It's been almost 2 years!!!

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March 26th is the day we brought Spike home. My 7 year old son picked her out at our local Exotic pet store and named her Spike. She was in an enclosure with other dragons around her size and away from the smaller ones. We were told that the babies she was in with were moved because 'they were growing faster than the rest'. Spike ran right to the front of the glass and started scratching when my son walked by. Needless to say, she got his attention and we took her home. She had a full body shed 3 days off getting her home, too. ('She' does look female (I looked when we brought her home, but not since) Spike is now, roughly 3 months old and weighs 31g at 9 inches long.
We have had some set backs with her lights, which you guys have so graciously helped me with, and her lack of eating for a little while due to her relocation stress, but she is definitely a hearty eater now. BSFL being her favorite.

When we first brought her home:
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Throughout the month:
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New tank:
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Cuteness:
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10 minutes ago, waking up and warming up:
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Sorry for all of the pictures! ^-^ :D
 

smackey2

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
I am not sure which it is about the powder, maybe both, but I will take what I can get! Haha.

The hubby is like that, being able to do math in his head. Our oldest, apparently got that from him. He is having a difficult time learning to read, but put a math problem in front of him and he has the answer faster than anyone. He loves math, so far, and despises reading. I am the complete opposite. It makes me curious how our youngest will be.

In most cases, a heart murmur is innocent. It can sometimes be heard, but doesn't always mean there is an issue. Both of my boys have murmurs, but they are classified as innocent ones. Now, my oldest, his Aorta is slightly smaller than it should be, so we have to be careful if he complains that his chest is hurting, but has nothing to do with the murmur.
My murmur is loud and proud and easily heard, but again, I have a heart condition, so I'll always have it. I do have some complications, like chest pains and what not, but nothing that happens to send up a red flag. I have the EKGs in my history to prove it. That is always the first thing that happens if I have to go to the hospital.

I think most people are animal lovers. And I love the idea what most places allow family members to bring in pets. Shoot, the first nursing home that I worked at actually had two cats that WERE residents. The residents loved to see them and they had free roam of the floor.
My Beagle mix, Reese, I used to take him to work on my days off. I had one specific resident who had Boston Terriers at home that her daughter adopted when she was unable to care for them. So me bringing Reese in always brightened her day. He loved going around and getting treats from the residents able to give them to him.
My last job, we had a resident who could be a handful. She would scratch, claw, kick, and even bite if she could reach. When she got like that, we knew it was time for her son to bring in his dog. Sophia was one of those big Poodles. (Not sure if they have actual names.) She was solid white and oh so fluffy; and a complete joy. We loved to see her come through the door because she did not know a stranger. Sophia would take all the loving she could get and she didn't care who gave it to her. She had to stop by every resident who was still up in the lounge and greet them before going back. After Sophia's visit, that resident was just as calm and sweet as could be for the longest time. It is amazing how people can respond to an animal.

That is part of what I am going through now. Both of my parents are sick. My dad has been fighting cancer for 2 years and as soon as we found out, the hospital was asking if I wanted to put him in a nursing home. Uh, no. Dad may be sick and on oxygen now, but he still cooks, showers, and has his normal routine. Granted, he doesn't drive anymore and my uncle does have to come and cut the grass, but for the most part, he still does relatively well for himself, just a bit slower. When they were asking, Dad was pretty sick and not in his right mind from the medicine. He had to have a g-tube put in his stomach to help with his nutritional needs. He had surgery on his tongue that left him unable to swallow for the longest, but now is perfectly fine.
If I had agreed to that, being his MPOA, he would have lost everything. His home, all his tools in the basement from his days of work, his blazer, four-wheeler, and everything that ever meant anything to him. I am a firm believer in letting someone keep their Independence for as long as possible. If I had agreed, I honestly believe that he wouldn't have recovered. He more than likely would have given up the fight and he wouldn't still be here.

Right now, seeing what my parents are going through, health wise, my biggest fear is that when I get to that point, I do not want to be a prisoner in my own body; if my mind is still there, but my body is basically given up. I don't think I could handle that.
 

