Days with the Dorans

Poor Morty- he hasn't eaten in forever. I feel like I've tried so many different things but thought maybe he'd like a bigger crib. I reached out to my brother, we went to Home Depot, and he made this great space for my favorite tortoise! I've even taken Morty to the vet. She said that he had some pinworms in his stool but that should just go away on his own! She trimmed his beak and nails but he's still not eating.  In addition to that, I now have a UVB light. I had one for Norbert but didn't know tortoises need them. I do now so I remedied that. We also take him out daily for real sun. He's loving burrowing (I mean I have to DIG to find him- can you see him?) but I am really concerned about his eating. He hasn't pooped AT ALL since the vet. I just hope that he's getting enough water in his soaks!

So just like I joined my "Bearded Support Group," I also joined a "Russian Tortoise Support Group" to be a better mom to Morty. I have been worried about his lack of appetite so took him to the vet where he got a beak trim, nail trim and I learned he had pinworms!! YIKES!! They said the worms weren't something to worry about and that they'd go away on their own so now I just wait I guess. In the meantime, I've been trying to take him to the lake (free of chemicals) for him to hang out and get some real rays! You'd be surprised how fast a tortoise can go! I also decided to finally get some new fish. I had a lone bottom feeder left and decided it was time to fill it up again. I love watching our tank so got these beauties!! And then there's Norbert... I had heard bad things about the carpet I put in there and someone said that sand was the way to go- so what did I do? Got plexiglass cut to the dimensions of his crib, made a ...

We have had the CRAZIEST winter. Too cold, Too windy. Too snowy. Jeff's school (in particular) was closed so much it felt like there was a stretch where he never worked a full week. The worst was when strong winds knocked out our power. I wasn't so worried about us (we could layer up but I was REALLY worried about our animals. The reptiles need their heat lamps and the birds are in the coldest room of the house. I sent Jeff to the store to get a generator but when he came back the power was on. We agreed to leave it in the car in hopes we could return it. Well the power went out again in the middle of the night and so we got up and unboxed the generator. After we put the oil in and put the parts together we saw a warning not to put it too close to the house CO poisoning and don't put it in snow or rain because it can cause fire!! (There was snow EVERYWHERE!!!) With the threat of CO poisoning and/or fire, we decided dead animals (although awful) were bett...

We've taken Morty out a few times now that the weather is nice and it is fun to watch him go.  He really can motor when he wants to.  I think the fresh air and natural sunshine is probably good for him.  He loves to climb so after some sun he usually heads for the hills! After he climbs though, Z usually picks him up and gives him a squeeze.  I have told Z that he can't give Morty any kisses but assured him that Morty can feel Z's love when he pets his shell. Z is funny and always telling us about Morty and what he's thinking and how he's feeling.  Sean was sure that Morty was going to climb a tree (which was quite funny).  I'm pretty sure that Morty wanted to climb a tree after a while and relax in the sun or the shade.  He likes when Z rubs his neck but after all this excitement I think he was ready for a break! He stayed out for quite a while and then the boys were back to riding bikes so they put him back in his home.  I'm sure ...

We had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend and to say that it was hard to go back to school was an understatement.  Perhaps the best part about the weekend was that we didn't have any baseball!  It was so nice to hang out as a family and not have to race from one field to another texting each other updates. There was of course baseball in the yard, Joe and Al teaching the Littles Patriotic songs while  sporting their homemade hats (I am horrible and didn't get a picture with Ali in her's), food and of course fun at the lake.  We (or should I say the Boys) got all the stuff in the lake (boats/ dock/ hoists...) and then we relaxed and just enjoyed the lake.  We also had our friends (newlyweds that I (STRESS ON THE I) set up), Angie and Ty over.  Thankfully we survived the evil swans and it was a great start to what will be many more summer days at the lake. One of the other huge highlights of the weekend was that Jeff and I actually accomplished some...

Zach had been talking for MONTHS about wanting a turtle for his 5th birthday and no matter what other cool toys we may have seen, he always stuck with wanting that turtle.  I actually liked it because any time he would complain or not clean his room I would say, "I don't know if you're ready for a turtle..." and he would quickly do whatever it was he needed to do without argument.  As his birthday drew closer, the reality that we would be getting Z a turtle started to settle in.  Since his birthday was on a Monday, on Saturday I took my mom and we made a trip to the pet store to learn about turtles... I knew that Z wanted a sea turtle (one that swam in the water) but after I learned all that was involved (basking rock, special filters, special foods...) and that they lived a LONG time, I started to wonder what I would do... That's when I spied some tortoises and asked about them.  They needed little care, ate veggies and dandelions, and you could ta...