Alucard's Journey

I'll try not to make this introduction too upsetting.

After the sudden and tragic passing of my two year old, Simon, I had an empty enclosure and a beardie sized hole in my heart.

Simon was buried in my front yard, and a red maple tree was planted on her grave site as a memorial. Richter came to show his respects. As time passes, this whole area will be converted into a beautiful garden in her honor. Rest in peace, Simon. You were truly loved.

I'm on day two now and am still grieving horribly, but if I could turn her empty enclosure into a great home for another dragon and give them a good life, why not start now.

Alucard has been introduced to the house. She will never replace Simon and she knows she has big shoes to fill. She was also taken out to pay her respects to Simon's memorial site. She is a normal morph little girl beardie, just like Simon, and has a lot of spunk and a big appetite.

She's about two months old, 8.5", and 32g.
She will inevitably lose the very tip of her tail, but it looks like this is healing well and will not cause her any concern.

I look forward to the love and laughter she brings to me and appreciate her presence turning Simon's home into something positive again.

 

[traildrifterphalanx]

"M'lady"

Kozmo is looking adorable as always! Is that a blueberry? Lol.
Richter's recent sheds lasted quite a while, maybe three weeks?

 

[NBGwen]

I LOVE THE HAT!!!!

 

[traildrifterphalanx]

I think I'll have to get some felt and make more hats and stuff for them :lol:
I can't wait to put the tiny hat on Ja Ja since her crest would help hold it on, but she's so tiny it would eat her face right now

 

[NBGwen]

:lol: The visual of a hat eating a chameleon face...

I need to get Charlie a hat. He would be so dashing...

 

[traildrifterphalanx]

"not my face, nuuuuuuuu!!"

She was enjoying some window time. I bought this house particularly because of the giant bay window in the living room for my cat, but so far every pet (minus the frogs) have loved this window, even the new addition. She kept trying to run* (*chameleon version of run) to the window to look out. I allowed it to finally happen and she scaled the screen just like the dragons :lol: Luckily I can stick her safely in the pothos in the window and she had a blast.

One day she will wear a tiny hat.

Any place that sells crafts or doll stuff probably will have a bunch of tiny hats

 

[NBGwen]

*SQUUEEEEEEEEEEEE* She is soooo cute!!! I'm dying...I now need a chameleon.

Won't be happening any time soon though. We decided this week that we really want a house in the city :shock: We're now panic packing/throwing out/painting/fixing our house to do it. OMG WHAT HAVE I DONE!

 

[traildrifterphalanx]

I found the perfect little beardie glove in Alucards enclosure.

Best of luck with the move!
Once you settle in, it's chameleon time

 

[CooperDragon]

I like when they shed in pieces like that. Is that going to have it's own ornament?

 

[traildrifterphalanx]

I haven't purchased the ornament yet for Alucard (being summer, I don't think a clear bulb would be super easy to find in-store) but I have a collective pile going on top of the enclosure for now. If I can find a really little ornament I may leave the hand to itself in one since it's so cute.
Her last tail piece also came off pretty cleanly but it's a sheet and not a tube, and the rest is basically just scrap pieces

 

[SHBailey]

I think the "okay -- whatever" expression on Alucard's face is even cuter than the hat. :lol:

Some sheds are worth keeping and some not so much. The little glove is definitely a keeper.

Our snake finished a shed a couple of days ago -- not a keeper. My sweet husband cleaned up the terrarium and piled up all the pieces of skin for me so I could examine them for things like eyecaps, etc. -- try to make sure it all came off ok. Sometimes he gets it all off in once piece (not something beardies can ever do) and sometimes not.

You're pretty brave to get a chameleon. I hope you can keep her happy and healthy because I've heard that it's not easy. Looks like so far so good for you -- she's so tiny and so sweet.

Good luck with the move, Gwen. Is it a done deal for the new house yet?

My husband and I keep thinking about looking for another house because this one is NOT hypoallergenic, but then I start thinking about packing up all our stuff and dealing with realtors and... NOOO-O-O...

I love Kozmo's balancing act. :mrgreen:

 

[traildrifterphalanx]

Oh that's totally Richter with the hat on :lol:
He was just finished head bobbing at Alucard and I plopped it on and he was like "...........ok.."

I've heard the same of chameleons as well - being extra fragile and difficult with humidity, etc, and that caused me to not get one for so long.
She just went through her first full body shed already and everything came off perfectly. She eats, and loves the window more than she loves me but she is extremely energetic as far as I can tell and so far so good with health.
My knowledge of beardies and lights really helped prep for a chameleon. She has a reptisun 5.0 T5 bulb and a basking bulb, taken with my laser temp gun. I joined chameleonforums.com before even getting her to run through my set up and take any suggestions, so if god-forbid anything does happen, they have some background on my husbandry already. She eats from my home-grown dubias as well (finally a use for all those nymphs!) and has a compressed squirt bottle from misting, thanks to my pacman frog. I feel prepared.

 

[SHBailey]

Sounds like you've got it all under control.

Hard for us humans to compete with windows when it comes to reptiles that are into heat and light, except that at least we're warm.

 

[traildrifterphalanx]

My little sheddy yeti

 

[KozmoRox]

Love that little hat! Does he have a little guitar to match? Haha! Did you really make it?
You've got your hands full! I cannot imagine having two reptiles, let alone three! And a cat! Kozmo keeps me busy, I literally treat her like my 4th child! She's soooo spoiled! Hubby is severely allergic to fur & feathers, so she is it for us!

@SHBailey, We just moved 6 weeks ago, UGH! It was awful, and I never want to do it again! But it's like childbirth, once the pain is behind you, you forget! Kozmo took it like a champ, never skipped a meal or a nap! And she loves wandering around the new house, we have 3 stories, so I keep her on the main level where it's mostly wood. It's so cute watching her slip and slide everywhere! :lol:

 

[NBGwen]

awww....I love seeing how they shed!

Yeah, after a heart felt talk we decided not to move quite yet. My older child graduates next year (we hope), the next child has 3 years left), the baby starts school in 2 and loves being next door to my parents. I'm outvoted.