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
Funny how math and verbal skills sometimes seem to be mutually exclusive. My husband is able to read at the college level, but it doesn't come easy for him. We sometime joke that if we could combine the verbal part of my brain with the math part of his brain, we might be able to put together a single brain that would actually work pretty well. :mrgreen:

There's a thing called "mitral valve prolapse" that runs in our family, and can apparently cause heart murmurs and heart attack-like symptoms, but it turns out not to be serious. As far as I know, we're not sure which side of the family it comes from though, and whether or not my cousin got it from our side or from his father's side. So far, I haven't seen any evidence of it in myself or one of my sisters. The jury was out for a while about the other sister, but it turned out she was headed down the road to a real heart attack. She has survived, so far -- into her mid 70s now.

Have you heard of the "Eden Alternative"? I don't know a whole lot about it myself, but as far as I've been able to find out, it's a new paradigm for running nursing homes, in which the residents are given as much control as possible over their own situation, and it includes bringing more "life" into the nursing homes in the form of plants, animals, and children, so residents are allowed to have pets within the limits of what is safe and manageable. There are at least two facilities here in Anchorage that are trying to operate according to these principles.

Being a prisoner in my own body is one of my worst fears too, and I'm reaching a point in my life where I'm starting to foresee that as a possibility somewhere in the not too distant future. Good for you for saving what was left of your father's independence for him.

Some bearded dragons would probably make nice "therapy animals" for those who like reptiles. My husband has observed that cuddling our beardie seems to put me in a better mood, so he is more than happy to bring Puff to me for cuddles even when I'm too tired or lazy to haul my extremely heavy body out of the bed or the chair and go get him myself. :oops: It works pretty good with the corn snake too. :love5:
 

smackey2

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
I do agree with the therapy animals, part. I have had a rough week and Spike has been a bit neglected from it.
Tuesday of last week we were told that my Mom's cancer was taking over her liver to the point that there wasn't hardly any left. (My dad also ended up in the hospital that very same day. My mom is fighting stage 4 lung cancer that spread to her liver; and my dad has been fighting stage 4 lung cancer that spread to his throat/mouth/neck (but radiation took care of that for him) for 2 years now). But they gave her, her chemo and immunatherapy treatment anyway. The doctors all told us that she didn't have long left and to be prepared. She refused hospice and to stay in the hospital, so we brought her home. Last week, her liver enzymes were up in the high 400s, one week later, today, she calls to tell me that the chemo and immunatherapy (her very first treatment since we found out about her cancer the end of July) are working. Her enzymes are now down to 170! She is no longer swollen in her stomach, nor is it as tender as it was. Plus, she is now eating again. Today has been a good day and quite the relief I needed.

Poor, Spike. She has been quite amazing for me. I haven't been home much as Mom needed me there with her, and I was going back and forth to the hospital to see My dad, too, but when I would come home, she would just give me this look like "pick me, come on, pick me up" and of course, I would. And she would just snuggle with me, lay on my chest, covered with the blanket, while I watched tv until bed. Don't get me wrong, I love my dogs, and Tweety, but they can be quite noisy at times and I have been slightly on edge this week. So, just having Spike to snuggle and know that she doesn't make noise, made everything a little easier. Plus, I definitely needed the company. My family has come in from out of state and was helping out, but everyone just wants to keep talking and ask how I am, and honestly, I am tired of that question and of answering it. Having the quiet, relaxing time with Spike made all the difference to me. Who would have thought that a scaly little dragon could make things better. I especially love the fact that she always has that 'smile' of hers happening. I don't know if that is a normal dragon thing, a juvenile thing, or just a Spike thing, but I enjoy it.

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smackey2

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Spike also got some much needed new tile the other day, too. The tile I was using was the 2" x 2" mosaic slate from Home Depot... well it came in 12 by 12 squares, but with the white like glue stuff behind all of them, for like the grout to fill in the holes kind of thing. Well, I cut them all off, so her tank was covered in all 2 by 2 squares. They were getting a bit difficult to wash with sooooo many of them lol. 36" long tank and 18" wide.... covered in 2 by 2 squares... yeah. So, I updated her tile to vinyl and she seems to like it. It is a bit slippery, so I think I want to get just one decent size piece of slate to pop in there on top of the vinyl, too. Still slate to keep the nails trimmed and some traction, but not the whole tank again.

And weigh in!
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So I missed last week, but on August 1st, Spike was 126 grams and 12 and a half inches long. Today, 2 weeks later, she is 140 grams and 12 3/4 inches. We are getting closer to 13! Haha.
 

