Wednesday 29 February 2012

WOYWW # 143, A Card and Toby Tortoise's life Story

Morning everyone,

How is your week going? Very fast like mine??? Lots to say today so onto photos

This was my desk Tuesday night before I put away all my toys ready for next time I am able to play! Not much on there a few new bits of stash, some cheap Kanban stamps I got from hobbycraft, love a bargain! In the little red basket on the marker storage is lots of pre-coloured images, in the small plastic pots on the right is some computer printed sentiments cut out ready to use and the other pot has some bits and pieces of craft knives (new blades etc..) at the back you will see my copic marker list, all the normal things that stay on my desk all the time, ruler, glue, more pens. A few x-cut punches (these are little flower shapes), tissues and laptop, next to me is a small table with my bigshot on, all the different spellbinder dies i used and a million different flowers that i spent over an hour placing onto the card, moving them about and then taking them of again and then didn't use any on the card I made following the sketch over at A Gem of a Challenge.


I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Gem of A Challenge # 40 = Sketch


Items used (made a list and didn’t lose it yeahhhh lol its still on my desk along with the sketch!)

15 x 15 cm white card & white flower ribbon from stash/

Papermania Capsule DP (DoCrafts) Blueberry Pie

Copics, E13, E0, E00, E000 R20. B91, B93, B95, C0, C1, C2, C3,C5 C7

Stamp = Magnolia, Tilda with bow and a computer made sentiment.

Please check out The Stamping Ground and visit our great hostess Julia for details on how you can join in and share your mess/desk/floor/ table work area! and look around lots & lots of other crafters areas getting lots of inspiration, you get to see the most amazing art creations and many different kinds of craft and of course you get to meet some amazing people so give it a go but beware its addictive!

Now on to the story of Toby, I showed you a piccy of our tortoise a couple of weeks ago and lots of you asked questions about him and his obsession with mens boots!– No tortoise was harmed in the making of this and he is very happy and thriving! lol

Toby was given to us about 11 years ago, when his owners moved overseas, he came to us with a couple of toes missing but otherwise in good health, and we were told he was about 11 years old, at the time and we were also told he was house trained (how can you possibly house train a tortoise right!) and given instruction on what he liked to eat and drink.

So he settled in very well and lived in the house with us, Never in a tank, he can wander around (we have a stair gate so he cannot fall down any stairs) he has to have a large shallow dish filled with water that he likes to get in and bath and drink and yes poop whenever he wants and we were told he lived on a diet of soft fruit and salad vegetables, It was spring when he came to us and on warmer days we would take him into the garden, he loved stomping about the patio, hiding in the ornamental grasses, eating the strawberries that would hang over the edges of the plant pots and sitting on the edge on the edge of the bubbling water feature, (as well as getting into his own water).

One day we put him onto the grass (the grass area was not enclosed/safe so we had to keep a close eye on him), and well he started doing a funny little dance thing, we all watched with amazement as he went round and round in circles stomping his little feet it was a tortoise version of river dance! It felt like he had a purpose, and then he started using his front legs to dig!!

I had to find out what he was doing and why, I researched how he lived in the wild and I found out Toby isn’t an everyday/normal pet tortoise, (which are generally Horsfield or Hermann) he is called a 3 Toed Box Turtle he can close both ends tight, so predators cannot get him, I have no idea where his previous owners got him from but we found out he needs lots of special care, so did lots more research and spoke to ‘Tortoise specialists’ and his diet in the wild would have been worms and slugs. Toby was dancing on the grass so that the worms would think it was raining and come to the surface, well we had to help out and make him as happy as possible so tried digging for worms, we tried all kinds of things, getting hints and tips from any where we could, do you know there is worm ‘charming’ competitions! I know! I had never heard of such a thing, but its true. But worms are very hard to catch! So we started buying them, for him from the fishing tackle shop and he loves them! And now has a very good diet of earth worms and soft fruit, (the occasional slug), He soon began to thrive and his skin and eyes glowed and he was/is very active, very fast and he loves climbing, he had put on weight, he is a member of the family. He doesn’t hibernate as such because he is small he can’t eat enough to see him right through winter, but he will sleep for around about month/6 weeks during winter. He has a little cardboard house lined with felt, in the corner with a ‘proper’ heat mat for the colder months.

