For starters, I would like to introduce you to Mr. Sherman. He is a Florida Gopher Tortoise.
He first appeared on our property in the early '70s. My father was a Sherman tank commander in WWII
and he named this gopher Sherman after his tank. He has come and gone over the years, building up to
10-15 burrows a year. I have not seen him in about 7 years or so. He roams freely among the 15 wooded
acres here. It was good to see him still around and kicking when so many gopher tortoises have contracted
the lung disease that has literally wiped out thousands of gophers in Florida. A healthy gopher tortoise can
live 70-80 years with a good habitat.
Anyway, I noticed Mr. Sherman at the edge of my woods today and it appeared he was having difficulty
with his forward momentum. I went to check him out more closely and noticed a "notch" in his shell that
was catching small vines. Gophers are often attacked by the local dogs and coyotes and suffer shell damage
that usually heals over like a smashed thumbnail. So I gathered up Mr. Sherman to figure out how to fix
his shell. It was not an open wound, more like a "hang nail" that we humans have from time to time.
I didn't want to cut it off with nippers for fear of opening a wound that could possibly get infected.
sooooooo broke out the 5 minute EPOXY PUTTY !!! LOL made a quick patch and held Mr. Sherman in a box
until it set up and put him back in the yard with some honeydew melon scraps and he is happy happy happy.
Not easy to get a smooth patch on an animal flailing four feet with claws !!! But it should hold for awhile.
Next time I see him and the patch is gone, I will just clip it smooth and apply some first aid cream and let it go.
A notch that bad could very well get him tangled so badly that he may not survive the stress.
My good deed for the day is done !! LOL
update: After seeing the two white spots crawling around the edge of the woods, I took a can of
dark gray spray paint and gave the gopher's repairs a touchup - so he will not be an easy target for predators.
Now he has the ultimate natural camo job LOL
He first appeared on our property in the early '70s. My father was a Sherman tank commander in WWII
and he named this gopher Sherman after his tank. He has come and gone over the years, building up to
10-15 burrows a year. I have not seen him in about 7 years or so. He roams freely among the 15 wooded
acres here. It was good to see him still around and kicking when so many gopher tortoises have contracted
the lung disease that has literally wiped out thousands of gophers in Florida. A healthy gopher tortoise can
live 70-80 years with a good habitat.
Anyway, I noticed Mr. Sherman at the edge of my woods today and it appeared he was having difficulty
with his forward momentum. I went to check him out more closely and noticed a "notch" in his shell that
was catching small vines. Gophers are often attacked by the local dogs and coyotes and suffer shell damage
that usually heals over like a smashed thumbnail. So I gathered up Mr. Sherman to figure out how to fix
his shell. It was not an open wound, more like a "hang nail" that we humans have from time to time.
I didn't want to cut it off with nippers for fear of opening a wound that could possibly get infected.
sooooooo broke out the 5 minute EPOXY PUTTY !!! LOL made a quick patch and held Mr. Sherman in a box
until it set up and put him back in the yard with some honeydew melon scraps and he is happy happy happy.
Not easy to get a smooth patch on an animal flailing four feet with claws !!! But it should hold for awhile.
Next time I see him and the patch is gone, I will just clip it smooth and apply some first aid cream and let it go.
A notch that bad could very well get him tangled so badly that he may not survive the stress.
My good deed for the day is done !! LOL
update: After seeing the two white spots crawling around the edge of the woods, I took a can of
dark gray spray paint and gave the gopher's repairs a touchup - so he will not be an easy target for predators.
Now he has the ultimate natural camo job LOL
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