Tony the tortoise, does he thrive on wondering or does he hate me?

[mastershake]

lol they are like owning a bulldog. hate to say ALL normal. WAY smarter then many have any idea they are and he WILL test the boundaries of what u let him get away with lol. yes digging thats the best way to say it. we use the large black tubes they use underground and partially fill them with dirt and it gives them what they think is a place they dug out and this stopped a LOT of the deeper digging and escape attempts. even though its been over a year some take longer then that to fully trust someone and some never will we rescue here and work with this exact thing very often.

 

[Bunny Ears]

I think they do it to drive us crazy, lol.

My 85 pound 11 year old sulcata Ani constantly tries to tank through the fence of my yard which should be paradise for him with all the grass and trees and little pond. Yet we've had to repair more than a few loosened boards.

He had his first successful escape yesterday since I got him 8 months ago, because somebody didn't close the gate properly (wasn't me!) Luckily he made it only halfway down the block before a landscaper working a couple houses away knocked on my door to get me. Thank goodness I was home! I lured him back home with a cucumber and a head of romaine. Then I went out and bought a combination lock for the gate.

Everyone in the neighborhood knows about him. Though he has a spacious private side yard, of course he prefers to hang around my front walkway being very visible to anyone walking by. I had to put his sleeping house right next to my front door since that's where he insisted on sleeping. He occasionally climbs up on my stoop and has very loud sex with the top step. So much for keeping him on the down-low!

At one point we'd epoxied a dog tag with phone on him, but he managed to keep it so dirty it was unreadable then he scraped it off.

Other things he does to drive me crazy: He climbs over or BREAKS any cinder blocks I use to try to keep him out of places. Fells small trees. Knocks over any attempts at lawn furniture or decorative statues. Uses his massive body to block the front gate so no one can get in our out.

He's lucky he's so frigging adorable and makes me smile.