We are back!

Both Charlie & Slow Coach are doing well. Just a little busy to update on their developments until now.

After spending 5 days sun bathing in the balcony under the tropical sun, Charlie's lungs have cleared up. No more sneezing.

While Slow Coach has recovered as well after 1 week on tortoise pellets diet.

Both of them are on a mixture of carbsticks, fish & tortoise pellets diet.

Tortoises sick

News update from Slow Coach & Charlie after a long break.

However, it is no good news yet. Both the tortoises have fallen ill. Charlie has caught cold due to the rainy weather lately. He has been sneezing all day long for the last few days. Luckily, his appetite for food is not affected. Everday Charlie will spend some time basking in the sun to help clear his lungs. Hope his cold will go away in another few more days.

Slow Coach, well... She has eaten too much sushi lately & her tummy is not taking it too well. Her stools are watery & orange in colour. She will have to go on dry food diet (tortoise pellets) until her stool returns to normal. She's under observation & if her condition doesn't improve in a few more days, she will have to see her vet.

Wardrobe Malfunction

Last week Slow Coach has a wardrobe malfunction episode. She has outgrown her old shell & while climbing out of her tub, 2 pieces of shell under her tummy just came off. Like snakes, tortoises also shed their old skin which is their shells at certain phases in their life. She last shed all her old set of shell pieces by pieces 3 years ago when she was 8 years old. It took her almost 2-3 years to completely shed off all her old shell. This is her second time. It started last week & will continue on for the next 1-2 years. This is why she enjoys a good scrub with the toothbrush as the scrubbings help loosen the dead skin/shell of her faster.

Looks like a pair of wings, eh? Now she is spotting 2 new pieces of light green shell at her underbelly.

Give your tortoise a good rub today! =)

Help Save the Turtles!

Lately, there has been lot's of news on the illegal poaching of the protected sea turtles in the Malaysian waters. Most of them didn't survive the ordeal. They weigh 50 to 60 kgs each & are between 70 to 80 years old. They could easily live to more than 100 years old in the wild.

Those poor turtles. Already dwindling in numbers due to sea pollution & lack of nesting places. Now, those poor buggers are on the fashion magazine & also restaurant menu. A small Hawksbill is worth about RM1,000 and its shell can be made into spectacle frames and other accessories. Green turtles are valued for their medicinal properties (hearsay terrapin meat cooked with some Chinese herbs can increase ones sexual libido), which according to some may be worth up to RM70,000 each!

I wonder if tortoises & terrapins will risk being tortoise-napped as well. In any case, I'm not taking the risk & my tortoises will stay indoors for a while until things cool down. Otherwise, I will have to think of some ways to camouflage them from the eyes of their tortoise-nappers so that Slow Coach and Charlie will not fall into the same fate as their cousins at sea. Hmm... perhaps planting some grass on their shells so that they will blend nicely with the surrounding garden...

Ok, on the serious side. Do you know that the Hawksbill is the Melaka's Marine Ambassador? WWF Malaysia has come up with various projects in their effort to safeguard the Hawksbill turtles. Find out more from the link below:

http://www.wwfmalaysia.org/turtles/index.htm

Please support WWF-Malaysia's work to save the critically endangered hawksbills turtles from extinction. You can make a meaningful difference! Please donate today to WWF Malaysia's save the turtle campaign.

Note: Under Section 15 of the Fisheries Act, Malaysia: If convicted of illegal poaching of the protected turtles, the skipper of the ship would face a maximum fine of RM1mil, while the ship's crews could each face a fine of RM100,000 in default imprisonment.

Weather Report: Tortoise Style

Slow Coach has different favourite activities according to the ever changing weathers in Malaysia:

Fine sunny day: Slow Coach sunbathes on the balcony with all legs outstretched.

Hot & windy day: Slow Coach naps under the shades of the flower pot while enjoying the breeze.

Hot & humid day: Slow Coach sits under the coffee table (sometimes watching us human going about our daily activities) in the living room with the fan in full swing.

Hot, hot, hot day!!!: Slow Coach sits in the bathroom waiting to take cold baths with us! Alternative: Sleep in front of our bedroom doors to enjoy the cool air from the air conditioner seeping out through the gap between the door & the floor.

Cool day: Usually spends her time on the balcony looking at cars passing by with head out stretched passed the balcony's grille, enjoys sticking her tiny head into the water outlet or rearranging flower pots into a straight line.

Rainy day: Enjoys sticking her nose into the rain puddles at the far end of the balcony, taking a stroll in the rain or just sit in the rain puddle & splashes with her flapping feet.

Cold day: Spends her day napping underneath the fridge, enjoying the warm heat generated from the fridge's motor.

Yesterday's weather report: Slow Coach had 4 cold baths in 1 day! Yeap, yesterday was a very hot day indeed. =)

$ making machine?

