Hello...

[contessa20]

Hi, I'm Crissy and have been lurking here on and off for awhile now.

I was turned on to lizards about 2 yrs. ago when my brother gave me his pet water dragon when he couldn't care for him any longer. Ever since I was little I've had the WORST phobia of snakes and lizards always seemed to fall into that category for me. Anyway, he talked me into taking the little guy when he was being fired from his job at Petco. According to him I was doing everything right but then after about six months he suddenly stopped eating, became rather lethargic and went practically blind. I immediately took him to an excellent herp vet and learned that ALL of the information my brother had given me for taking care of him was 100% WRONG. After a round of antibiotics and 2 weeks of force feeding my little guy died. The vet said that the biggest no-no for him was the coil UVB light.

A little over a year ago I bought Mango, my first beardie, from Mystical-Dragons. I was one of those obnoxious customers who asks 97 questions before, during and after receiving him just to make sure what happened to my water dragon didn't happen to my new guy. :roll:

Anyway, I've rambled enough I think. Mango is a gorgeous orange guy, healthy, happy and spoiled absolutely rotten. I love him to bits and pieces. I'm a full on lizard lover now and have really enjoyed reading all of the great posts here as a lurker but now I think I'm ready to come out and play a little too. :mrgreen:

Thanks for providing such a great and informative site.

 

[zebedeepink]

Hi and welcome to the site I'm sorry to hear about your water dragon but happy to hear that Mango is so well and happy

 

[akingsley9000]

Hi!

Welcome.

We have 1 requirement here and that is lots and lots and lots of pictures!!!! :twisted:

Ok, maybe its not a requirement but we do love them :mrgreen:

 

[natasharose]

Please tell me what you learned, I ask lots of questions too, since I lost my geckos that came from Petco. I have no idea what happened. I want a dragon, but don't want to lose him as well. Too sad, that tank is sooooooo empty.
natasha

 

[contessa20]

Thank you, everyone, so much for the warm welcome! I will work on posting a pic or three as soon as I figure out how to use my digi camera. You'd think I would have figured it out by now. :roll:

Please tell me what you learned, I ask lots of questions too, since I lost my geckos that came from Petco. I have no idea what happened. I want a dragon, but don't want to lose him as well. Too sad, that tank is sooooooo empty.
natasha

Hi Natasha! I have to say, by the way, that I LOVE that name!!! :mrgreen:

These four general things (which apply to all lizards) are probably THE most important lessons I learned:

1. Read up on the pet your planning to acquire BEFORE you bring it home. Not all herps are the same therefore, the way you cared for your geckos is probably going to be very different from the way you would care for a beardie. Afterwards, continue to educate yourself as well; information on these guys can change and you need to keep up to date.

2. And playing off of #1, ALWAYS do your OWN homework when it comes to your lizard (or any pet really). Taking care advice from pet store employees, fellow pet owners and even veterinarians is GREAT but you must, must, must take personal responsibility for your pet and double check ALL information before using it. Check books, websites, magazines, forums... whatever is available... to build up your OWN knowledge and THEN act. Whether it's a seemingly simple husbandry issue or an emergency situation, ask LOTS of questions and follow up with your own research.

3. Run far and fast from UV coil bulbs. I cannot stress enough how much it pains me to know that something as simple as putting in the correct UV light could have gone a LONG way in my first lizard's health.

4. NEVER leave live prey in the tank with your lizard over a long period of time. I was told to put my water dragon on bed-a-beast, dump in a bunch of live prey (I forget the name of the worm at the moment but they were long, hard and skinny with a ribbed appearance) and let him have at it. The hunt was supposed to be good for him. *sigh* If I had just done a little research on my own I would have quickly and easily found out how STUPID this information really was. The morning my baby died I woke up to a worm eating his way INTO my lizard. I had been hand feeding him slurries for a couple of weeks but the worm had been hiding somewhere in the bed-a-beast that whole time.

Good luck on getting a beardie (if you do decide to, that is) but please take these four things to heart. These guys deserve the BEST care we can give them and that can only happen if we are well informed and make good choices.

 

[RosiezMom]

Hey Contessa... nice to meet you!

I too have been an obnoxious questioner! :wink: But I HAD to know that I was going to be able to care for this pet and that this pet was right for my family and that we were right for her. Had to had to HAD to!!

My DH (Dear Husband) and PD (Precious Daughter) both LOVE Rosie... but I was afraid that the new might wear off and I'd be the one left to care for her... but I made certain that she and I were compatible and she's growing on me every single day!

Again, Great to meet you!
Boo

 

[natasharose]

Thanks Contessa! I feel terribly guilty about the geckos and will probably wait and find a beardie thru a breeder, possibly an adult needing a new home, so I won't feel so vulnerable. The little ones seem so fragile to me. Also I need to get some $$ together, to get started right, and the nice dragons are not cheap at all. I plan to surf around this site, getting what I need to know, this group seems very understanding and supportive.
Natasharose

 

[natasharose]

Oops- sorry about the name mixup! I think I called you by another posters name...forgive me
natasha

 

[contessa20]

Thanks Contessa! I feel terribly guilty about the geckos and will probably wait and find a beardie thru a breeder, possibly an adult needing a new home, so I won't feel so vulnerable. The little ones seem so fragile to me. Also I need to get some $$ together, to get started right, and the nice dragons are not cheap at all. I plan to surf around this site, getting what I need to know, this group seems very understanding and supportive.
Natasharose

Sounds like a good plan!
Have a great day.

 

[contessa20]

Oops- sorry about the name mixup! I think I called you by another posters name...forgive me
natasha

Haha, no, contessa is my screen name and Crissy is my real name; it's completely fine to call me either.

 

[natasharose]

Oh good, I like Contessa. Now I just have to ease the husband into the dragon world.
natasha