Hello, friends! Mommy just barely managed to make it to the vet's last night before they closed, so she got to visit me! I was so excited to see Mommy that I ran around like crazy in her hand and lifted my head up high towards her voice. Then I stretched out in Mommy's hand and fell asleep while she gave me her best head rubs. Mommy asked to see the enclosure where I am staying. She is not happy at all. I am in a glass tank that looks very dry. Glass tanks are not a good idea for tortoises! They have poor air circulation, and the clear glass is stressful for us tortoises who don't understand the concept of that weird thing humans call glass. On the plus side, the nurse told Mommy that she has been misting my enclosure throughout the day to make sure I am not too dry. Hopefully the glass tank does not stress me out too much, since it is just for a week. Mommy also called several times during the day to ask how I was doing. The vet and the nurse both confirmed that they have not and will not give me any vitamin A shots, much to Mommy's relief! The vet did give me an x-ray and came back with bad news: My bone density is low, and I have sand in my gut. Mommy is very upset because she has been doing everything she has read about to make sure I get enough UV and calcium for strong bones: a Powersun 100W bulb for UV, and a good healthy diet for calcium. The only thing the vet thinks Mommy should have been doing is putting calcium and vitamin powder on my food. (Mommy tried once. I refused to eat any of my food with the weird powder on it. Or the cuttlebone she keeps giving me.) I have also never been a big eater, as much as I like to nom everything I see. The vet thinks that could also be a reason I am low in calcium. In the meantime, the vet has been giving me fluids and vitamin B through soaks and a little under my skin. She is also giving me food and calcium through a tube. Much to the vet's surprise, I did not spit any of it up! I am getting antibiotics on my eyes to help with the swelling, and general antibiotics to prevent any secondary infections since I am not in tip top shape. Finally, I am getting deworming medication. The poop I made on the way to the vet yesterday was too small and dry for the vet to do much testing, but she thinks she saw something bad in my poop. So as a precaution, I am getting deworming medication, and the vet will test my next poop to confirm. Everyone thinks I am already starting to do better! The nurse told Mommy that I ran around a lot today. She said it was so funny watching me splash in and out of my water dish (for my not-baths, of course). Mommy was thrilled that I even ran around when she visited, which was way past my bedtime and when I am usually unresponsive. Mommy is a little worried that I have lost big chunks of skin on the top of my head behind each eye. It's hard to see in the pictures, but it doesn't look like my normal sheds. The skin on the top of my head has been ready to shed for awhile though, so maybe it really is just my normal shed. Mommy is unlikely to be able to visit me today, but hopefully she will get to visit me again tomorrow! In the meantime, the nurse has promised to give Mommy daily updates on how I am doing. We will be sure to let you know how I do!
