Jace, Zy, Sorin, Ava, Nissa, Koth, & Phoenix -->Vet Update

Hello,
My name is Liz and I have been a member of this website for a year now. I have had another blog about my reptilian babies (http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=185026), but am starting a new one. I want to start the new year with a clean slate - especially since it will also start with a new moon. I want to move on from the problems of the past and look forward to the new adventures that lie ahead.
A little about me: I'm twenty-two years old and am an author - (A Shadow's Lullaby by: E. Rexer). I go to Western New England as a Creative Writing major with a minor in Philosophy. I own six reptiles, three bearded dragons and three leopard geckos. I have been with my boyfriend, Paul, for four years. I currently work two jobs - Heritage Woods (assistant living) and Table and Vine (liquor store) though I did try to quit Heritage Woods and was guilt tripped into working there per diem (once a month). I will be putting in my two weeks notice with them in February. Unfortunately it is a sad job and emotionally I cannot handle it anymore. Table and Vine doesn't give me the hours I would like, but I worked out a deal with my grandfather that will help me out financially. Now enough about me.

 

[zandi202]

Good luck today!

Poor Gabriel. He pooped on you during the car ride if I remember correctly, right? I'm sure he's glad he found his way to you. Little bug is two, wow. He's the youngest, right?

Yeah, I just hope I can sell my other items. It would really help.

Unfortunately had leave early in the morning to meet to guy to sell the coin to so she didn't get any dig box time this morning and I won't be able to give her any time tonight. She won't be able to have any time tomorrow either as Paul and I go to school right after feeding them and won't be back until lights are out. Wednesday I'll make Paul give her time out while I'm at work and she should be able to have time the rest of the week.

 

[zandi202]

So where to begin:

My school schedule was done up for next semester - I got the four classes I wanted with two being over the summer and two in the fall. I'm so excited and so very anxious as it's really starting to dawn on me - my school years will be over. I've been in school for 17 out of my 22 years. It's so scary to think of it like that and mind blowing. I still have half a semester to go and by then I'll be 23.

Paul and I had a spat yesterday. It's kind of a same old same old. My computer has his school id and password save and because he doesn't bother with things as long as he doesn't have to, I may have logged on as him and checked his midterm grades since he never would. His grades were really that - well, the three that were posted. When he came over I asked if he had checked his grades recently and he said no and went to check. After he checked I asked him well? Ad he said they weren't up. Last time I asked him about grades I know, he told me it was a C instead of the actual grade. I know you are probably all thinking that I shouldn't be snooping around in his business, but if he could just come clean, trust me, and tell me the truth, none of this would happen. We got into a minor fight and talked it out more or less and he claims to promise to be more honest with me and to trust me. So we'll see how that front goes.

I sold a few things on the side - the camera and a collectible coin for a total of $80 to be added to my pocket.

My teeth still hurt - now it's just the other one. I am so done with this. Not to mention because spring is finally here, I'm so congested. My nose is either running or stuffy and my head always feels a bit foggy and headachy without having an actual headache. And I have work today to boot. I did win World Class Performance and get to pick between two movie tickets or a $10 gift card. I think I'm going to go with the movie tickets - especially since Captain America 2 comes out this Friday.

As for the babies:

Jace:
He's being a good boy, always on his best behavior.

Zy:
She hasn't showed any signs of laying - no little poops, no racing around like a made lady. So I guess she's over that?

Sorin:
He's also been really good and now that I have the new calc and vit, he's not a pain to give them to anymore. He's also turning a year old soon.

Ava:
She ate a worm last night so I guess she's getting over the trauma.

Nissa:
I'm pretty sure she's my only normal leo.

Koth:
He finally ate a worm the night before last. And then he promptly pooped it out the following night.

I've been texting with Chastity a lot and will be getting some stage one chicken/turkey baby food for both Koth and Ava. I also bought some reptaid and more acidophiluz+ for them as Chastity has used it for her little ones and said it seems to help when they barely want to eat. So here goes nothing. Reptaid though is so expensive.

 

[sweetiepie9]

I'm glad you got the courses you wanted, that's a plus & yes, you're going to be job hunting. So that's something to talk to your counsellor about. You need a good resume to begin with, do you have gov't offices that help with that for free? We have them up here & they're great, I used one to get a job when we lost our business & here I am, 21 yrs later, still on the same job! If you think it's hard to find a job after university, try finding work at 32 on the other side of your country, with a 4 yr old, too. But I did it & so will you. It'll all come together when you need it to.

I think Paul is feeling bad about his low grades and that's why he's reluctant to share, so glad you got that sorted out. He's got to get to studying a bit more to get those grades up. Looks like he will!

I'm not sure what could be wrong with Koth, do leos go through the winter slow down like beardies do? Do they get parasites? Maybe he needs a poop checked. but try what Chastity told you first, maybe that's the answer. Good luck, keep me posted.

