Update On My Pets (Children)

I haven't had much time to blog in the past few months.  We have been in the midst of a remodeling and home addition project.  After many years we finally fit the bullet and added the detached garage.  This gave me the ability to move my art studio out of the spare bedroom and into the attached garage.  What a difference!  Actually I took photos of everything with the intention of blogging about the project but that didn't happen.  It was so much work I didn't have time to do anything else.  Hopefully I will get the photos done soon and can post some do-it-yourself goodies!

For now I'm just update my pet situation.  First for the sad news.  My beloved Boo Boo died on July 17.  It's unbelievable how much that cat meant to us and how our lives revolved around him.  It was totally unexpected.  He was playing up a storm that morning.  We left to get lunch and when we returned he had passed away.  Even though he was 13 years old I was hoping I'd have at least 5 more years with him.

Boo Boo (left) and Marvin (right) in March 2016

We waited about a month before finally deciding to get a kitten.  Of course Boo Boo can never be replaced.  He was definitely one of a kind.  But in my experience a new kitten helps to ease the pain.  It just so happened that our local shelter was having a kitten special!  We named her Josette.  I'm such a nerd I had to name her after Josette Collins from Dark Shadows!  I only say that because most people do not get the reference.

Josette (Josie)

Josie is such a loving kitten.  In fact she is a bit too loving.  Talk about the kisses!  Unfortunately she has the strange habit trying to stick her mouth in my mouth and when that is not allowed she goes to work on my nose.  And after a mad flurry of kissing she bites me on the end of my nose!  It's not hard enough to draw blood.  It's more like a little nip but until you've been awakened by kitten teeth up the nose you haven't really lived!

In other news Tootsie has decided that her catfish resemble food.  Naturally I had to move them quickly into Butterbean's tank.  Butterbean is still such a little girl the cory catfish should be safe for a few months.  She was afraid of them at first but is adapting nicely.  Enjoy this quick glimpse of our turtle antics!

A New Addition To the Family

My Tootsie's birthday is coming up.  I found her on March 31, 2015.  I've been thinking about the time I found her.   Turtles are territorial so it's likely that Tootsie's mama might have laid some eggs in the same area.  So with that on my mind I've been kind of keeping my eyes open for any baby turtles. In the last two years I have found two baby turtles in our store.  I always check out the floor in the warehouse anyway since we have numerous frogs in residence.  Don't want to step on one!

So I was hauling a battery out the front door to my car.  Then as I was returning with the dolly I just happened to look down in front of the door.  I saw what passed for a little dirty rock.  But you can't fool me since I've been down this road before.  So I naturally picked it up.  It was a hatchling turtle all right, but I wasn't sure if it was alive.  It looked really dried up.  I quickly took it inside and put it in a tiny bit of warm water.  The little guy came out of his shell and had a drink.  Within an hour he was quite perky!

I was in a quandary.  I really wasn't ready to commit myself to another turtle.  But then again I couldn't bring myself to just put him out in the cold.  The survival rate for baby turtles is not good.  So I bit the bullet and took him home.  Luckily I have all of the supplies and equipment that I used when Tootsie was a hatchling.  For the short term I set him up in a small reptile bowl till I have time to prepare the 10 gallon tank.

Presenting Butterbean!!

You can still see the belly button!

He actually looks larger in the photos than he is in reality.  I think it is because of the lens I used.  It's not easy to take photos of something this small while you're holding it!  And believe me he did not like it one bit, especially the flash.

I set up his tank this afternoon.  So far he's very happy in it.  He has a heater, heat lamp, UVB bulb, filter, log, cave and lovely moss to hide in.  He has already eaten his first meal of hatchling pellets and has figured out how to get up on his log to sleep under the moss.  Quite an accomplishment for a little fellow that's only a few days old.

Here's a look at the birthday Tootsie from a year ago right after I got her.  See if you can find the little booger!

Where in the world is Tootsie

Sharon
#mudturtle, #babyturtle, #babymudturtle, #hatchlingturtle,

World of Pets Expo

This time of year it's kind of hard to find things to do.  For the past few weekends the weather has been particularly nasty.  But this weekend is fab!  It was actually 74 degrees yesterday.  We busted out of the house and headed over to the Hampton Convention Center for the World of Pets Expo.

I really wasn't intending to go this year as my interest is mostly in turtles these days and I didn't see anything about turtles on their website.  But a co-worker told me that they were going to have a reptile section with turtle displays so I quickly changed my mind.  I was so looking forward to seeing some cute little fellows and also I'm searching for a local reptile vet.

The entry line was amazingly long.  And almost everyone had their dog with them.  Dogs of all varieties and states of dress abounded!  Of course I took some photos.  Not my best work as the dogs were quite excited and I had to work in between lots of human legs!