Kitsune

Member
smackey2":3et7fwa2 said:
Spike also got some much needed new tile the other day, too. The tile I was using was the 2" x 2" mosaic slate from Home Depot... well it came in 12 by 12 squares, but with the white like glue stuff behind all of them, for like the grout to fill in the holes kind of thing. Well, I cut them all off, so her tank was covered in all 2 by 2 squares. They were getting a bit difficult to wash with sooooo many of them lol. 36" long tank and 18" wide.... covered in 2 by 2 squares... yeah. So, I updated her tile to vinyl and she seems to like it. It is a bit slippery, so I think I want to get just one decent size piece of slate to pop in there on top of the vinyl, too. Still slate to keep the nails trimmed and some traction, but not the whole tank again.

And weigh in!
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So I missed last week, but on August 1st, Spike was 126 grams and 12 and a half inches long. Today, 2 weeks later, she is 140 grams and 12 3/4 inches. We are getting closer to 13! Haha.

I also use a combination of Home Depot slate tile - it really does get annoying trying to make all of the pieces fit! I do have a corner where I gave up and it's just paper towels :roll:

(Not to turn this into an enclosure thread, but is there a disadvantage to doing an entirely slate tank?)
 

smackey2

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
You know, I really don't know. I know it gave Spike better traction and did help with keeping her nails trimmed down and no pointy bits that could scratch us, but in my opinion, along with it being a pain to clean, her nails were getting a bit short from all the running around and what not that she did. I also had cloth laid down in places to help, but she always moved them around.

For a baby/juvenile, I can see the possible harm to the nails in the sense of getting too short. Spike is quite active, so hers were getting pretty short and she was having a harder time climbing on her decor in her tank. As an adult, who isn't as active, maybe it wouldn't trim down their nails as much, I don't know. Maybe someone will a little more experience could help more.
 

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
Sorry to hear that you've got both of your parents dealing with cancer -- troubles always seem to come in bunches. But at least you have Spike to provide you with some emotional support in the form of quiet snuggles. She looks so cute and cozy wrapped up in her fuzzy blanket (the colors remind me of neapolitan ice cream -- I guess you can tell where my head is at :wink: ).

BTW, we have Puff's enclosure lined with paper towels and terry cloth towels -- nothing much in the way of rough surfaces to wear down his nails, and we get them trimmed at the vet (our vet does it for no additional cost when we bring him in for an exam or whatever). He's not very active, but his nails don't seem to grow very fast, so it works out ok. I got some nail clippers for him but I'm afraid to use them myself -- his little claws are so tiny and I don't have a very steady hand, and my vision isn't quite what it used to be either. I'd had some concerns about him snagging his claws on the terry cloth, but that doesn't seem to be a problem. If it does start happening, it just lets us know that it's about time for a trim. :)
 

smackey2

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
So things around here have been a little out of sorts. Too much happening all at once and not enough time to get everything accomplished.

Spike is doing well, still eating like normal and being her little character self.
Although, she isn't growing nearly as fast anymore. She seems to have stopped, sort of. On August 15th, the last time I was able to actually get a good measurement and weight, she was 12 inches and 3/4 long and 140 grams. Today, she is 13 1/8 inches long but only 152 grams. I don't know if her weight is slowing down and she is catching up in length or what.

She is still active, alert, loves her cuddles, still eating her dubia twice a day, but she is just a tiny little one. I guess maybe she is just going to be a little lizard. Or maybe, in the next couple of months she might have a growth spurt, I don't know.

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She was grumpy this morning cause my youngest was watching while I weighed her and moving around like the energetic 3 year old he is. So, lol this is Spike's grumpy look.

Also, it has officially been 5 months that I have had Spike, so estimating that she is roughly 6 months old now.
 

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
It sounds like Spike is doing well, and she looks good too, but little beardies just seem to love to drive their humans slaves crazy by growing at their own rate and in their own way -- anything but what you expect. :wink:
 

smackey2

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
So, it has been a little bit since I was on here.
Life as decided to throw me a few curve balls lately.
My laptop decided to finally give up, so for my birthday, the hubby surprised me with a new gaming desk top. I am addicted to WoW. Haha.
And unfortunately, my Mom passed away on the 16th, the day before my birthday, and her funeral was Thursday the 21st. So with everything going on, I haven't had much of a chance for anything really.

