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. =)