[too many girls]

You don't want him, do you?

no thank you very much

the only thing you've got that i haven't is the fish and toddler pooh and i've had them already
i have got dog, cat, horse, goat, chicken, duck, goose and sheep pooh....................(nobody in this house would even notice tortoise pooh )

[tode]

I think he's got quite a cute nose (for a tortoise ) 

Maybe you should get to know him better: he may have a lovely personality . . .

[AmandaH]

I think you're right poultrygeist - always best to do what MIL says (if you don't, she talks at you until you give in anyway - and being in Australia wouldn't stop her).

TMG - bit of a poo-fest at your house then?  And I thought I had it bad!

And tode - you would say that, he hasn't bitten your toes!  They say that tortoises don't move fast - rubbish.  Plod can break land speed records when he spots a pair of bare feet.  So it's not a cute nose, that's his evil jaws!

[tode]

You see !  He loves you: nibbling your toes already.     

[Snap Dragon]

We had a tortoise when I was young(er)... we had to give him away as he suffered eye damage during a very cold winter and when he woke up he was blind  ... he couldn't stay in our garden anymore as the pond became a real danger to him!

I do remember he had a good bite on him and could move like the wind when he wanted to.

What a shame your MIL isn't looking for a permanent home for him Amanda, my Mum would have him like a shot... he looks a lovlely tortoise!

[azubah]

He might be a little undernourished. Tortoises are carrion eaters, I believe, so he might like a little cat food. Do check up on that before you give him any, as I would not like to be responisble for giving him a serious case of indigestion. My tortoise was often found scoffing the dog's food with clear enjoyment. The dog was not so happy about it but the tortoise took no notice.
The poor little soul will look a lot happier if he gets an improved diet.

[AmandaH]

Really?  MIL didn't say anything about cat food.  I thought he was strictly veggie!  I am learning so much about tortoises today 

Not looking for a permanent home Snap Dragon, but he could go no holiday until 6 January?  I'll just pick him up on the way to the airport to collect the MIl and FIL...

[Bigblacktaximan]

Well, that was what I assumed TMG.  Our thinking was that, if we keep him in the conservatory, it will be cool enough to make him go to sleep but not too cold (i.e. frosty).  MIL's house doesn't have central heating in all rooms so it's quite a cool house compared to ours, i.e. like our conservatory is.

I was a bit ashamed of my ignorance on tortoise matters when I saw Casey's post - I thought hibernating was what tortoises "did".

And, despite Casey's comment about the heat lamp, he seems to have survived for (about) 20 years without one (spoke to Hubby a while ago - he thinks Plod is 18, so perhaps I should just take him out for a beer?). 

I am a bit confused now as MIL's advice was to keep him in the conservatory as it was cool enough to allow him to sleep on and off - but not too cold so he'll come to any harm and not too warm so it'll keep him awake.

hubby or the tortoise ?

[goosebusters75]

Wish we lived closer-we would have LOVED to have had him....

[AmandaH]

Now there's an idea BBTM - stick them both in the conservatory!

I had no idea tortoises were so popular.  Perhaps I'll auction him off on eBay    Tell MIL he escaped and vanished...

He was scratching to come out of the cat box this morning so I put him out - he's sulking in the garden now and refusing his breakfast.  Never mind, I usually let the chooks out of the run about noon, so he'll soon have some friends to play with!