, my lawn care guys came and I asked them to keep an eye open. About an hour later, he returned with one in his hand. Found next door. Somehow got through my privacy fence and was stuck trying to get under theirs.
Lucky because that yard has several dogs in it.
I gave him $20. Same i would've offered a neighborhood kid.
The second one was not there and I feared he'd already gotten under the fence.
These two follow each other around.
I placed a note on their door since no one was home.
I was exhausted and I took a shower. For some reason, I decided to take a look out the window and saw tortoise number 2 eating some banana that I placed on the back yard path!
She must've been disturbed from her hiding spot by all of the commotion.
Gotcha. In just a towel.
Both found.
Leaving food out has now found 2 out of 3 tortoises for me. And a second set of eyes found the other.
72 hours ago, I noticed that I could not find the two Redfoot recently given to me by a fellow member to keep in my permanent collection.
They were being housed in a pretty sturdy, but hastily assembled large, wooden pen.
They had been acclimating great and seemed 100% healthy so I began to drop my guard a bit.
The last three days, it has rained pretty much all day. And I just tossed food into that pen and my other pen and ran back into the house. It didn't concern me much that I didn't actually see them. They are often hard to see.
Yesterday, I discovered that those two Redfoot weren't just hiding. They were actually gone. And I saw an area in a corner of that enclosure that had washed away. Leaving a perfect sized hole. And evidence that at least one tortoise had crawled through.
I've spent hours out there on my hands and knees all along the fence line. Cutting down Hibiscus plants, etc.
Nothing.
I placed signs on light poles in the neighborhood and told most of my neighbors.
Today, my lawn care guys came and I asked them to keep an eye open. About an hour later, he returned with one in his hand. Found next door. Somehow got through my privacy fence and was stuck trying to get under theirs.
Lucky because that yard has several dogs in it.
I gave him $20. Same i would've offered a neighborhood kid.
The second one was not there and I feared he'd already gotten under the fence.
These two follow each other around.
I placed a note on their door since no one was home.
I was exhausted and I took a shower. For some reason, I decided to take a look out the window and saw tortoise number 2 eating some banana that I placed on the back yard path!
She must've been disturbed from her hiding spot by all of the commotion.
Gotcha. In just a towel.
Both found.
Leaving food out has now found 2 out of 3 tortoises for me. And a second set of eyes found the other.
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