Dig Her up for Vet Visit? Or Wait and See?

[AHBD]

Haha, looks a little tubby but then she has that belly up against the glass like that.

 

[jclee]

Yes, the angle's not doing her any favors. And she had already lost some weight by then, in defense of the charming little darling.

 

[xp29]

Yes, the angle's not doing her any favors. And she had already lost some weight by then, in defense of the charming little darling.

I love thise photos. She looks to have a ton of personality.

 

[jclee]

What timing! She's back up. She went down about 2 weeks ago. She went down when local weather shifted from an incredible heatwave into much cooler temps and I had to switch from the bulb wattage that I use in Summer to the higher wattage bulb that I use in Winter. I'd been worrying for a while before I finally posted to the forum, and now, as if by magic, she's back up!

I will give it a day or two to make sure she's not going to turn around and go right back under, and then I will call the new vet to establish care and drop off a fecal. She is overdue, and I would prefer to know that I've got someone who has seen her that I can call if any medical concerns arise.

Hopefully, she'll either go back to not-brumating through summer (as was the case before) or I can at least get into a routine of annual fecals so that I don't have to worry if/when she does decide to brumate.

What a relief!!!

 

[AHBD]

They often surprise us , nothing is set in stone. But yes, a drastic change in temps either up or down can cause aestivation generally if it's too hot or trigger brumation , even a temporary one . She might be up for a while now or go back to sleep soon, or later in the year.

 

[jclee]

Yes, I suppose it's one thing to "know" that, and another to experience it. I think I tried to rationalize and think through the options for a while before I decided to post here. The thought that the temp swing caused it and it might not last long had crossed my mind, but after almost 2 weeks of waiting, I decided I needed to reach out for advice and/or reassurance. I am really glad I did (and thank you to all who offered it!), but I am also really, really glad that she's back up now. I just hope it stays that way. (Fingers crossed).

 

[AHBD]

Btw you have some amazing critters ! Crested gecko, leopard gecko ,guinea pig, jumping spider, dart frog [ I think ] mantis . What were the other geckos or things I missed ?

 

[jclee]

Oh, I've got... a lot. I've got about as much as I can comfortably fit into display vivaria that take up much of my livingroom.

Some are adoptees/rescues/rehomes (mostly the reptiles), while others are things I've sought out from breeders. I've kept reptiles, amphibians, and inverts (mostly) since the 90s, and I finally have stable enough life circumstances to do a little more with this hobby than I used to. (There's always something more/different to do. That is one thing I love about keeping plants and animals.)

I've always got a list of species that I hope to get (I call it my "Some Day List,") but I'm rarely in a rush to get something new. Sometimes critters find me, though, whether it was what I had planned or not. That was how I wound up with Cleo (the dragon). I pet sat for a friend-of-a-friend who, like many, was feeling a little overwhelmed as she learned more about what a dragon needs (after having been misled by a big box store) and she asked whether I would adopt her. Cleo's first human really meant well and wanted to do right by her, and ... well... I think it was just meant to be. I really am glad that she is with me.

Anyway, here's the full list of my current critters:
*apologies for any species names - it just means I've forgotten a common name along the way or there are a ton of common names out there, so it gets confusing
2 guinea pigs
2 leopard geckos (kept separately)
1 bearded dragon
1 gargoyle gecko
1 crested gecko
8 mourning geckos
1 yellow spotted climbing toad
2 epipedobates tricolor
3 fire bellied toads
3 yellow bellied toads
2 hermit crabs (purple pinchers)
1 African twig mantis
2 Mantis religiousa (separate)
1 Phidippus johnsoni
2 regal jumping spiders (separate)
1 white crab spider
2 Opae ula
2 velvet spiders (one Eresus walkeneri and one E. moravicus, separate)
uncounted: vampire crabs (Geosesarma bogorensis) and isopods: purple ghost, giant canyon, panda king, dwarf whites (1 of the isopod species is in a display viv, while the rest are in bins)

I also have a vivarium devoted to some small, tropical carnivorous plant species that don't need dormancy. I've been getting more and more into the plant side of keeping vivaria over the years. But in a 2 bedroom rental, I am out of space to start any new projects unless I have an (unfortunate) vacancy. My African twig mantis (Popa spurca) is actually getting to live out her senior days in an 18x18x24 enclosure, since I had a vacancy. I kept black eyed leaf frogs (Agalychnis moreletti) for years, and the last of those died at the start of the month. With that said, mantids don't live long, so I suspect I may start planning for a new species in the new year. I'd like the enclosure to grow in more, and I may try my hand at a fancy new plant or two before I start researching and thinking about a new pet. I think the daydreaming and planning stage can be just as fun as the new acquisition, anyway.

We'll see what happens next.

 

[AHBD]

Wow, you really need a hobby. LOL ! All of those are just amazing ! It's very satisfying keeping and caring for such interesting creatures I have a houseful, too !

 

[jclee]

Wow, you really need a hobby.

This absolutely is my hobby. Honestly, it keeps me sane from work/life stress to water plants, feed critters, and pick up poop. Weird, I know.

 

[AHBD]

Yep, I agree. Some of mine spend time outside with me in their outdoor enclosures or in my back breezeway while I relax or do yard work.

 

[jclee]

Cleo gets some patio time on a harness when the weather's right. My guinea pigs used to get patio time, but in August, they got ringworm from whatever stray cats had passed through the area, so they're cut off for their own good. (Apparently, 2023 was a really bad year for ringworm in Los Angeles' feral cat populations.)

 

[AHBD]

Is Cleo the beardie's name ? Too bad for your guinea pigs , is ringworm in the ground as well ? I have some stray cats but they don't get in my back yard because I have a privacy fence.

 

[jclee]

Yes, Cleo is the bearded dragon. Ringworm can hang around for a while, so I can only guess that a stray (or other wild mammal) had been hanging out on the patio earlier. Only one of my guinea pigs was affected, though, which was odd. I had to keep them separate for treatment, and it took longer than average to clear.

Hopefully, it was a fluke, but it was a proper pain, and I was afraid of catching it, myself, from the piggies. They still get some play time in the apartment outside of their pen, and their pen is large (4'x6'), but the patio is off limits for my mammals now. I definitely do not want to go through that again. A friend of mine works with the stray cats in LA (it really is a problem), and she shared some ringworm horror stories while I was treating the pigs. I am "once bitten, twice shy" now.

 

[AHBD]

Yeah, stray cats are everywhere. I didn't mean that I had some, they pass through my front yard sometimes traveling to other homes in my neighborhood where people feed them.