If you're going to give me an awful bath every morning, then you had better give me noms right after! EDIT: Today was the first day since I got sick that I ate all on my own, without any hand-feeding at all!

I had an excellent morning today! It is unseasonably warm, which made me hungry! After my awful morning bath, I raised my head high in Mommy's hand, opened both my eyes, and gave her my best "WHERE IS MY BREAKFAST" look. Mommy gave me delicious kale! I nommed away all on my own--although only in Mommy's hand. I am still keeping up my hunger strike of not eating unless I'm in Mommy's hand. Mommy tried to give me kale doused in calcium powder, but I absolutely refused. I bopped that funny-looking white powder with my nose and then pushed it aside for the normal kale. When I yawned, Mommy stuffed some calcium powder-covered kale into my mouth, but I shoved it right back out of my mouth without eating any of it. I want my kale nice and green! Mommy finally gave up and let me nom the normal kale because I haven't eaten much since last Thursday. I was so excited about the normal kale that I forgot to swallow! Kale started spilling out of my mouth because I chomped and chomped so much without swallowing! Mommy had to take away the kale for a few seconds so that I would swallow and be able to fit more kale into my mouth. I polished off almost an entire finger's-length piece of kale! Then I took the nicest Christmas Eve nap in Mommy's hand (and made her type one-handed for an hour). Now that's what I call a wonderful morning!

Hello, friends! I went back to Dr. B. today for a check-up. I had fun investigating the pretty Christmas lights in the waiting room. Then I took a nice nap on Mommy's shoulder inside her coat. Mommy's shoulder is so comfy that I didn't wake up when it was my turn to see Dr. B., so I looked the same to Dr. B. as I did last week. But, Mommy told Dr. B. about how I have been eating and pooping this week, and Dr. B. was very happy. Dr. B. was even happier when she weighed me: I have gained 2.6 g since I first saw Dr. B. two weeks ago! I am still too light, and a lot of my weight gain is probably just water. But at least now I don't weigh less than when I first met Mommy exactly 16 months ago today! Dr. B. also gave me another x-ray. She says my bones are looking better, which means I have been absorbing all those calcium injections. Dr. B. also said that the big lumps blocking my gut are starting to break up, which means my gut is working better now! Since I am starting to eat more now, Dr. B. says I can stop getting calcium injections after my last one today. I have three more doses of antibiotics left, but that means a needle in my leg only once every three days now, instead of every day! I hate needles! We are so happy at what Dr. B. wrote on our take-home instructions: "Keep up the good nursing work! I am very happy with his weight gain - we are moving in the right direction!! We are not completely out of the woods but I am more optimistic about his prognosis at this time." Happy first day of winter, everyone! :}

Today's progress report is a mix of good and bad: I am very sleepy today and don't want to eat. On the bright side, I almost climbed out of my morning bath, and I kind of pooped a little again! It's been gray and overcast outside all day, so hopefully I will feel more like myself when the sun comes back tomorrow!

Flashback Friday Flashback to the beginning of October, when it was still warm enough outside for me to nap on the deck! P.S. We have more good news to share with you: Yesterday, I ate again--and I pooped!! We can't wait to tell Dr. B. because she was really worried that I wasn't pooping. Hopefully this means I am finally starting to pass the lumps blocking my gut in my x-ray. Hurrah for more progress!

Yesterday was a sleepy day. I ran around like a maniac the day before yesterday (with both my eyes wide open!), so yesterday I just wanted to sleep all day. I got dragged up around noon for a bath. Afterwards, I sat there being sleepy and yawning a lot. When I opened my mouth to yawn, delicious dandelion leaf magically appeared in my mouth! Once I had tasted the dandelion, I wanted more. I was pretty clumsy because I was sleepy, so I got hand fed for half an hour and finished off a decent chunk of dandelion. Little did I know, there was also calcium powder all over the dandelion! Tricky tricky. After eating, I went back to sleep for the rest of the day. Sleep, eat, sleep--that's the best kind of day!

Time for a Tall Tuesday! Did you know I love phones? I can be sleeping sound as can be, and as soon as the phone rings, BAM! I am up and stretching my neck towards you as tall as I can go and giving you my most intense tortie stare while you are on the phone! These photos are from back in May, but I started doing my excited phone stare again yesterday! I also ran around in my enclosure and climbed so hard that I kept flipping over! (Don't worry, I was rescued immediately every time, and we fixed it to make it harder for me to flip over.) I also threw a fit in both of my baths today, just like my normal bath-hating self. Best of all, I ate some chicory after my morning bath! Mommy is thrilled at how much progress I am making!