Dear Slow Coach & Charlie's fans,

Today I have accidentally come upon a website (inspired by Tristan Louis's research) to test how much Tortoise-Tales.com is worth. Guess what? This humble blog is worth $564.54. What a pleasant surprise! =)

Soon, Slow Coach & Charlie can go supermarket shopping for their food with their own $ & maybe take me out for a nice seafood dinner. =)

Cheers everyone!

Slow Coach & Co. - Wedding services

Dream of having a unique wedding? Allow us to gracefully lead you & the love of your life to walk down the aisle of eternal bliss.

Services include:

1) A pair of well-mannered tortoises (1 male & 1 female) - Very friendly. Not known to bite strangers. Welcome pats on the shell. Eagerly accept rewards by hand (handfed crabsticks/cockerals/prawns,anchovies, etc.)

2) Well-groomed & highly presentable - perfectly manicured nails, well-polished shells with fish oil & always smiling.

3) Customary ceremonial costume - Double happiness & bright red ribbon tastefully decorated on their shells.

4) Western ceremonial costume - Black butterfly bow for male & flower of your choice with soft ribbon for female

5) 1 time rehearsal in the location of your wedding - church, house, garden, etc.

Service fees: 10 freshly peeled prawns
Payment terms: P.O.D. (Prawn on delivery)
Bookings: 14 days in advance

Interested? Make your appointment with Slow Coach ( that's me in the picture! ) via http://tortoise-tales.blogspot.com/ now.

Mozzila Attack!

Last week, my niece visited me to collect her first Chinese New Year's ang pow (red packet) from her newly wed Aunt. Chinese New Year is a very pricey affair for married couples because you will need to distribute ang pows to kids & also single adults. But it is part of the Chinese New Year tradition. So, everyone distribute ang pows with a smile on their face. Haha!

An interesting conversation between my 2 year old niece & myself.

Niece: Auntie, where are the tortoises? I want to see them & wish them Gong Xi Fa Chai.

Me: Sure, they are in the bathroom right now. Sleeping but I'm sure they will be happy to see you.

Soon, niece & I are playing with the tortoises in the bathroom. Slow Coach showed off her diving skill in the tub while Charlie was demonstrating his version of moon walking in the water.

Note: Charlie's moon walking: 4 legs wading in the water without moving an inch because he lifted his legs with only his shell in contact with the tub's bottom. Tortoise version of running on the spot, I guess.

Me: What's that red spot on your arm?

Niece: *scratching her hand* It's Mozzy bite! Auntie, do tortoises get mozzy bites too?

Me: Well... *took a deep breath while figuring out the answer*.

In the end, my very deep breath came & went but the answer didn't come. That night, I took up an experiment, determined to find the answer to a 2 year old's question.

************************************************************************
Experiment Objective: Do mosquitoes suck tortoises blood?

Steps: I sat with the tortoises in the dark at the balcony at night. It was a hot night & my body was sticky with sweats. Nothing to do while waiting for the mosquitoes to take their bait except feeding the tortoises.

Bait: Slow Coach, Charlie & myself.

Results: The mosquitoes had a great time indulging in their blood buffet on my account but the tortoises were spared.

Conclusion: No, mosquitoes do not suck tortoises blood.

But why? Darn! The answer right in front of my eyes after all. Mosquitoes can only sense heat & tortoises are cold blooded reptiles. Therefore, where there is heat, there are human, there are food! Eureka! Duh...

*Scratched myself to sleep that night*

Pet's Hotel

Unlike countries like Japan, United States or Canada, the hotels from where I come from (no matter how many stars they are) have a policy about not allowing pets into the hotels.

With the week long Chinese New Year holidays just around the corner, it's that time of the year again for many pet owners - looking for home boarding for their pets while they go on vacation. Luck ones will get help from friends or relatives, while others opt to send their pets to boarding centres such as the Pet's Hotel which could cost a paw & a tail if your pet poodle is staying for many days there.

When Slow Coach & Charlie were young, they were sent to my husband then boyfriend's house for a couple of days when I went on vacation. Back then, it was a piece of cake taking care of them. For one, they were kept in a plastic container. Therefore, no missing tortoises when I come back from vacation.

Secondly, they fed on tortoise pellets. Therefore, no headaches when it comes to feeding time. At that time, the tiny tortoises ate very little but frequently, just like human babies. Nowadays they eat like birds if they don't like the food or eat like hungry tigers if the food is to their likings. Very picky & difficult to please indeed.

Lastly, they don't need to be taken out of their container for their walk or daily exploration. They were just as happy being in their small enclosure, oblivious to the changes in the surrounding. Though their container is tiny, the lid above their heads gave them a sense of security. Now, nothing can keep them indoors if they don't want too. *sigh* Those were the good old days.

