A New Feature

After a hiatus of nearly a full month, I'm back to posting!
These last few weeks have been quite busy for me personally and professionally. I have a new job and Hector and Phoebe have a new and exciting feature in their home!

This addition adds around 300 square inches to their usable space--approximately a 78% increase! (Click here for more pictures of Hector and Phoebe's initial reactions including a lot of sniffing around and nibbling!)

This setup took quite a lot longer than it needed to, but I wanted to have something well-made that would last and look good. In order to do this I enlisted the help of L and I, hobbyist and professional carpenters with an impressive work history (including bathroom remodeling, basement remodeling, custom furniture, various kitchen tools and pieces, cabinetry, building restoration, and now a Greek Tortoise Ramp and Platform Assembly). We used Walnut, White Oak and rock (granite, quartz and basalt) that I sliced with a tile saw to construct it. This project is definitely over-engineered for the "stresses" that two small Greek Tortoises will put on it; but L and I were teaching me principles of woodworking and did none of the actual construction (they were more like advisors sitting in house while I was in the shop, but when I got stuck they were quite helpful). It was great fun, and I think the finished-product looks pretty good, if I do say so myself.

The Three Stages of Breakfast

When I got up this morning Hector and Phoebe were very ready for breakfast.  This is how they looked while they were waiting for me to put food in their dish (they knew what was going on):

As shown below, we have to make sure that they are separate from each other and have enough food directly in front of them. Otherwise, Phoebe (she tends to do this a little more than Hector) will see Hector eating food in her periphery and will want to eat the same food since he seems to have more food than her.  She will try eating food that Hector already has in his mouth and will accidentally bite his head (anyone that has watched a tortoise walk, eat or climb knows that they do not have good coordination).  Another scenario that has happened several times is that Phoebe will start eating Hector's food and will completely inhibit him from eating at all.  This is one of those time when Hector shows his personality.  He bites Phoebe, and he's not too picky about which body part he attacks--whatever is closest is good enough.  Fortunately, this is a very rare occurrence.

We did pretty well this morning at estimating how much they would eat.  Some days are better than others because their appetite will vary somewhat.  Even these last leaves Hector would eat if we fed them to him by hand (it's quite hard to eat something flat that's on a flat surface when you don't have hands or even lips--oh the trials of Chelonian life).  Phoebe might eat them too, but Hector was the only one still awake (Hector eats more and longer and Phoebe goes to sleep first, generally speaking) while I was leaving for work when I took this picture.

A Tasty Treat

I don't understand why, but Hector and Phoebe love to bite our fingers.  In fact, sometimes to get them to eat something that we know they need but refuse to eat, we'll hold the food a little to the side of their heads so that our fingers are right in front of them.  Right before they chomp down we move the food into their mouths--success!  If they really don't like the food then they will spit it back out (which is quite funny to see since they can't "grab" food with fingers), but this technique usually convinces them that the food we're offering is worth-while.  I have an idea or two as to why they do this, but nothing too concrete.

An idea that I have is that they have formed such a strong association between our skin color and food (since we often, but not always, feed them by hand) that sometimes our skin looks even more enticing than the food we're offering.  The problem with this theory is the fact that they will continue to bite a finger for several minutes until they finally give up on the idea of getting any food for all the energy being spent (or they are tired of the salty taste of our skin).

Oddly enough, while Hector and Phoebe bring the total number of Greek Tortoises we have had to five, they are the only two that have ever exhibited this behavior.  If any of our past Greek Tortoises ever bit a finger it was on accident while we were feeding them.  (A notable exception to this rule occurred with Sampson I as seen here).

They don't even care how big the skin is, they just like to chew on it.

Yes, this hurt a little.

"The Early Tortoise Gets the Lettuce, Phoebe"

Hector, as always, got up before Phoebe, started eating before Phoebe, and left nothing before Phoebe (not much of a gentleman).  Phoebe's understandable disappointment is captured well in this photo.  I can almost hear Hector taunting her.

Fortunately, it was just an early-morning snack that I gave Hector since Phoebe will sometimes sleep in relatively late. When I saw that Phoebe was up (and after I captured this poignant moment) I gave them both a proper breakfast.

They are both quite active this morning.  Phoebe is clambering over the rocks, looking quite unbalanced while trying to move a flat shell over a very uneven surface.

She just fell over backwards!  I need to get a webcam for these two, they do too many hilarious things that happen too fast to capture in a picture.