June 9, 2013

Friday Chompsky


Friday, May 31st, was the first day Chompsky tasted nopal (aka prickly pear cactus pad, Opuntia paddle, etc.).

He loved it:



I started this post on Saturday June 1st to start a habit of posting weekly updates on the little guy.   I can't tell you how fun it was for E and I to interact with the little dude each day.

Google video wouldn't work, so I saved it as a draft.

Unfortunately, Monday AM,  after my run, while he was outside in his outdoor enclosure enjoying some sunshine and dandelions *something* broke in and removed him and his food dish.  Most likely a racoon.

We were devastated.

I didn't post a recap of last week's training because we were in mourning.  E and I have never had a pet together in all of our 12+ years together.  Yet, we bonded to Chompsky and he quickly became a part of our family -- in some ways, it felt like he'd been with us forever.  We each checked on him multiple times a day and reported to the other on on how he was doing.  For people who've never been around tortoises, it's hard to understand, but he had a *great* personality.  He was very friendly, curious, and enjoyed hanging out with us on the couch at the end of the day before he'd start to scratch to let us know he was ready to burrow down for the night.  We've been missing him, and that's my excuse for not posting.

After almost a week of searching, making posters, etc, it's time to accept that he's probably not coming back to us.  So, this post is a memorial to the little guy.

May you be eating all the fruit and nopales your heart desires!

1 comment:

F said...

You'll be missed, Chompsky! You were the cutest tortoise we ever met.