Spike is still good, however. Her basking bulb burned out this morning, but luckily I always have her MVB on hand for when something like that might happen. She is still spunky as ever and full of energy. At nights, she has taken a liking to my youngest son giving her good night cuddles while they relax on the couch together. Spike loves laying on his chest, snuggled under his neck while he plays on his tablet. And supervised, of course. :)

My little butterball is just that. Haha. She doesn't seem to be growing much now, but her tail is getting blurry again so I am wondering if a shed is about to happen. Her appetite hasn't changed any though. She still eats twice a day, per her refusing the 3rd feeding, and eating about 10-15 medium dusted dubia at a time.

I am going to try a weight and measurement this evening to see where she is at.

I also just took some pictures a few minutes ago to add in with the update.
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Sometimes her little belly looks so huge and then other times she looks nice and slim. I don't know if it is how she stands or is laying, or maybe just the angle I am looking, but I still consider her my little butterball. The kids have taken to calling her 'Chubster' lol.
 

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
Sorry to hear about your mom. Life does seem to throw you curves, and usually several of them at once, unfortunately.

Actually, one of those "curve balls" is the reason we have our reptiles. 19 years ago I bought my first house and moved in with 2 cats, 2 ferrets, and a gerbil, planning to surround myself with furry little critters and live out the rest of my life as a happy single career woman, then about 2 months later I fell in love for the first time in my life (at the age of 41, believe it or not) with a man who is severely allergic to anything with fur, and married him 6 months later. That's how we ended up being reptile people, because life threw me a curve... :mrgreen: Things have a way of working out, but usually not the way you expect.

Nice of your husband to get you a new computer to replace the one that gave up. And it's always a good idea to have extra light bulbs on hand for your beardie in case one of the really important ones burns out on you.

Spike looks healthy and happy, and also looks like she enjoys sitting on your hand, and learning to enjoy bedtime cuddles too.

Beardie bellies can look round and full right after they've had a big meal, and then look flat and skinny right after a big poop -- it can depend just as much on what's in there as what position they're in or what angle you're looking at them from. And then what further complicates things is that they're capable of puffing themselves up to look about twice their normal size when they want to intimidate someone, or spreading themselves out like a wide flat pancake when they're basking and want to soak up as much heat and light as possible. It all makes it pretty complicated to try and figure out what your beardie's normal size is supposed to be, although weighing them and measuring their length does take a little bit of the guesswork out of it. :?
 

smackey2

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Soo.... It has been a while since I have posted. I have been keeping up and reading on the board, but nothing really on mine.

October 26th, will make 6 months that I have had Spike, so she is roughly 7 months old, give or take a bit.
Spike is still 13 inches long and weighing in at 160 grams. I was a little concerned about her size, but I made another post and Ellen was nice enough and reassured me that Spike's weight is quite proportionate to her length and that she looked very healthy.

A few days after that post, I realized that Spike was shedding. When I woke that morning her beard had exploded. Now, she is currently in a full body shed. Her tail and part of her back is finished, now her belly is peeling along with a bit of her head. Not so much her legs, but I have a feeling those will happen soon too.

She is still as "smiley" as ever, loves her dubias, doesn't care for her salads, worships her basking bulb, and is quite the spunky little one.

These are the most recent pictures I have of her:
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SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
She looks healthy to me too, and at 7 months, she's still got some time to grow, But even if she ultimately turns out smaller than average, that won't mean that she's not still normal and healthy.

You could be describing our 5 year old beardie when you say "loves dubias, doesn't care for salads, and worships light bulbs". :lol:
 

smackey2

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Spike is definitely spunky. Haha.

She loves her some dubias, but I did get an awful mean glare from her earlier today. I always offer fresh salad even though she never touches it, so I just toss it in the bug bin. Today, I guess I must have squished one of the dubia too hard when I got it out of the feeding dish and green liquid started to come out of its mouth. Well, as soon as Spike got it in her mouth and I guess tasted the greens the bug was munching on, she spit the half chewed bug back out at me. I got the stink eye like crazy.
I was amused, but she was not.
And after that, she carefully eyed each dubia before deciding to eat it.
 

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
:lol: :lol: :laughhard:

Sounds like that one really REALLY hates anything green.

I know of a number of adult beardies (our own included) who seem to manage to stay reasonably healthy while blatantly disobeying the conventional 80% veggies/20% protein rule ("I don't want any of those yucky greens! Feed me a worm!" etc), so you should know that it won't necessarily be the end of the world if Spike doesn't ever outgrow her hatred of green food. :wink:
 
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I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
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i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

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