When the tortoises were much older, home boarding didn't work for Slow Coach & Charlie anymore. Having already outgrown their plastic container, they were moved into bigger plastic bathtubs & were free to roam around in the house. Soon they began exploring their surroundings & found their own favourite spots, like under the fridge or under the coffee table. When they were sent to home boarding, their were checked-into a presidential suite (in the tortoise world for a large bathroom). However, when I called the owner of the presidential suite (a.k.a. my boyfriend), I found out that both Slow Coach & Charlie sat at a corner each in their suite & have neither budged an inch nor ate anything since checking in. A picture of depression. I guess they must have really missed the hands who fed them, bathed them & took care of them. You'll be surprised that they can recognised people as well as their surrounding very well.

Since then, I realised that they prefer to remain at home when I go on my next vacations. To them it's always home sweet home! When they are left at home on their own (so far, no more than 2 nights) I will usually feed them at frequent intervals for a few days before I go off (up to 2 meals a day) to make sure they are well fed, so that they can hibernate at their favourite spots until I return. Remember that adult tortoises need to be fed only about 3 times a week. So, they'll be alright on their own for a couple of days.

It will be so again this year unless they decide to build sandcastles with me at the beach. =)

Wishing all of you a prosperous piggy year. Happy Chinese New Year & Gong Xi Fa Chai!

Hunger Strike!

For the last few days Charlie didn't finish most of his meals while Slow Coach has been eating her food like a chicken pecking on the ground. Both showed lack of interest in their food. According to the tortoise guide, it is very common for adult tortoises to eat only 3 to 4 times in a week. At other times they will go into deep sleep or hibernation. At times like these I will usually let them skip their meals but make sure they get a healthy amount of water.

3 days have passed & they are still not taking to their usual food, i.e. tortoise pellets & crabsticks. They came out from their hiding place for drinking water but left the tortoise pellets floating in the water untouched and took only a bite or two on the crabsticks. They just sniffed their food & gave me that "Duh, crabsticks again...?" look.

Don't be fooled if you think something is wrong with them. From my many years experience of taking care of them since their hatchling days, this is actually a cheeky plot by the two green buggers. They are on hunger strike!

Usually if you feed animals the same food everyday, they will not easily develop picky eating habits. For Slow Coach & Charlie...well, the next day I bought some fresh shrimps from the supermarket specially for them. Guess what? As soon as they sniffed the fishy smell, they gobbled up the shrimps like hungry tigers!

See? Those two lucky buggers would rather go on hunger strike if the dish of the day is not to their liking. Bah! Spoilt brats! I must say though, for an animal with only a pea-sized brain, they are quite clever! =)

The Mystery of the Missing Stool (please read before looking at the pic)

We left the tortoises home alone yesterday for our brunch. Slow Coach was sleeping under the coffee table as usual after her morning walk on the balcony while Charlie was swimming in his tub. I have double checked that all doors were locked to prevent any *ahem* runaways & also unwanted break-ins.

3 hours later, we returned. Tummies bulging with pride from a hearty dim sum indulgence. Mum stumbled upon a dustpan in the hallway on her way to the kitchen. She was dumbfounded as to how the dustpan ended up there because she was very sure that she had put it on a little red stool after sweeping the floor that morning. The red little stool was missing too. We use the little red stool to stand on so that we can reach for things high above the cabinets. Mum thought that someone must have forgotten to put the stool back under the table after using it. She thought no further about the displaced dustpan & the missing stool.

We happily proceeded to a few strokes of dry swimming a.k.a. the actions of our hands mixing the mahjong tiles after every game mimics closely the breast strokes. Ah, mahjong. A very healthy game, mentally (lot's of mind strategies & also maths) & physically (continuous dry swimming for the next 4 hours!!!). Hehe! 3 players to a table.

1 hour into the game...

Me: Sshhh...I hear something.

Mum (sitting opposite facing me): What? Must be the wind whistling.

Uncle (sitting between mum & I on my left): Geez...Come on, I'm on the roll here. Don't stop.

Me: I thought I hear some dragging sound. Never mind. Must have been the caffeine from the Chinese tea kicking in.

Uncle: Oh my God! *Trembling voice*

Mum: What?

Uncle: Don't turn. Something is moving behind you.

Me: I don't see anything... but..but...I can hear that dragging sound again...

Mum: Hey, that's not funny. You are giving me the goose bumps, man!

Uncle: You know...about the missing stool...?

Mum & I: Yeah.....?

Uncle: Well, it's moving behind you....

Mum & I: What?!

*All of us turned at the same time & broke into laughter until our belly hurts*

Apparently, Charlie crawled under the stool from the wider side & got stuck on his way out at the front between the stool legs. He took to the stool so naturally, just like his second home *ahem* shell.

Geez, I should have known that he was house hunting.

The mystery of the missing stool: Case solved.

New Year's Egg!

Here's wishing readers of Slow Coach a Happy New Year! May the new year continues to bring happiness & joy to everyone.

On the 1st day of 2007, Slow Coach has laid her 1st egg of the year. A very good sign indeed.