Darwin

CooperDragon

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Decided to give camping a try so I can bring Darwin along on weekend trips to the river. Weather was nice and we just picked up a new travel bag so it seemed like a good weekend for a test. He slept for the drive up and stayed in his carrier in the tent without issue and woke up around his normal time. He took a little longer to get going than normal but he didn't have his lights so that's no big deal. He got some time in the sunlight and ate breakfast.

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Then he handled a boat ride really well and we hung out on the beach. He was really curious and wandered around a bit and took a swim in the mississippi. He spent some time in the sun and some time in the leanto. He seemed to be really enjoying it. Nice bright orange beard all day and was acting like he was in a good mood. Slept well in his carrier the second night and same beach time the next day so everything went really well. As long as the weather holds up it looks like he will enjoy coming to the river on weekends! I think it was a good adventure to add to his enrichment and quality of life.

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Hanging out on my back to get a better view.
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Went to the vet this morning and had another blood test done. Not expecting anything bad but I want to keep a record of how his systems are functioning. He was very stubborn about providing a fecal sample so we didn't get a good test for that this time unfortunately. Of course he had a nice big poop as soon as we got home :banghead: :roll:
 

neilkd21

Hatchling Member
Looks like he is guarding the beer in the cooler lol.

Looks like he enjoyed it. We tried taking our cheeky down to the beach the other weekend and he didn't enjoy it, unfortunately we don't get the weather here most of the year to be outside much so seems ok in our garden but not the beach.
 

sweetiepie9

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I'm so glad Darwin enjoyed his camping adventure, he looks so well and happy! And all that sunshine is only going to make him feel better. I don't take mine out, I have a chair on my balcony that I put a beach towel on, they get time every day in the sunshine, at least 1/2 hour each. Works out great.

Loved the pictures, he really enjoyed being on the beach & love that carrier he has. I'm sure he's going to enjoy future weekends away from home :D
 

Betty53218

Hatchling Member
Darwin looks so happy to be out and about! Smaug went into brumation a couple weeks ago, so he's not getting to enjoy the great outdoors at the moment. Don't know why he decided to go to sleep at such a beautiful time of the year when he could be outside almost every day. He loves to explore in the woods, on his leash and with me very close by of course. Seems like no matter how big their viv is, you might as well be putting them in a shoebox after running around the house or exploring outside. Smaug usually starts trying to jump out of my hands when I get near the door of the house. He really seems to know that he's going inside and wants no part of it.
 

CooperDragon

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They certainly do get a bit spoiled when they have access to adventures and more space. That's a good thing though. Makes me wonder how sufficient our artificial enclosures are for them. I feel fortunate to be able to provide Darwin with time and space to explore and exercise. I'm sure Smaug enjoys it too. I hope he doesn't sleep for too long.
 

CooperDragon

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Not a whole lot new to report. Darwin is still seemingly quite healthy and his weight is holding steady at around 570g. He did well on another camping trip and then he was on his own for a week while we were out of town. Our friends stop by and take good care of him but he got noticeably bummed out and hid a lot. Back to normal as soon as we got back and he was on his regular routine. I think he's finally become attached to the hoomans (or at least his routine). Heading to his favorite place this weekend on Leech Lake in MN. He had the best time ever there last summer so I'm hoping he remembers and enjoys it again this year.
 

sweetiepie9

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I'm so glad he's doing so well. And being attached to his hoomans isn't a bad thing. I hope he enjoys his next trip, too.
 

CooperDragon

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sweetiepie9":yzq5pqop said:
I'm so glad he's doing so well. And being attached to his hoomans isn't a bad thing. I hope he enjoys his next trip, too.
Thanks! How is your clan doing?
 

sweetiepie9

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Cierra, Castiel and Nathaniel are brumating, yes they start mid summer. Imp is doing well, finally gaining weight as long as I feed him every day (even though he's almost 2 years old.) He has a very fast metabolism, first I've ever seen in a beardie and loses weight very quickly if I'm not careful.

Gabriel is still with me, even though the aneurysm in his belly is still growing. He's gained over 50g just from the pool of blood. He gets Serrepeptase every day now and manages to walk across the living room daily (exercise) and sits in the sun with my dog.
 

CooperDragon

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I'm glad to hear you have Imp stabilized. Such a unique situation with him. Also glad to hear Gabriel is still hanging in and has a decent quality of life. He's quite the fighter. I can't imagine the aneurism is much fun for him but it's good that he's still getting about.
 

sweetiepie9

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I'm amazed at Gabriel, how well he's doing. You can see that it's bothering him on his right side, that side of his face is different than the left and the right eye doesn't open very well. Even so, he likes to climb things in the living room and get out on the balcony. I snuggle him as often as I can as I know he won't be with me a whole lot longer.

He and my dog Bella really get along well. He loves to sit on the balcony with her in the sunshine:
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And in the living room he loves to climb on the big giraffe stuffie my granddaughter left behind:
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I really need to get a scale, but I think Imp is now over 400g. I treated him for parasites and now he's clear, so that's good. He actually has a bit of a belly, which was great to see. It's nice to see a belly on him, even if it's not very big, it's still so much bigger than b4, after the winter his belly was less than flat.
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CooperDragon

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Trip to Minnesota was a big hit again. He was great in the car both ways (about 9 hrs total with stops each way). He got a treat of his favorite (only one he's tried) maple walnut ice cream and he took one lick and started attacking the cone with some excitement. I didn't give him more than a couple of licks of course but it was fun to see his excitement about the annual treat. Weather was colder but he still got out into the canoe once and had some time outside by the lake on and off. Weather here has gotten really hot again recently (99 heat index at the moment) so he got another camping trip this past weekend and did well. Enjoyed one more boat ride and some beach time for the season.

He was acting a bit lazy yesterday and today he hasn't come out of his tank. Very sleepy and only poked his head out from under his log briefly. Unusual behavior for him but he did show interest in a BSFL when I brought it to him so he's OK just sleepy for some reason. I've been mostly letting him be and check on him frequently. I hope this phase doesn't last too long.
 

sweetiepie9

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It's winter slow down & brumation, its already affecting alot of dragons. I have 3 already asleep and Imp is now getting very lazy. Gabriel is as usual, just goes to sleep earlier in the day. If you don't want him to brumate, then turn his hide right side up and leave his lights on, that way, he'll be up every am so he can still eat, but can go to bed earlier in the late afternoon. I hate this time of year for dragons and owners, there are so many things rescues could have, but that's what it usually is.

Gabriel's not allowed to brumate because of the aneurysm. Imp because he loses weight too quickly, so his lights stay on, too. I get him up early in the am so he can get a few hours of UVB, as he still needs to eat worms/dubia/greens every day or he loses weight very quickly. I've never seen a dragon process his food like this, but the daily feeding is working, he's got more weight on.
 

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