Sunbathing

This is how one enjoys sunbathing in seclusion. Ah....tranquility, warmth, privacy....

And...this is sunbathing on a public beach.......

Feeding time!

Today's special: Cockerals

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. =)

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.

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.