Nathaniel, Cierra, Castiel, Freya, Grrl; RIP GABRIEL

We never expected to get another dragon, but our neighbours next door wanted to give away Cleo, as he was called. We'd babysat him before, he's such a sweetheart. We nicknamed him Velcro because when he snuggles he never wants to go back to his viv, he hangs on as if he's made out of velcro.

So here he is. Today was his first day with us. He ate 13 supers and ate some squash, not bad for the first day he was here. He's only in a 30 gallon tank, which will be ok for now. He's 18" long but weighs only 200g. We figure he's probably 2 yrs old. Our neighbours rescued him last fall, they found him and a female (which they named Puff) on Craig's list. They were in a 30 gallon dirty tank, with sand and a huge log that took up 1/2 the space in the tank. Leo was at the bottom, he was sooooo skinny. He's gained weight, but never got the attention he deserved. I took some pics today, but will take more tomorrow. I think he remembers our place as didn't get stressed as I expected. No stress marks at all. When we let him run around the living room, he noticed our girls and immediate black beard, so his hormones are working!

He had a bath this morning, had a big poop, no smell, so not worried about parasites.

So here are a few pics, he's a yellow & dark gray, light gray colour.

Under the communal power sun in the living room:

Discovering there are girls in those tanks up above, he has a great black beard for such a skinny boy:

On the couch, he's got a pretty diamond pattern on his back:

Hope you enjoy
Deb and my six dragons :shock: :shock: :shock: :love5:

 

[morphmom]

And Holly, it is going backwards, but that's the way it works with ankle sprain.

I'll trust ya Deb, I'm just in that stage, where I want to wave a magic wand and *POOF!* You're all better! Keep us posted.

 

[zandi202]

Just a side note, I have to give you credit for taking care of five beardies. Taking care of my two little ones is so much work, I can only imagine the work of five. You rock! Everyone rocks!

 

[Lindz0518]

I definitely don't know how you do it with 5 beardies either!

On another note, I had a severe sprain a few years ago... I feel carrying Garrett in his infant carseat. He was absolutely fine but I thought I broke bones. Well it turns out nothing was broken but I tore a bunch of tendons and ligaments which actually take longer to heal than bones. It was swollen and bruised, the bruising actually continued halfway up the back of my leg, in an effort to save Garrett from getting hurt I actually caused more damage to my leg. It took me a long time to get better, but it got there and yours will too! Don't get discouraged.... I dug a old photo of it, hope you don't mind:

 

[sweetiepie9]

Nope, it looks alot like what mine looked like but nothing up the leg, which is good. Glad to hear yours got all healed up, it just takes forever. Before I moved out here, in Oct/87, I tripped off a concrete step in a video store. I had no swelling, bruising or anything, but I also had no feeling in my ankle at all. My foot just hung and I was in crutches when I moved out here to Vancouver that November. Eric was only 3 and thought the crutches were the culprit and kept throwing them across the room :lol: Then he'd kiss my ankle and say "all better, Mommy", then I'd have to crawl across the room to get the darned things again. So came out here in a wheelchair & crutches with Eric handing on the wheelchair. It took another few months before I could get around with an elastic brace, but it took almost 3 years before I could put my full weight on my ankle and walk quickly. So this isn't at all that bad, it's just taking time because I keep trying to get to work full-time. So going back 1/2 time for awhile will help alot. It's still sore and I also found out why my legs are both sore, seems the limping has caused the fibromyalgia I have to flare and that's always in my hips; so a few days without having to do anything will help. I'm still working out on Sunday because my trainer doesn't have me do anything that puts strain on my ankle and I really need the workout. Not being able to climb stairs is a complete drag, that's my exercise during the week! I'm having to stake elevators or escalators everywhere, which I'm not used to. So will have to be patient until it gets better. At least the brace helps.