I think she was the prettiest

In line for the contest

A crowd favorite

Coolness!

What a cutie!

There was also a show called Johnny Peers Muttville Comix.  The dogs were great and the crowd loved the show.

Johnny Peers Muttville Comix

Here we go!

Brave little guy

One of the most popular events was the Dock Dogs competition.  I have seen the Dock Dogs in the past and it's always a good time.  I always get a kick out of the doggie "swimsuits".  I'd love to get one for Chloe but it might be best to not draw attention to her full figure!

Color coordinated team

All in all it was a fun event.  There were snakes, mice, miniature horses and even some camels in addition to the cats and dogs.  The petting zoo had just about any animal you could think of to pet.  I especially loved the baby goats and miniature horses.  I would be very happy to bring them home with me.  The only disappointment I had was in not seeing even one single turtle.  Guess I need to look for a Reptile Expo.

Sharon

#worldofpetsexpo, #petexpo,

Turtle Update

Tootsie Smiles

Have you ever seen such a cute little guy?  Maybe I'm prejudiced but I think Tootsie is exceptionally handsome.  At the moment I'm thinking he's a little boy.  Of course he could turn out to be a girl when he gets older.  It's so hard to tell when they're this little.  He looks huge in this picture but his shell is just a bit larger than a quarter.

Tootsie has a very good appetite.  He eats at least twice a day. Right now he enjoys the floating turtle food and has learned how to eat the freeze dried shrimp.  Of course I have to break the shrimp in tiny pieces.  The first time I fed him the shrimp I threw in a whole one with the assumption that he would bite off pieces.  Wrong.  He started at one end and worked that whole thing down his throat.  I have no idea how he didn't choke on it much less where it went in that tiny body.  Lesson learned.

As you can see his looks have changed significantly over the past month.  He has probably doubled in size and his shell and skin have lightened.  I was sorry to see those cute yellow spots go away.  Tootsie is so much stronger now and has the beginnings of some leg muscles.  That's my boy!

May

June

As Tootsie got bigger I started to notice some bumps on his chin.  As he grew they were noticeable.  I googled them and discovered they are called barbels. I like to think of them as Tootsie's goatee!

Every dapper gentleman has a goatee!

This little fellow has truly brightened my days.  I look forward to seeing his adorable face when I come home.  Although I've only had him 4 months but he already knows me and comes running when I look in his tank.  I like to think he loves me for me and not just for the food that comes with me!

One legged dance.  He's quite the acrobat

Showing off his abs

I hope to get a larger tank in the next few months.  Although he has plenty of room in the 10 gallon I'd like to give him more areas to explore. Gotta keep my boy happy!
Sharon

#turtle, #Easternmudturtle, #mudturtle, #babyturtle,

Spring Surprise

I was walking in the front lobby of our store last week when I spotted something on the floor.  Being somewhat low to the floor myself it's quite natural that I see things other more vertical people miss.  Suddenly I spotted something that to others probably looked like a small rock.  But I recognized it immediately.  It was a baby turtle!

I gently scooped it up.  I figured it was a snapping turtle since they have been spotted in the store before.  I truly don't know why wildlife is attracted to our store.  Sure the back warehouse is damp and somewhat secluded but there's no water and nothing to eat.  But every year we have our resident frogs and sometimes a stray snake or two.  I found a small garden snake last year and got to play with him for a few minutes before I turned him loose in the woods next to the store.

But back to my baby turtle...  I scooped him up and showed him to fellow employees all the while exclaiming, "I'm a happy little soul!"  Quite the wordsmith, aren't I?  We were all sure it was a snapping turtle because he stuck his head out and opened his mouth.  For such a little fellow he was intimidating.

The next day I took him back to work to turn him loose.  A fellow employee who was off the day before said it was a box turtle.  I have always wanted to find a baby box turtle.  But I was not sure I wanted to be responsible for another pet.

I was unsure what to do with him so I stopped at the local reptile store on my way home.  After being told that the politically correct thing to do was to turn him loose near where I found him and let nature take it's course.  As we had a freeze warning for that night it was clear what that course would be.  She said that if it was her she would take it home and keep it till it was doubled in size before letting him go.  So I took him home and set him up in his own terrarium.

After a couple of day he still wasn't eating and I was starting to get concerned.  I even got some frozen blood worms.  He was having none of it.  So I started doing some online research.  I finally figured out that he is an aquatic turtle and not a box turtle.  I have had one before so I know how to care for him.

Introducing Tootsie Turtle!

Tootsie checking out his basking rock

Looking large and in charge!