Glad your beardies aren't giving you any grief, and behaving themselves. As for Zy, no idea. Puff has laid 5 eggs so far, all in her tank, and Gabriel is right now bobbing at me again, he can see me on the computer, little brat :lol:

 

[zandi202]

Deb:
Yeah, getting the courses I wanted will also mean that they're going to be more enjoyable than taking classes I have to take.

Leo's do slow down, but something is weird with Koth. There is definitely something off as he didn't slow down until the end of winter. I'll ask Chastity about fecals.

I don't think even Zy knows what she's doing anymore. Silly little girl. As for Puff, she seems to be laying enough eggs for the both of them. :lol:

DIY Leo Vivs:
So I called out sick from work and never even made it to class. I then took a nap from 11:30-2:30, woke up still very groggy and feeling like crap. Paul bought me sushi and he helped me play one of the Wii U games we have - Zelda. But I don't know what's wrong with me because no matter how sick I feel, I can't just stay at home - I hate being cooped up, even when I'm sick. We went all over the place starting at around 4/4:30 and just got him around 8:45. Our last stop was at Home Depot where I bought the paint, tiles, vents, dimmer switch, and a few minor things for the leo vivs. We didn't get the plexiglass or the channels until we knew for certain the exact measurements. Once we got home with everything, we dismantled the majority of the armoire. Here's some pictures thus far:

Then after the first round of dismantling:

Then the final bit of dismantling for the night:

Unfortunately it looks like that middle wall will not make it out in one piece whether or not it will be usable at all is a mystery until we can actually get it out. Preferably it would be nice to leave the wall in as is, but it would make the leo's viv's only 17dx19lx11.5h which is too small, so it's not an option. The doors came off nicely so that should help a little - we're trying to buy as little lumber as possible.

 

[zandi202]

So I'm still having a pretty difficult time with my allergies. My temp is still higher than it should be, though not as bad as it was yesterday. I just feel so gross and sick. My head is really fuzzy and headachy.

 

[sweetiepie9]

I hope you feel better soon, Liz.

 

[zandi202]

Thanks, Deb. I started taking my supplements again and have been taking 2 Tylenol extra strength 3x a day and 2 Benadryl 3x a day and that's barely helping. My counselor recommended elder berries and said they can be bought at any health food store so I'll be checking that out maybe tomorrow when I go to get gas.

So unfortunately Paul and I got home late so we weren't able to do any work on the armoire as we need to do the rest outside. We're probably going to look into it again Sunday to really start working on it though I do have work at noon so Paul will either be on his own or won't do anything until we can work on it again. The plan is to buy the plexiglass once everything is finished so that we can have the exact measurements for the plexiglass as Paul will be cutting it at work. I hope that we'll have it done sometime next weekend, but not sure.

Zy still hasn't shown any signs that she's going to be laying eggs anymore - so weird. Jace played in his poop today so guess who's getting a bath tomorrow. Sorin is Sorin. None of the leos ate today. We're hoping that the Ava's next shed will remove any of the residue from the laminate tile.

Kristine and family are coming tomorrow to stop by, visit the babies, and meet Phoenix. They won't be around until later in the afternoon so that will give me plenty of time to clean and run errands and what not.

I'm still in a slump - the cold and allergies certainly aren't helping, but oh well. Paul and I did go out to dinner tonight at Olive Garden - our favorite place. It's been a long while since we went there as money has been tight.

 

[zandi202]

Woke up around 4:20-ish am today due to my allergies and teeth pain. It's a real bummer. Browsed bd.org, couldn't fall asleep, so I went to take a shower which temporarily cleaned my sinuses. Was texting with Kristine as I saw she was up.

Decided to get started early on cleaning the viv's and I broke one of the command hooks for Jace's viv. So need to get that fixed. Once Sorin can go back in his viv, I'm going to straighten my hair and go to Walmart to more command hooks and maybe something for my stuffy nose. When I get back I'll do baths for Jace and Zy as Jace painted his entire viv last night in some pretty hard to reach places. Not giving Sorin one as he got one the other day. I also measured the babies this morning while I waited for viv's to be ready. Sorin lost a little weight, but I chalked it up to the fact he's been pooping in his green dish instead of eating his greens so...yeah.

So here is the beardie growth chart - Sorin will be a year old in 14 days!

Didn't do leos yet - kind of afraid to as I'm sure Ava and Koth have lost weight.

 

[zandi202]

Jace was COVERED in poop from last night. And when I was cleaning his viv, he got poop in places that I had no idea he could reach and still no idea how he reached it.

I have all the windows open on the second floor to allow the rooms to air out after winter. The fresh air seems to be doing the beardies some good as I can hear them racing around - it's probably only Jace though - Sorin was too busy stuffing his face with greens last I checked.

