Ikky needs a good home! (Toronto, Ontario)

[Farli]

Greetings Bearded Dragon community!

Please allow us to introduce ourselves. We are Star Spider and Ben Badger an animal loving couple from Toronto.

We are posting today because we have a problem and we are hoping there is someone in this community who would be able to help us.

We have a female bearded dragon friend who's name is Ikky (full name Iksar Happy Dragon) and we are looking for the perfect new home for her. She is in perfect heath and show no sign of the disease however Star has serious gastrointestinal health issues and the salmonella infection risked posed by Ikky is now a serious problem. Ben brought Ikky into the relationship and we were unaware of the health concerns until recently. As people who like to enrich our animal friends' lives we had Ikky running all over the house and all over all of our things and she seemed to be very happy like that. Our hearts were absolutely broken when we found out that she posed a serious health risk to Star. So we looked around to try and find her a home that would leave her in amazing conditions. In our search we came upon a breeder working at a zoo/store called Reptilia. There, he promised, she would have access to the best care, be put in to socialize with other beardies, have access to amazing food, get to watch people run around in the store and even be bred. This was the best possible outcome and the breeder promised to take care of her personally. The other day however we called in to check on her and were told that the breeder who had promised all this had left Reptilia and her fate was up in the air. So now we are searching for a new home for Ikky.

We want her to be in the care of people who will love her as much as we do, give her all the proper care and stimulate her senses (she especially enjoys looking in mirrors and watching us through the mirror). We don't want to just drop her off and forget about her, we love her very much and would still like to be a part of her life, so we are glad that your location is relatively close to where we live.

So the question is do you have room in your life for a wonderful bearded dragon who needs an awesome home or do you know of anyone who does? We would prefer for her to be in the company of other beardies, have the opportunity to be bred and also not just be stuck in a tank all day as she loves enrichment and exploration. We want her to be a free and happy lizard.

We are looking to bring her to her new home sometime in the next couple of weeks and if this is something of interest to you we would happily make our way to your location with her and drop her off. Hopefully there is someone in Southern Ontario who would be interested in taking care of our good friend.

In order for you to get a better understanding of Ikky and what she means to us we have put together a video - we like the song because we think it sounds like a bunch of young dragons in captivity singing about growing up and fighting for freedom (very inspiring):

http://vimeo.com/11526884

Also, to get a better understanding of how we feel about animals you can check out our worm saga where we managed to save the lives of some worms, educate people about the importance of all life and get a large donation for the Toronto Wildlife Centre (our charity of choice):

Part 1: http://vimeo.com/7840580
Part 2: http://vimeo.com/7840919

Thank you kindly for your consideration and general awesomeness!

Star Happy Spider & Ben Happy Badger

 

[EmJagsz]

I wish I could take her since I live in the area, but sadly I don't have the space for another dragon at the moment I am living in a rental house (awaiting the rebuilding of my real house) and as it is, I BARELY had space for one dragon! Had I been home already I would have offered to give Ikky a lovely new home.

Those were great videos, by the way.

 

[vickson420]

Is this a for free/for adoption request? If so I can move this into the For free section where it might get better response.I also have a question,what exactly do you mean by the salmonella risk? You do realize that in an animal like the bearded dragon the risk of salmonella is very small and unlikely so long as basic hygiene is practiced or is there something special about this dragon that led you to believe she carries a greater risk then most?Please dont take my question the wrong way I would just hate to see you give up an animal you leave for a risk that is so very small normally.

 

[beardie parents]

I am not offering to take her as we don't live any where near you. I just wanted you to know that I have been told that beardies can have salmonela but I have never, ever heard of any human getting it from a bearded dragon. My husband has intestinal problems and we have had beardies since Thanksgiving of 2004 and have never had any problems with our beardies. You could wash your hands before and after handling your beardie.

Also, I've heard more about people getting salmonela from food than from beardies.

Just something to think about.

 

[spurlee01]

The reptile salmonella risk is more for animals that live in a wet environment. They tend to have a much higher salmonella risk. Beardies have a very low risk, and it's my understanding that they can be checked for it?

 

[munchkins9802]

yes I was wondering about the salmonella risk
you mention severe GI problems--what do you mean byt hem? Loose stools? not pooping enough?
ANd as other pp said you are MORE likely to get slamonella from teh food you et or turltes than you are from a bearded dragon
Unfortunately I live in PA or I would take her for you in a heartbeat

 

[bambichik39]

I have celiac disease, which lowers your immune system, and I have four reptiles... Just use normal sanitary rituals and you sound be fine... I also have a lot of individuals in my family with Crohns disease.. none of them have a problem with Pablo either. I would look into it a little better if you truly want to keep the animal, because if you are giving up for the sole risk of salmonella I'm not following what the issue is...? Not being rude, just trying to help if you really want to keep the beardie