Hello, friends! We are still excited that I finally ate on my own yesterday! Yesterday was an exciting day, but that was definitely the most exciting part! Mommy ended up not making it to the vet's on Saturday thanks to her lovely work, so she made sure to get to the vet's first thing yesterday morning. After talking it over with Mommy, Dr. B. gave me a vitamin A/D3/E injection Saturday night at the lowest dosage possible to make sure it would not hurt me. Yesterday morning, Dr. B. gave me a slight enema (to help me poop) and a cold laser treatment (to help with the puffiness from all the fluids I have been getting that I have not peed out at all). Dr. B. also thoroughly flushed out my eyes in case there was any sand or anything else stuck in them, and she tried tube feeding me a different food that is more broken down (so it is easier for me to absorb) but has less fiber (so not as great for getting me to poop). Mommy and I like Dr. B. Dr. B. even made me my very own mini heating "water bottle" by filling a latex glove with warm water so that I would not get chilly in the visiting room! I was already running around on my own when Mommy got to the vet's yesterday morning. I even reacted when Mommy tickled my bum! I hate getting my bum tickled, unlike Waffles! Dr. B. thought it might be good for me to stay another week with her, but being at the vet's is stressful for me. So we decided to let me try being home for a week, and I will go back for a check-up with Dr. B. next weekend. Dr. B. sent me home with Mommy with calcium and antibiotics injections. I will be getting the calcium injections daily and the antibiotics injections every three days. The nice nurse, Katie, showed Mommy how to give me the injections without hurting me too much. Dr. B. also told Mommy to give me two baths a day (oh no!) and to continue dabbing my eyes with tea and using the Zoo Med Repti Turtle Eye Drops. Finally, Dr. B. reheated my personal water bottle glove so I wouldn't get cold on the long trip home. I kept trying to climb out of my carrier all the way home. I hate being in my carrier! But it is a great sign that I am climbing in it now like usual, instead of hiding in a corner and sleeping. I got very excited when we got home. I lifted my head high, ran around, and cracked open my left eye the tiniest bit to give Mommy a side eye so she would start giving me head rubs. After a short nap, I inspected my home to make sure everything was as I left it. I climbed a little in my plastic plants, shoved my hidey hut out of place, and then went to wait by my food plate. Mommy gave me a piece of carrot, I bopped it with my nose for several seconds, and then I went chomp! Mommy got me lettuce, too, and I opened both my eyes almost all the way while I ate! (Much more than in these pictures.) I didn't eat very much, but my tummy was already kind of full from my tube feeding that morning. I gave Mommy lots of "FEED ME NOW" attitude though! I ran around some more after eating (after a food coma nap, of course). Since I am running around, Mommy has covered my substrate with moist paper towels to make sure no sand gets into my eyes or into my tummy. Being home is definitely very nice and much less stressful for me. I'm not out of the woods yet, but I am definitely making wonderful progress!

Wonderful News!

Friends, friends, friends! Whimsy here with WONDERFUL news for you today: Kirby is home, and best of all, Kirby ATE!!! On his own!! With both eyes open almost all the way!! Kirby didn't eat very much, but he ate much more than a few bites! (His tummy must be full from this morning's tube feeding, anyways.) And all on his own, without any prodding! Mouth open as wide as possible and lots of "FEED ME NOW" attitude! I have to go work again now (ugh), but we wanted to share this wonderful news with you all ASAP. We will post an update with more details tomorrow! Lots of love, whimsy

Hello, friends! We have good news for you today--and a little bad news. We'll start with the bad news because it is negated by the good news: I am staying at a vet center that has three different vets who are in on different days, so I have had three different vets take care of me this week. Dr. B. and Dr. P. are nice. Dr. W. makes Mommy furious. Thursday night, Dr. W. told Mommy she recommended euthanasia. (Mommy freaked out.) Last night, Mommy visited me again, and I am actually getting better! Dr. W. clearly has no interest in taking care of me. Fortunately, I saw Dr. B. when Mommy brought me last Sunday, so Dr. B. is the one technically in charge of my case. Now for the good news: Mommy and Katie (the nice nurse who has been giving me most of my care) both think I am getting better! When Mommy visited last night, I ran around in her hand super fast--and I cracked open my left eye just the tiniest little slit when Mommy first picked me up!! Considering how late it was for me, Mommy thinks that is definitely progress. Mommy is pretty sure the swelling on my eyes is better, too. Katie told Mommy that I am also starting to fight back when she tube feeds me. Yesterday, I actually wriggled my head out from between her fingers when she held me for tube feeding! My shell is also getting better: My plastron is harder, and my shell as a whole looks kind of "shrunken"--it looks bad, but it actually means I am absorbing the calcium I am getting and my shell is hardening! I have not pooped again, so the vets are tube feeding me less frequently now to make sure my gut does not get too blocked up. Mommy asked to see my x-ray from last Sunday, and I do have some sort of blockage in my gut. My poop last Sunday was a good sign, so hopefully I will poop again soon. I am also getting a little puffy because I have not peed either, so the vets have stopped the fluids for now (but I am still getting lots of soaks). I have also lost more skin on the top of my head, but Mommy has gotten confirmation from multiple sources that there is nothing to worry about there. Mommy is coming to see me again this afternoon and to talk to Dr. B. (the vet we saw when Mommy first brought me in last Sunday). Mommy had originally wanted to bring me home ASAP after that awful call with Dr. W., but now we will wait to see what Dr. B. says. We will keep you posted!

