Ash

My son decided six weeks ago that he wanted a fish tank or a turtle or maybe a lizard. We started looking at lizards (I've done fish and didn't want to go that route again) and we fell in love with Ash. My son agreed that Ash could be his early birthday present and so we brought him home. It didn't take long for that little guy to find his way into our hearts. He had bright yellow around his eyes, would run out from where ever he was when my son called his name, and would hang at the edge of his cage and watch the television when my son played guitar hero. From the time we brought him home he has really been right. We worked really hard to create the right environment - got rid of the sand and got carpet instead - got a bigger tank - got the lights just right - fed him the best veggies we could find - but he was sick and we didn't know it.

As a warning - if your beardies beard goes pitch black there is something wrong. The vet told us that "black means death".

He was really sick this morning and we rushed him to Colorado State Univ. Veterinary Clinic - we spent all day there - he went through surgery - thought he was going to be okay - we came home and got a call from the vet about twenty minutes after we got home (about an hour away) - Ash's heart stopped while I was on the phone with them. My son is devastated. He says his heart has been torn in two.