A couple of years went by and then he reached puberty!!! One day we came home to find he was ‘mating with my hubby’s boots that had been left in the kitchen, (Shocked or what!!!) he soon became obsessed with boots and men’s shoes and will chase around the room trying to ‘mate’ with your shoes, and can be a right nuisance and it can be very embarrassing, (try explaining to a 5 year old why Toby wants to play with Daddy’s shoes) he will try to ‘mount any shoe he finds attractive, he will stay there for hours if we let him, so no shoes allowed in the house. However occasionally when hubby forgets and leaves his boots on after being in garden or if he leaves them in the kitchen, this is what happens:

(Now for the serous bit – 3 toed tortoises are difficult to look after, you have to give them lots of care and a wide, careful variety of food, he has to have the correct living environment and are not really meant to be pets, We care for him very much and have spoken to specialists and continue to keep his conditions as perfect as we can, he is a good weight and very healthy, but I would not recommend anyone keeping tortoises for pets, they look very cute but need special care and can be expensive for equipment, vet bills, when he first came to us he did not have the correct diet and the vets think that could be why he lost some of his toes)

Hope you enjoyed looking round my desk and sharing the story of Toby - sorry for such a long post!

Have a great WOYWW. Hugs Lou xxx

36 comments:

  1. Lol at Toby and men's boots. Love your card. Well done on getting the bargain Kanban stamps (Hazel, WOYWW #5) x

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  2. Well that sure is a different obsession Boots!Loving the card,have fab wednesday
    judex 10

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  3. What a beautiful creature!
    You seem so incredibly organised in your crafting..
    xx 104

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  4. Lovely card on your desk!
    Happy wednesday!
    Hugs marleen #60.

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  5. Lou this really did make me (LOL) poor wee toby on a mission with your husbands boots, if I ever come to visit I will take my shoes off at the door (he he ) bless him he's so sweet, loved your post! your card is lovely! love Tilda stamps, Have a good week, Hugs May x x x ps I have joined you are a follower x x x

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  6. tobys tale made me laugh,your craft desk looks very organised,x

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  7. Your post is long Lou, but you had me hooked as your story of Toby is so interesting. So funny, it must have been, seeing him dance to trick the worms! Do you have a compost bin in your garden - we gets loads of worms in ours - yuk! Thanks for sharing your story and the photos of Toby are fab!!

    Thanks also for already coming to see my desk :)

    Sherry - WOYWW #6

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  8. So he's a 3-toed tortoise but doesn't even have all of his 3 toes? That's sad. It sounds like you are giving Toby good care. My coworker has a desert tortoise and he has a special toy instead of a boot.

    Your desk looks very neat and I love the card you made.

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  9. Oh lordy, how I giggled at the mating picture...too darn cute! So glad ya'll ar the ones taking care of the Tobster, he is lucky to have such a great family, with a man's boot every now and then, what more could a box turtle ask for? hee hee, giggling and waving hi from the hills of North Carolina :)

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  10. Fascinating...am so glad that Toby has found a home that loves him enough to find out about his care...embarrassing boot problems and all!!
    I understand about the flowers on the card thing...don't myself so often, and rarely put away, which is why my desk looks like a hazard!

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  11. What a fab story - Toby is such an original!! I love your cute card too!

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  12. Gorgeous card Lou and thanks for sharing Toby's story, LOL! Seriously though I am glad he has found such a good home!
    Helen x

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  13. OH MY Gosh Toby is so cute, love that blue card and nope the stuff of mine didnt go to a new home lol
    Bridget #15

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  14. I think your story of Toby is very endearing and Funny! He looks like he wants those boots for his girly friend for sure! :) Thanks for sharing!