Hello, friends! Mommy was planning to visit me last night, but she ended up not being able to make it. She is very upset that she didn’t get to see me, especially because she definitely can't visit me today. But, Mommy took a tip from Waffles's mom and asked for some pictures of me, and the nice nurse who gave Mommy my daily update sent over several! The nurse told Mommy that everyone at the vet's loves me and thinks I am the cutest patient they have ever had. Who could resist my adorableness? :) The nice nurse told Mommy I am pretty much the same. I am still trying to climb out of my daily soaks and not spitting up the Emeraid Herbivore Critical Care I am being tube fed. Yesterday, I got my deworming in case I have any parasites. Unfortunately, my eyes are still swollen. The nurse is hopeful because I haven't gotten any worse and am still quite lively when I'm awake. Mommy is worried that I am still not opening my eyes, but the nurse says that everything happens slowly with tortles. Hopefully I'll open my eyes soon though!

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!

Hello, friends! We have a lot to share with you. Today, I was so active in my soak that I almost climbed out! Afterwards, I cracked open both my eyes (for the second day in a row!). Mommy was thrilled, but she insisted I still go to the vet. On the way to the vet, I pooped--for the first time since I last ate, weeks ago! So we got to give the vet a very fresh (and tiny) stool sample. The vet was very concerned when she saw me. Since I stopped eating (and thus stopped getting calcium), my plastron has gotten soft. As Mommy already knew, I have also lost a lot of weight. I now weigh even less than when I first met Mommy--and I was noticeably smaller then! The vet wants me to stay with her for a week. She is going to give me an x-ray, syringe feed me, and give me fluids and calcium. Mommy has expressly forbidden the vet from giving me a vitamin A injection without Mommy's permission first because vitamin A injections can be fatal (and I am clearly not even close to needing one). Mommy really does not like leaving me at the vet's. But Mommy can't give me those things, and it will be good for me to get constant monitoring and attention. Mommy is kicking herself for not asking to see the enclosure I am staying in at the vet's. The vet says she will call Mommy daily to let her know how I am doing. Mommy is also going to try to see me in the middle of the week. (If the vet center does not let her, Mommy will start screaming until they let her.) We will keep you posted on how I do. Fingers crossed I come home in a week back to normal!

Yesterday, I tried really hard to convince Mommy that I don't need to go to a vet. I cracked open both eyes and ran around even more than usual. Mommy was delighted, but she says I am still going to the vet today. Darn!

Good news: We think the swelling on my eyes is getting better! Hopefully it's the eye drops working and not just Mommy seeing things. (She could be. She's sick, too. :( )

Hello, friends! We're taking a short break* from photos of our visit with friend gckaf last month to give you an update on how I am doing. I am still getting daily baby food soaks and lots of cuddles. I haven't opened my eyes again since Sunday, and I am still not eating. (Even fresh chicory and red-leaf lettuce can't tempt me.) But, I am still active and strong, and I am getting up on my own every day and running around like I normally do--all good signs! Unfortunately, I won't be able to see the vet Mommy would like me to see until Monday. I may go to another vet on Thursday--he is okay, but not that great, so Mommy is worried he might do more harm than good. In the meantime, friend Jovski kindly suggested a teabag eye bath to help me open my eyes: warm chamomile tea dabbed on my eyes multiple times a day, with the teabag squeezed over my eyes or sometimes with a q-tip. Mommy also finally found a pet store near us that has Zoo Med Repti Turtle Eye Drops. The eye drops are supposed to help me open my eyes, so I am now getting 1-2 drops per eye once a day. Thank you to everyone who has sent me get well wishes! We really appreciate your good thoughts, and we are floored by all the love you have shown us! Hopefully we will have good news to share with you soon. * Get excited, friends! We foresee videos and gifs (!) from our visit with friend gckaf's herd of pumpkins!

Good news: I opened both my eyes halfway for a few minutes after today's baby food soak! I even deigned to look at the dandelion leaf Mommy gave me. I'm still not eating, but Mommy is hopeful that I will be back to normal soon. I'm also getting even feistier in my soaks---I know they're good for me, but that doesn't mean I have to like them! Still, Mommy says if I'm not eating by Tuesday, I am going to the vet. After a few minutes, I stretched out my neck as far as I could and demanded neck rubs from Mommy. The nice thing about getting sick is I get lots and lots of cuddles with Mommy!