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.

 

[sweetiepie9]

Take your vitamins, I take mine every morning & you should, too, it will be amazing how they give you energy. So please do that so you won't be so tired, k? For me? Please?

That is sure a big schedule, but you'll get in the swing, you will!

 

[zandi202]

My problem is that I'm not a constant vitamin taker - I never have been. I'll start off doing well, and then I won't feel like taking it one day and then another day and then I forget about them entirely.

I hope I can get through all of this. Then two classes during the summer and only three in the fall.

 

[sweetiepie9]

Can you put them beside your toothbrush so you remember to take them. I know you felt so much better when you took them, just force yourself, you'll get into a routine like I do. I know I feel better with them, so I make sure I take them. Pretty please?

 

[zandi202]

So I have met with all of my classes once and all I can say is that I am screwed. They are all heavy in reading and are all very writing intensive. My brain has yet to even comprehend everything - all of the homework and hours spent in and out of class to get everything done. I honestly just do not know what to do. The reptiles are all suffering because of it. I haven't had time to give them proper baths never mind play time. Sorin even gave himself play time today - he climbed out of his pen and curled up in a corner under Zy's viv. No telling what trouble he got into how how long he was out - though he was bearing his happy colors. Anyways, I digress. I need to know, are baths necessarily or can I syringe feed them water daily instead? I understand that when it comes to shedding baths are best, for can I syringe them water? And if so, how much water?

My head is just in so many places. I never have time for the leos because when night time rolls arounds, I just want to sleep. And that is so not fair to them. They love being out... Well, except Ava, but she's evil so that all right. Anyways, that is where my head is or isn't. I'm lost.

 

[zandi202]

I have a question for those who have read my book "A Shadow's Lullaby." I have been toying with the idea of doing a second edition and delving more into it. I feel like that the book is far too short and doesn't have enough substance to it. My dilemma is should I finish the book series first (I know how the following books will continue and they will have much more substance) and then do a the second edition of "A Shadow's Lullaby" or should I do it first? Either way, with classes the way they are this year, I doubt I will have much time for it, but I want to know what everyone thinks I should focus on. Thanks everyone!

 

[Esther19]

You might want to consider the revision first, as that might affect volume 2.
Can you drop a class and take it later when your course load is lighter?

 

[sweetiepie9]

I agree with Esther and yes, you can feed them water by syringe daily & just feed them as much as they want, just make sure to give them breathing breaks :mrgreen:

I'm sorry about your caseload & that it's very hard for you, but hopefully you can bear with it, especially if you can't drop a class as Esther suggested. These courses are just for this semester, right? So you'd be done late April? Wonder if you can manage until then?

 

[zandi202]

Esther:
Thank you for the advise.
Sadly, I cannot drop any of the classes as the ones I am taking are spring only classes and they are all requirements. My last semester will be this fall.

Deb:
Thanks, Deb. Good to know syringing water will work. The only problem is I will never know if they had their fill because they fight tooth and nail against the syringes. :roll:

 

[sweetiepie9]

Well, even a bit of water daily will help a lot. So keep on with it. It just takes a long time for the baths, if you're syringing, then maybe bathes twice a week if you can manage. Anyway, your babies are so well hydrated, the syringing will do the trick.

 

[zandi202]

Update:

General:
I finally updated all of the measurements. I can't get over how big my babies are. To look at the first measurements and see how much they have grown - I miss having babies around. Granted, they cost so much more than adults, but they are just so cute and little. Updates on the leos will be done either tonight or tomorrow night. Anyways, will post bearded dragon measurements first and then the leopard geckos.

I also moved Zy into the reptile room and Nissa out. Nissa's viv' is smaller and takes up less space in the living room. So the first week those two boys when ballistically nuts. I thought I was going to have to move Zy back, but they've settled down. Here's their cage layout (Sorin is in the pen, Zy is in the viv on a coffee table, and Jace is the viv on the floor):

Jace:
He has decided that he will only eat a couple of hornworms and some greens a day. No more than that, the little bum. Oh well, I guess I should be thankful that he is eating well enough. He has know decided that he will run around all over his viv and make a racket knowing I will come in to check on him. He's almost always be on his log looking up at me with a slight black beard. I'm such a sucker and will always take him out into the play pen. Probably not exactly what he wants, but he deals with it i.e. he escapes and runs into the reptile room.