As for taking care of 5 dragons, if they were babies it would be alot more work, but as they're adults, it's not as difficult as it seems. What's difficult is not snuggling them all at the same time :lol: I live alone, so having my living room as their playroom helps, too. They all get time out. When I have to go to work, they get 1/2 hr each, if I'm home, they get a longer time, at least an hour each and then Didi gets the rest of the day out. He has SUCH a FIT if he's in his tank all day :lol: Mr Diva :lol: They're just alot of fun!

 

[Lindz0518]

Yeah the crutches I got lasted about 1 night, I had an air cast also and when I tried to get up with Garrett for his feeding at night (he was 4 months old) and I stood at the crib trying to decide how to carry him with using crutches and just threw them down and hopped and hobbled around lol.

I am glad they are letting you do 1/2 time. That will help you build back up slowly and so maybe it won't be as rough, definitely take it easy!

I just love little Diva Didi! He cracks me up!

 

[morphmom]

I hear ya on the caring for a babe while hurt. When Annie was just under a year I slipped down the stairs with her in my arms. My 'mommy instinct' kicked in and I took the whole flight down half on my back, half on my right side. The only part of Annie that touched a stair was her big toe once the 'ride' stopped :lol: She was crying as loud as she could (from being scared) and kept hitting the stair with her hand. (revenge... :shock: ) I got up and had to put her in her playpen once she calmed down. My side was burning. I could feel the lumps forming and had to trade my jeans for PJ pants. The next day, my hip and thigh were black. It looked like someone placed ping-pong balls under my skin and my hip felt like someone hit it with a baseball bat :roll: I limped and gimped for a few weeks. And it took everything I had to move Annie from place to place as she still wasn't walking. It's tuff!
-I still say you go above the call Deb! Hand feeding 5boys deserves a standing ovation, not to mention what a good gecko mommy you are. You deserve alot of credit :wink:

 

[JangoMom]

Well it's good to know that Gabriel isn't the only one who hides food in his beard and floats around. The floating makes me laugh each time because he floats on an angle & it looks so uncomfortable :lol:

LOL yes it does look so uncomfortable and funny.. I laugh as well when Jango does it.. he floats at an angle sometimes too.. I always hold onto him when he does it though because i'm afraid he'll get his nose under the water and choke or something. I love the new pictures of all the boys and bunny.. they are so handsome and cute! I just don't understand how the gecko's can sleep with their eyes open.. I know they can't shut them but still.. I have some new picture of Jango up as well.. I had to laugh abit because I have one of Jango's beard as well.

 

[sweetiepie9]

Lindsay, you did so well considering what you were dealing with, it's amazing what us Mom's do for our kids!

Holly, OMG, poor you to have done that with Annie in your arms, glad that got all healed up, it's amazing you didn't break a bone! I fell once with Eric in my arms when I was taking him to the babysitter's one morning, I guess he was less than a year old. Luckily I was bundled up, as it was Feb and I was leaving the house and slipped on an icy patch (forgot to put salt out, was renting a house at the time). Boy that knocked the wind out of me, but I landed on my back on purpose, clutching Eric for all I was worth. Nothing bruised or broken, had a sore backside for a couple of days, but I had so much padding it saved me from hurting any further. Needless to say I was salting that walkway when I got home from work!

Only Rocco's eyes stay open, but I think there's a way he protects them from the sun, I"m not sure. Bunny, being a crested gecko, can close her pupils, depending on the light, so when she's in the dark, her pupils are completely open, when I take her out, they're back to slits again. It's just the most amazing thing to watch, alot like our pupils dilate, but she controls them by the sides.

Everyone had their time out today, Rubio stayed on the top of the ramp watching TV, didn't move off it. Lonzo got all over the living room, he really enjoyed himself, even though I didn't get pics. Leo's still not allowed out, still on meds. Didi was all over his tank because I let all the others have their times out before I let him out, I really have to get a video of what he does :lol: I did get a couple of pics of Gabriel and I also got a pic of Leo after I give him his meds, he's pretty laid back but he sure doesn't look happy!