    Julie
    #156

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  15. I was riveted, reading the story of Toby. I had this vision of you doing a rain dance to get the worms to come up for him. Thank you for sharing his story with us. Thank you for popping in today for a visit. xx Maggie #9

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  16. Great card ...but it was Toby that took my attention. Very interesting epecially as everyone is trying to persuade me that one would be a perfect addition to our 19 cats.... I've said no to everything else so far ...and now there is another to the list lol xx

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  17. Lovely neat desk but I'm especially pleased to read your story about Toby. (So well written) Despite being difficult to care for you must have done such a good job to keep him this long. May he continue for many years to come. It brought back memories when I had one as a pet when I was a child.
    Love JoZarty x

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  18. Your card is so cute ... good luck with the challenge! Am happy to have met Toby! Debbie #89

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  19. I love your card, its so pretty and gorgeous shades of blue :)

    Have a great WOYWW and a fab week, Luv Karen xx

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  20. Now I have totally forgotten all about your desk as I got so engrossed in your story about Toby. What a fascinating tale (I have passed the link to DH who is sat across from me (duelling laptops) as I think it is to be shared.
    What a wonderful addition to your family he is and how marvellous to have had him for so long. I hope he continues to live his obviously very happy, healthy life with the family for a long long time.
    Oh, just scrolled up - nice desk and lovely card - I like all the blue.
    Thanks so much for sharing all of this and thanks for commenting on my blog - Hugs, Neet xx

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  21. Fab post - wow Toby is an intriguing character! Happy Thursday to you, hope you enjoy this week's snoop around the oh so creative spaces & take care. Zo xx 83

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  22. Absolutely gorgeous card, love the colours. The story of Toby is very interesting and the boot and worm bits are so funny! I am so glad he came to you and is now getting the care and love he deserves. Thank you for sharing xx

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  23. Those pics are so funny! We used to have tortoises but they kept digging their way out of the garden. I love the trim on that card too - its really pretty.

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  24. I love turtles and so enjoyed your story thanks for taking the time to share I even read this to my coworkers. Have a great day

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  25. Love the colouring on that card. It is very effective.
    Your tortoise story was fascinating. Toby has certainly found a good home! Happy WOYWW!

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  26. Oh Lou...the best read of the day. Enjoyed the life story of Toby! Very interesting!

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  27. Love your busy desk and card but I'm afraid Toby stole the show entirely!! The image of him mating with mens boots will stay with me for a very long time... poor Toby!! ;)

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  28. Toby is only slow in speed terms - the rest is doing fine! I had one called Herbie and believe it or not he ran away.....Sarah at 1 having a late WOYWW peek and blog nose on Friday!

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  29. Hi! Love the look of all those pens stored in the boxes they look great! Lovely card you have made, need to make my sisiter a belated card :( feel bad I forgot her birthday! LOved the story of Toby! What a cute fella he is, although the shoe things funny! made me chuckle, fascinating!
    Lavinia
    x

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  30. Love the card you made, but Toby was the best what a fab story love the bit about the boots, also thank yu for the lovely comment you left me
    Anne-marie no 18

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  31. Aww Toby is so well loved and well looked after, I loved reading about him :o)

    Love your card too, it's so pretty - fab image and colour. Lisa x

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  32. The blue card is so sweet...but the story of Toby is so special. i love the picture of you all trying to get the worms to come to the surface!

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  33. Great card Lou and I love the story of Toby - he is so lucky to have you as a family. What a great story.
    Hugs
    Suzie xx

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  34. Bwahahahahaha!!!! Oh Lou, there is ALWAYS time for a tortoise story! We are crazy about them at our house...although now when I look at my sweet little Bugaboo turtle image, I'm going to think he really wants to hump that clover! Hahahahaha!
    Rene :D

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  35. I love Toby's story! He is very lucky to have such an awesome family that takes such good care of him! I love your card too, the colors are great, and the image is perfect for a late birthday card!

    Thank you for stopping by my blog. I'm sorry it has taken me so long to reply, a bad cold had me down, but I wanted to get around and say hi before tomorrow's WOYWW!

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