Chilling on his hammock after being tormented by mommy:

I love the weird pattern on his beard:

This was the pose he does after he gets me into the reptile room:

Zy:
She's gained quite a bit of weight as you can see on the chart. She is loving the hornworms. Maybe a little too much. We're starting to run low on them because the hornworm eggs hatched and they are still far far too small. She has this adorable habit that whenever someone picks her up, she wraps are arms around your fingers and holds on for dear life. I have a picture of it on here.

This is how she almost always sleeps:

Sorin:
You all know how it is hilarious to watch a beardie run? Well, Sorin just made it even funnier - he runs with his tail curled up. He also will eat some greens and when he is done, he poops on the rest. In one door and out the other.

My pastel-wanabee baby:

His escape attempt:

His first black beard - the same day Zy was moved in.

How he sleeps:

 

[sweetiepie9]

Jace & Zy look great and it doesn't seem that it's made that big a difference for them to be in the reptile room. Is it nice and warm all the time, with Sorin being in the pen? Glad that Jace is keeping even and that Zy added some weight. Sorin is going to be a monster, I've never known a beardie (except Rubio) be that big at his age. So we'll see how he is at a year old!

Glad your babies are all doing so well, you're doing a good job, even if you think they're not getting the right attention. So now you can stop worrying about them and concentrate on your studies. At least they're eating on their own (unlike my crew)!

 

[zandi202]

Deb:

It took the a boys a while to adjust to a girl being there. Even though they couldn't see each other, they still strutted their stuff and Zy still looked cocky. :lol: "Iz gots these boys whipped." :whip:

Yup, Sorin is in a pen. I didn't have enough money when I first rescued him to buy him a full cage so instead I gave him Jace's cage and then Sorin got the pen. Once Sorin was big enough I switched them. Mainly because Jace was very apt at climbing out of there. Sorin seems to like it well enough despite a couple of attempts at escaping. We just lock the beardie room up when no one is around to keep an eye on him.

Sorin is by far a monster. He outgrew Jace. I couldn't believe it. And he's only 9 months old. I always wanted a big baby, but he is huge. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if he ended up around 22". Rubio is a monster himself, too. He needed a 75g correct? Who would have thought a small little Petco rescue baby would turn into this thing? :lol:

I wish they would eat on their own. Jace and Zy need to be hand fed the hornworms as hornworms climb out of their dishes and hide everywhere. And then Zy is a little princess and likes her greens hand fed to her when greens are okay to have. Sorin eats on his own when he's ready.

 

[sweetiepie9]

I wish mine would eat on their own, too, but I doubt they ever will. So you're not alone. I would blame it all on Roger, but he's been gone for 2 1/2 yrs now and Gabriel wasn't here when he was, yet Gabriel stopped eating bugs on his own, along with Didi and Lonzo, in Sept/12 :roll: And I've been feeding them by hand, bugs and greens, ever since. They won't even take the bugs from my hand, I have to sort of force feed them. Once I get Gabriel going on roaches, it's a matter of popping them in his mouth, same with Didi and Lonzo. Rubio and Leo will eat out of a dish that I hold. I'm going to find ceramic dishes for the summer, see if they'll eat on their own, at least try.

They are just so strange with their eating. Other beardies eat just fine out of dishes and I really wish mine would, too, would make my life a lot easier!

 

[zandi202]

I never quite understood why Jace and Zy suddenly just stopped eating from their bowls. Even when I tried the whole "they'll eat when they're hungry" thing. They starved themselves. I just don't get it. Little bums are probably like "Mommy is so busy - let's make her busier." :roll:

 

[CountofCasualty]

If it makes you feel better, Thresh won't eat out of her bowl any more either, she only wants them if they 'run' past her.