Little Tootsie is thriving now.  He spends his nights cuddled up under the moss.  In the morning he is so adorable with his tiny head poking out through the moss to check out his surroundings.  Actually his head isn't really tiny compared to his shell.  It's amazing how he gets a head that big into that shell.  He is getting quite proficient at swimming now.  I have lots of plastic greenery in the tank for him to get a grip on.  He's so little it's hard for him to outswim the current from the filter!  He is eating well.  I got some hatchling turtle food that he enjoys.

When I found him his shell was still soft and he was mostly black.  His shell is hard now and as you can see he has pretty yellow markings.  They show up in the close-ups but were hard to see with the naked eye.  He is starting to show yellow markings on his face as well.  Quite the handsome fellow.  Actually he might be a girl but I'll figure that out later!

Sharon

#turtle, #hatchlingturtle, 

Dog Shaming: The Unfortunate Incident

First let me say that I love my dog.  She's an adorable little (ahem..little might be a misstatement) ShihTzu.  Let's just say she's a bit chubby.  Not my fault, really.  I just notice that she's getting quite plump lately.  I'm thinking she's getting into the cat food at night.  Gotta work on that one.  Back to the adorableness... We got Chloe a few years ago when her owner was threatening to put her in the pound if she didn't find someone to take her.  I had been looking for a Chihuahua, but I had a Shih Tzu before and they are wonderful little (again with the little) dogs.  So we took her in and have (mostly) never regretted it.

She has a sweet temperament and is hardly any trouble at all.  Usually.  Our Chloe does have one vice.  And try as we might, we just can't get this monkey off her back.  She is addicted to paper.  Any kind of paper.  I'm not sure what the attraction is, whether it's the texture or the sound it makes as she rips it into tiny little pieces.  She love any kind of paper but she especially enjoys paper towels.  When we leave the house we try to look around and Chloe-proof each room.  It works most of the time.  But recently she has acquired a new skill...opening doors.  The other day I went out to lunch.  I was only gone 1 hour.  By the time I got home this is what I found.

Just look at that sad face!

That little rascal had actually opened a cabinet door and dragged a whole package of napkins into the living room.  She looked so pitiful I decided to take a dog shaming picture!

Unfortunately the dog shaming did not deter her in the least.  The very next day I was working in my craft room and when I came out she was on the couch with a paper towel.  The nerve!  She didn't even bother to wait till I was out of the house!

Naughty dog sneaking a paper towel

The last thing she did this week was open a closet door and drag a brand new unwrapped broom into the living room.  I only wish I had video of this.  I just cannot imaging how this little dog dragged that broom.  She didn't do too much damage.  Thankfully I was only out of the house a couple of hours.  She managed to chew some large holes in the plastic wrap and pull out some of the bristles which were scattered throughout.  This time I scolded her and swatted her little rear.  So she lay in her bed and gave me the "sad eyes" till I felt sorry for her and called her to me.  All is forgiven and she'll live to see another paper towel!  Unless she's tired of paper and has moved on to the more exciting and dangerous world of broom destruction...Time will tell.

Sharon

Winter Storm Woes

Here in Virginia we don't function too well in winter storm conditions.  I guess we do as well as possible considering our storms are few and far between.  Coming from West Virginia, however, the extent of the storm madness that ensues can sometimes seems a little bit extreme .  The store shelves will empty out at the prospect of a measly 1 inch of snow forecast!  You can imagine what happened when the forecast was up to 10 inches!

Well, in my neighborhood we did not get the 10 inches.  It looks to be about 8 inches.  Which is why I'm home this morning instead of at work.  Worse things have happened!  The cold is what's giving me problems.  It's finally gotten up to 19 degrees.  I don't tolerate the cold at all.

It was even too much for my dog Chloe.  She's normally pretty sturdy in the weather, even for a little (I'm calling 18 pounds little!) Shih Tzu.  But this morning when Hubby took her out for her walk she came in limping.  She seriously held a front paw up and wouldn't put it on the floor.  Then she limped a short distance across the floor.  I was really starting to worry.  When I felt her paw she fell over and her hind legs went stiff and looked lame.  I was beginning to think she was going into a convulsion.  She had snow stuck to her so I grabbed a towel and dried her off.  Suddenly she jumped up as if nothing was wrong.  She grabbed a toy and ran round the room with it.  When Hubby came in he informed me that it was so cold, Chloe wouldn't even go off the sidewalk.  She did her job right there on the pavement.  I think her feet were freezing.  If it's too cold for Chloe who normally loves the snow...then it's definitely too cold for me!

I did spot one of the baby squirrels making a foray out of his nest.  He only made it about a foot away from the tree and stopped right there.  He actually grabbed a handful of snow and threw it up over his head!  Wish I had video of that.  As it is, I just settled for a photo shot through the back door.  I just am not up to suffering for art today!

Hope you're warm wherever you are.
Sharon