This morning I had Gabriel on my lap at the computer while I was waiting for my bedroom to heat up and he was arm waving at Didi, make me laugh, he's much bigger than Didi is!

Anyway here are the few pics I took this am:

Leo not looking happy, on the counter after I'd given him his meds. Does this look like a stink eye to you?

Gabriel trying to jump over the partition he got through a few weeks ago, just like Rubio normally does when he's been out for awhile:

And this is the 1st time I've seen Gabriel puff his beard out at his brothers, looks like a 1/2 pharoh beard :lol: I caught him when it was deflating, it was much bigger when I grabbed the camera:

 

[zandi202]

The look on Leo's face says: "Do that again. I dare you." lol
It reminds me so much of my childhood, having yucky meds forced down your throat. He'll get over the trauma with a great mama like you around.

 

[Lindz0518]

Definitely a stink eye! I get one all day so I am an expert on them :lol:. That is so funny that Gabriel was arm waving at little Diva Didi (that is what I am calling him from now on ) Your boys are so full of personality!

 

[morphmom]

Leo not looking happy, on the counter after I'd given him his meds. Does this look like a stink eye to you?

LOL! For sure! Leo: "I is gonna member dis..." :lol:

And this is the 1st time I've seen Gabriel puff his beard out at his brothers

I love this one! Just love it! It's like he's saying "I'm strong now" "And don't you forget it!" It's actually really nice to see him exhibit 'Big boy' behavior It would be really interesting to see a geckos eyes change like that. Take er' easy Deb, great pics!

 

[sweetiepie9]

So you think Leo will get over the trauma, I did get a look at his teeth, they're still black but now as black, so that must be a good sign. Poor guy, he's pretty good at letting me push this Qtip in his mouth but not for long!

And Gabriel was so funny, puffing out that beard, wish I'd gotten a pic of it full, maybe I'll catch it one day. Funny thing is, I've never seen a black beard on him, but maybe this spring I will.

The foot isn't quite so bad today, so the rest is doing it well. I'll find out Monday if it's rested enough to back 1/2 time or not. May ask for a couple more days and start Wednesday, then see how that feels. All depends. It was very achy yesterday. Didi's bobbing at me for being on the computer and not LETTING HIM OUT. I have to go out to do a bit of shopping in a minute, So Diva Didi will be allowed to be on the ramp, when I get back the others gets their turns, then food. Then friends are dropping in, I picked up some Repashy for her(the local distributor for Repashy lives in the next building!, he's a good friend of Jake's, which is why I get Repashy free, which is a great bonus) and she's picking it up. So it'll be nice to see her, I don't have people over very often!

I got up late, so everyone is just starting to wake up, so off I'm going and get back soon to start baths and food.

 

[Lindz0518]

Leo will get over it, just like Spyro will eventually get over all the meds I have poked down him.

It's so funny how laid back Gabriel is, maybe this spring he will be all manly like the others and start being a boy!

Glad your foot is doing better, and it's always good to sleep in every once in a while! It's nice that you are having visitors and awesome that you get free Repashy! Too funny that DIva Didi is headbobbing YOU! Lol. You think he would be nice to the lizard slave that brings him all the yummy greens and bugs!

 

[sweetiepie9]

He always bobs me in the morning with his huge black beard because I"m not letting him out of his tank NOW and putting him on the ramp. He's not a diva for nothing!

 

[morphmom]

LOL! :lol: Your thread is always so entertaining! 5boys with 5 very different attitudes always makes for the best stories! Myah lets me know she wants out by "stalking" the glass at the front of the viv. She runs her nose along the glass back and forth while starring at me :lol: This is a good way to tell me what she wants. Myah's way of saying "put me back" is not so good. She'll just take a flying leap at the viv! She hasn't made it in once! :lol: Very pleased to hear you're healing