So I decided as a nice treat to offer them some scrambled eggs this morning. Jace took a feel nibbles, shook his head, took a few more nibbles, and backed away. Zy sniffed and backed away. Sorin shook his head. I tried to spoil them - can't say I didn't try. I should have saved some to offer to Phoenix - Vraska liked eggs.

Finished all my errands so no more stalling, time to get homework done - I have until 5:30 lol. Wish me luck.

...Though I do have a lot of clothes to go through and donate/keep...

 

[sweetiepie9]

Any excuse to not get the homework done :lol:

I'm glad your crew are doing so well, they all have great weights for their lengths. Did you find out if Koth needs to go to the vet with a fecal? There has to be a reason he's not himself.

Say HI to Kristine for me.

 

[zandi202]

Thanks, for stopping by, Deb, and yes, I am the queen of procrastination - something I really shouldn't be proud about. :lol:

Chastity said she's never had to do a fecal before so my plan is that if I don't see improvements with Koth once he's on the stuff Chastity recommended, then I'll give the vet a call as he hasn't gone to the vet yet - he and Nissa are the only two left.

I'm glad you say that the beardies are at good weights, makes me feel better. I feel like Nissa is the only leo at a good weight right now, but I could be wrong. When Paul gets here I'll have him help me with the leos.

I will definitely tell you say Hi, Deb.


So on a related note - cleaned all the beardie vivs today only to have both Sorin and Zy poop. Zy started doing her "I want to be a mommy" dance and Jace reciprocated with an "I want to be a daddy" dance. This is going to be a very long spring/summer.

 

[sweetiepie9]

But you have to admit it's fun to watch the interaction. And they'll never get together so you never have to worry about babies, at least not yet.

I'm glad you're taking better care of yourself. Those vitamins seem to keep you stable, so you have to stop procrastinating about taking them all the time, honest!

 

[zandi202]

Yeah, I know. It's not that I procrastinate, I just plain forget. It's homework I really procrastinate on.

Yes, they are all rather amusing. :lol:


Looks like Phoenix will be staying with me a while longer. They can't make it today as Jeremy and Kris are both tired - something about Keegan waking them up at 4 in the morning now. I'm not really available until next Friday so here's hoping. The longer he stays with me, the harder it will be to say goodbye.

Measuring leos now and cleaning their vivs up - Ava lost quite a bit of weight and now she's shedding. I don't know what I'm going to do with her. She'll keep me up at night if she doesn't get better soon, that's for sure.

 

[zandi202]

Leo growth chart:

Ava and Koth both aren't doing so hot though Koth did eat for me just now. Nissa is leo perfection.

 

[zandi202]

So my post on Facebook tonight read:
"I don't usually post about how I'm truly feeling on Facebook and honestly never intended to before now, but right now I'm hurting and I don't want any likes or comments, I just want to get the pain off my chest:
I feel like my whole world is falling apart around me and that it has been for some time. I've tried time and time again to put it back together again, but I've just now realized that I can't do it by myself."

Tonight while hanging out at Paul's house with his older sister, Sam, his younger brother, Chris, his girlfriend, Emily, and their cousin, Alex, that Paul leaves my house at 11/11:30 to go home and play video games with his brother Chris until late at night/early the next morning. Paul never said a word of this to me and has been telling me that his tiredness is farm having trouble sleeping, not because he's been playing video games so late at night. Now I have no problem with him playing video games and having time with his brother, I have a problem at the hours in which he plays these games with his brother and the fact that he's been lying to me for so long as to why he's tired.

So after the failed attempt at girl's night (another depressing story on its own), I went home, took care of the reptiles, and then went to the mall where Paul was working. I was pissed to say the least. We had just gone over lying and I turn around and find out another lie he's told me. So I told him plainly "No more sorries. No more excuses. And no more lies. I'm sick and tired of being the only one trying to keep a two person boat afloat. I don't care that you spend time with your brother - you probably should. What I don't like is the fact that you lied to me after our last talk." So I laid out the rule that on nights when he plays video games with his brother he has to be out of here by 10pm. No ifs, ands, or buts. He has to be done playing video games by 11pm and he has to continue taking melatonin as he does have sleep problems (though I'm sure the late night gaming isn't helping). These will most likely be Thurs, Fri, Sat as his brother works until 11pm Sun-Wed. I told him that when the fall semester starts up again (August 25) and I feel as though our relationship is still suffering from these problems, then it is over. I can't continue to keep hurting over someone who isn't trying, someone who is lying. I don't want to feel like I have to spy on him all the time in order to know what's going on with him. It's not fair to me. I can't keep our relationship afloat by myself, he has to help.

Right now I honestly don't know where I stand with him. He's also in deep trouble with his mom for not telling her about the fact the bumper on his car is missing. I really don't know anymore. I'm scared because I had the future all planned out, but what if it doesn't pan out like I expected/hoped? I'm so scared I could lose my world (for some God forsaken reason, he is my world) in a breath. I just don't know and I'm so scared.