Busy week at Rosebud's house

Well, this has been a very busy week with new rescues coming in. I got in a couple of very interesting critters and thought I'd share pics.

This first one is a Bibron's gecko that I actually took in from another shelter a few months ago. he has been assessed by the vet. The mass is a tumor and we are scheduled to remove it this week. If he survives, I am sure he will be very relieved! :?



This little guy came in this week. He is a Desert Horned Lizard, a phrynosoma platyrhinos that originates in Arizona. He is not one of the protected or endangered species of DHL, but all DHL species are very delicate and difficult to keep alive in captivity, especially if they are not fed ants. He was rescued off of craigs list by a friend and fellow rescue person who doesn't really do reptiles and knows my work. She asked me to take him and rehab him. He was fed nothing but crx for who knows how long, and the state of his health is proof that a non ant diet is fatal for these guys. He weighs less than half of what he should, but he is eating his ants like crazy, is in the most quiet and secluded place in my house, and is under a megaray. I expect him to beef up just fine over time. :wink:




Finally, this guy is a Mexican Spiny Tail Iguana that a lady found wandering her appartment complex parking lot. He is oiled and has tar spots all over him, probably from hiding under cars and even in the engines of cars. He is very thin, and was dehydrated when I first got him, but he is slowly improving, especially as I get more of the crud off of him. Oil removal has to be done very carefully to keep the stress level down. He has had two baths so far, and I will probably have to bathe him a few more times before he is clean. Here is what he looked like after his first bath on Friday:



Here is the handsome boy after his second, more intense bath yesterday.




Now listen, yall. The ig cannot stay! :lol: He will grow to over 4 ft, usually 5 PLUS FEET LONG and more massive than a LARGE green iggie. He already has a home with a very dear friend in Austin who has a good sized spread. :wink:

The Bibron's wil either stay or be placed up for adoption depending on his condition after surgery, and the DHL is here for life! :lol: So, if yall have name suggestions for the two keepers, lemme know. :wink:

i love the horned lizard.. has he squirted blood at you yet?

very cute critters!!

:lol: No squirting blood so far. He is supposed to be cb, so he is calmer than typical wc DHLs. They say that they rarely squirt blood at people, but do often squirt at small mammals like cats and dogs. I guess they sense that its just over if a critter as big as a person wants to get them, but the defense thing might still work with a smaller beastie. :lol:

4 foot lizard... WOW!!!!!!

You have such a big and caring heart!

Hello Donna,

They ALL are awesome. The DHL are so neat, I have always wanted one. They are so tiny, too. They are also known as horny toads or horned lizards. They are georgeous! They are not as numerous as they once were in Oklahoma or Texas anymore.
The poor gecko, I hope the surgery goes well for him in removing that large tumor!
The Rock iguana is beautiful too. He will be huge, geez! I am sure you will find a home for him. Good luck getting ALL of that oil off of him, poor guy.

GREAT job with them all.


Tracie

Wow, you sure had your hands full this past week!

Poor little gecko. That tumor has got to be so uncomfortable on the side of his head. Wishing you, and him, good luck with the surgery.

I can't believe the iggy was that filthy! He must've been living in/under cars for a long time. He must be feeling so much better after the baths.

I swear, you are a god's send to rescue critters. Without you, these three guys wouldn't have a home right now and probably would be on their death bed.

Wow, that poor little gecko! He'll be so glad to have that thing off of his face. When is he going in for surgery? I'll be thinking of you.

He is going to the vet on Friday, so I should know something by Friday evening. The Ig is being picked up this weekend to go to his new home. I'll miss him! One day, I want one of these! :mrgreen:

The little DHL has gained 2 grams since I got him last wednesday. I know that doesn't sound like much, but he is up from only 14 grams. :? he still has a long way to his target weight of 40 grams, but at least he didn't drop two. :wink:

:evil: Mean, mean Donna! Sending away my new iggie! Oh well, I guess you have to. But I still get to name him! I name him...Benito! :wink: Because he has been blessed with a new life.

As for the other two, I've been doing some :study: research and have come up with a couple of possibilities.
DHL- Kenta- Japanese name meaning "healthy and plump". Which he soon will be, living with you.
Necahual- Nahuatl Indian name meaning "survivor". Describes him pretty well, I think.

Bibron Gecko- Valerian- Greek name meaning "healthy and strong"
Haloa- Hawaiian name meaning "long life"
Saha- Sanskrit name meaning "enduring, mighty" (Sahara- mighty desert)
All three names are unisex, so can be used by either a boy or a girl. They all convey a sense of a successful outcome this Friday. And it's important for him/her to have a name, something you can use to pray with. Even if the name is changed at a later date, at least for now, the name would bring luck and good karma.

Then i choose Valerian, Val for short! :mrgreen:

Lemme ponder the DHL names a bit more. I like the idea of an indian name since he's Native American. :wink:

Hi, Donna!
How's Val doing? Any news yet?

Frances, I hope you have some pull upstairs, cuz little Val is going to need it. As I feared, the tumor was very vascular. He did fine with the anesthetic that Dale had researched. But he lost a significant amount of blood, and Dale could not get all of the tumor. He has Val on oxygen through the night, and has sent the tumor off to the lab. If he survives the night, I will be tubing him to try to build his blood back up, and we will have to wait on the lab to know if the tumor is cancerous. If it is, we probably don't have too much hope since some of it is inoperable. He can survive if it is benign, but he might need surgery every so often to remove it if it comes back. I don't know if its fair to make him live with such a thing either way, but I will wait for the labs.

So, not great newsfor Val, but Sparky went in for a check up today and got a big thumbs up! We have gone two months and NO infection! We might have finally licked that horrible bug! He was mad though, and tried to climb my head while I was driving home, but I told him it was my shoulder or the floor. He decided to curl himself around my neck and be still like a good boy. :lol:

Hello Donna,

Oh that is too bad about Val. I am hoping that it is not cancerous. Poor guy. He could still have a good life if it is non cancerous though, unless it kept coming back often.
Great news about Sparky though! He has come a long long way, thanks to you.
You have already sent the Iggie away, poor thing! At least he is all clean now though, that is super.
The DHL sounds like he is doing well now, he is so pretty.

Great job, girl! :mrgreen:


Tracie

Actually, ig is still here because his ride fell through, and we, me and his new owner, a dear friend, are calling him Hoss! :lol: I still can't get him to eat anything but silks, and I am running out! I set up a different kind of basking spot today. Apparently these guys are more terrestrial than green igs and prefer flat surfaces for basking. They really prefer rocks and cliffs, but hey, we have to make do with what we have and what we have is a plank! :lol: It ain't pretty, but he seems to like it. :wink:






I really wish he would start wolfing down the tort pellets, salad, and maybe some supers! He has caviar tasts on my tuna budget! :lol:

Rosebud":74aa8 said:

We might have finally licked that horrible bug!

Click to expand...

i hope your kicking it, not licking it! :lol: