Gem (and MoMo): I'm gonna be a big sister (again) and news

Hello, everyone! Some of you know my Gem from her ER thread, but if you don't, you will soon.

Gematria was a rescue (I definitely consider her one) that I found on Craigslist. After e-mailing the owner, I got an (obviously out-of-date) photograph of a healthy-looking but obviously annoyed dragon.

So, we went to meet the owner. After examining the dragon, I couldn't see anything that couldn't be fixed immediately. But, after interrogating the owner (who, mind you, thought she was in perfect health) we learned that she'd been put on sand and eating bugs from OUTSIDE. I knew that I had to take her home, so I paid the guy the $100 for her and all her stuff.

Upon arriving home, I did a quick inventory.

- 1 55 gallon tank, complete with poo and sand. Nice.
- 1 heat rock (threw that away....)
- 1 water dish, complete with algae! and a water pump to make it bubble. (That thing was caked with algae)
- 1 food dish, complete with dried poo and carrots (yummy)
- 1 hide, which was way too small
- 1 light fixture with a blown bulb (useful)
- 2 UVB fixtures, with the glass still over the bulb, and a bulb that put out 2% UVB (also useful)
- 2 thermometers, one a stick-on that doesn't work, the other so caked with sand and dirt that I had to throw it away because the buttons wouldn't push and it was trying to tell me my room was 34*F

Then there's the dragon herself. Obviously female, but she'd never been handled or bathed, and had obvious MBD. After removing some yellow scab substance from her mouth, I found two sores on the inside of her lip. I knew that she had to have parasites, considering her conditions. She definitely wasn't underweight, at least. I also found a large lump on her right ankle which we haven't identified yet.

We made her a vet appointment (for 3:00 today) and tried to treat what we could. I put Hibiclens (which is like Betadine) on her mouth sores, got some babyfood into her, and wrapped her in a towel.

She was vicious, gaping at everything and anything, hissing, trying to bite, bearding, the whole 9 yards. However, as I type, two days after buying her, she sits in my lap in her 'security towel' (she freaks if she's completely exposed to the air). She has learned to tolerate me after I talked and read to her (yes, read to her).

Since she had no name before, I decided to call her Gematria, or Gem. Her head is simply beautiful, yellow with orange and red in the beard, with golden eyes. The rest of her is grey, but that will change in time, I'm sure.

Soon, we'll be headed out for the vet.
I will definitely post updates on that.

Jacqui

 

[dna14]

can we start a Jacqui camera fund? All of us who luv ya n Gem n Momo pitch in a buck and you'd have your own camera in no time. Or would that not go over well?

 

[Goonie]

So, MoMo is a hoarder? Or was she stocking up for the winter? :laughing6:

Hmmm, a buy-Jacqui-her-own-camera fund . . . :study:

 

[zebraflavencs]

I'd be willing to donate !
Hi all... Jacqui, Lots seems to have happened while I was away... A dog, and now a Monitor ? lol... Oh love... You are the cat's pajamas young Lady !
Janie

 

[jacqui778]

It's not as much as it seems, Jacqui! Phin has gained 150g since coming home with me about six weeks ago.

Yes.... but Phin was willing to eat, no? Gem detests babyfood, veggies, anything green.... she prefers her crawly supers, but she can't have supers, as she has trouble passing them. So we're in limbo here, trying to find something I don't have to force feed her. Crickets? "Aw, do I HAVE to, mum?" She doesn't like PWs or hornworms either. Picky, picky, picky.... I guess living on a diet of shredded carrots and wild Texan hard-shelled beetles will do that to you, though.
She seems to find that salads are more fun to sit in that to nom. :roll:

Aimee-- :lol: That might just work! It'd be nice to be able to take pics of the girlies whenever I wanted. Just make sure the camera isn't pink.... :laughing6: :roll:

Gina: You know, I used to have this big rock in MoMo's viv. I found it down in TX, and baked it, and washed it and stuff.... and I was so excited because there was a little opening where MoMo could get under the rock, and hide if she wanted, so I didn't need to get her a new hide!
Well, needless to say, viv-cleaning day comes, and a find big stashes of now-moldy collards and squash that I thought she'd been eating, and poo.... and she used to hide under there! :shock: *Sigh.* Little bugger. The rock now presides in Gem's viv, and she rather enjoys it. She can't fit under it. :wink:

Janie: Cat's pajamas, eh? Never been called that before! :lol: I'm picturing Louis the cat in PJs.... :roll:

Y'know.... that monitor is still there.... his smaller buddy got adopted.... and he's just kinda sittin' there (with a noticeable rounded jaw-- MBD?) chillin'. Occasionally he flicks out his forked tongue or moves to get comfy. <3

My local pet shop also has a Uromastyx for the first time! I've never seen one before, so I got all excited at seeing some new species of lizard. They have a few of them, little bitty things that look like dinosaurs. They're all peeking out of a little cave, glaring at you. There was one sleeping on top of the cave, with quite the hazardous looking tail! :shock: I didn't know that Uros had such ferocious tails. :lol:

Anyway, Gem should be waking up soon (a noon waker on weekends, it's 11:22 here) so I gotta go get her a bath. It's Bath Day once again.... joy.

Jacqui

 

[jacqui778]

So, I finally have your pictures!! I am now the camera-hoarder. I will be hiding it after I am finished. :twisted:

Anyhow, MoMo and I are sitting here and listening to The Used's cover of "Burning Down The House" while she helps me sort out which ones of the 19 pics I will show you. She says she wants hers to be first. She also wants me to tell you that lettuce from McDonald's is gross. :roll:
So, without further ado, I present The Many Moods of Gem and MoMo!

MoMo

Look at that belly!

Probably deciding what to eat, and what to hide....

"MoMo, hon, I think that bed is a tad bit big for you...."
"Yes, but I heard if you have the right attitude, you can be anything you want to be. I have decided that I am a crocodile. So this bed is, indeed, the right size for a crocodile."
"Whatever you say, darling...."

Curling up ontop of my laptop.

Pre-sleep beady eye.

ZzzOOOMM!

Ontop of my knee (coffee PJs!)

Gem AND MoMo

I've never seen such a pleasant look on Gem's face! PROGRESS!!

Heh, look at MoMo's expression. :lol: She was sleepy.

Gem

Aerial view

The smile.

The scowl.

The mysterious stare into the distance.

What's this? Gem, snuggling with Henry?!

You have been caught red-handed, Gem.

"You're serious? I'm supposed to eat this green stuff?"

I like this pic.

There you are! Lots of pictures, possibly the best I've taken of the girls. :mrgreen:

Jacqui

 

[beardie parents]

Awwww, Jacqui, they are adorable!

 

[spurlee01]

Great pics, Jacqui. Glad you finally got ahold of the camera!

 

[dna14]

Yay! Great pics, Jacqui!

 

[Jasper's Mom]

Wow, Jacqui, they both look so good! Gem is a real beauty. I think she and Bob have the whole big bad attitude thing in common... but they're both softies on the inside.

 

[Freeie]

Momo and Gem are just darlings I loved the picture of her smiling. Momo on the dog bed made him look so ittybitty! I have to hide my camera too or it takes me forever to get it back from my girls.

 

[jacqui778]

Thanks, to everyone! I've only just started noticing "the smile" on Gem's face-- she's never had that sort of expression before, so it's something brand-new, which is all the more exciting! Reggie used to smile all the time, and MoMo always looks like she's smiling, so to see Gem giving a big grin makes me feel good.
Gem is also going through a big shed, a shed which hasn't peeled. She's been like this for a couple months. It's interlinked with all her other shedding problems, I'm sure of it.... but, I'm going to switch around her lights, apply aloe, and take Tracie's advice, and she'll be peeling away all that old skin in no time. I can't wait to see if her colors get any brighter-- she's already so pretty! :love5: I've found that the beardie "morph" (or whatever you call it) that Gem most closely resembles is a Sandfire, due to the orange beard.... correct me if I'm wrong! A bit angry at PetSmart, which is where the man originally purchased her as a NORMAL baby.... can't even tell a normal beardie from a special one.... Sigh.

Anyway, I have to go feed the monsters, swab my newly-pierced ears (first time in 13 years that I've had my ears pierced! And, of course, first thing the lady does is tease me for having ridiculously small earlobes), and do my huge pile of homework. Sure hope that icestorm that the weatherman is predicting comes around-- perhaps school will be cancelled; we had a 2 hr delay today!

Oh, yes, and I have to update my new Facebook page. :mrgreen:

Jacqui

 

[jacqui778]

Thanks, to everyone! I've only just started noticing "the smile" on Gem's face-- she's never had that sort of expression before, so it's something brand-new, which is all the more exciting! Reggie used to smile all the time, and MoMo always looks like she's smiling, so to see Gem giving a big grin makes me feel good.
Gem is also going through a big shed, a shed which hasn't peeled. She's been like this for a couple months. It's interlinked with all her other shedding problems, I'm sure of it.... but, I'm going to switch around her lights, apply aloe, and take Tracie's advice, and she'll be peeling away all that old skin in no time. I can't wait to see if her colors get any brighter-- she's already so pretty! :love5: I've found that the beardie "morph" (or whatever you call it) that Gem most closely resembles is a Sandfire, due to the orange beard.... correct me if I'm wrong! A bit angry at PetSmart, which is where the man originally purchased her as a NORMAL baby.... can't even tell a normal beardie from a special one.... Sigh.

Anyway, I have to go feed the monsters, swab my newly-pierced ears (first time in 13 years that I've had my ears pierced! And, of course, first thing the lady does is tease me for having ridiculously small earlobes), and do my huge pile of homework. Sure hope that icestorm that the weatherman is predicting comes around-- perhaps school will be cancelled; we had a 2 hr delay today!

Oh, yes, and I have to update my new Facebook page. :mrgreen:

Jacqui

 

[Goonie]

MoMo is just too cute for words, especially on the HUGE dog bed.
Gem is looking great! She looked like she had filled out a little, yes?

Glad you were finally able to snatch up the camera. Those pics were well worth the wait :wink:

 

[Jake583]

I just adore the pic with Momo on top of Gem! Did they get along right away? or did it take some time? :mrgreen:

 

[zebraflavencs]

Jacqui, for the longest time, Yardley didn't look "special" either.. and he is a Sunfire too...
Now though, he's back to looking upset all the time... he wants to take a nap.. but every time I open his doors, to put in his salads... he glares at me... oh.. and he's still shedding... lol...
Janie