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:

 

[sweetiepie9]

Hi Tonja, thanks for dropping by. My dad is improving daily, he did really well with the heart tests today & he'll be seeing his doc week after next for results. If all goes well and his heart is steady, they can then get a date for the knee replacement he needs on his left knee. So fingers crossed.

And yes, Leo is just the most beautiful boy and I was thrilled to spend so much time with him last Sunday. Don't know when I see him again, but I'm staying in touch with Tara over Facebook and calling Eric every Saturday night to make sure they realize I mean to stay a grandmother & won't put up with any more nonsense from them. I just want to move forward. period.

 

[FortheLoveofLizzie]

He is adorable! I am finding out rescue dragons are not so uncommon

 

[zandi202]

Hi Deb,
Don't see many posts on FB so I thought I would drop in and see how things are going. So much has been going on since I've last really be on here. I'm glad that you, Eric, and Tera are finally reaching common grounds and the tension doesn't seem to be so high. I bet that is a big amount of stress you can finally release now. I'm sorry to here about your dad's fall, but I'm also glad he's doing better daily. That's always good news.
The septic arthritis returned to Sorin today, but this time it's his left front and it was originally his left hind. Took him to the vet and he has another months worth of shots. I think I hate the shots more than he does. He puts on his happy colors during them, the weirdo. I can't even look.
I'm glad all the babies are doing well and I hope that Didi gets better. I sometimes feel like it's never ending with these guys. As soon as you think you're ahead and actually have some free spending money, as soon as you spend it, boom a bill.
Take care! Give your babies cuddles for me.

 

[sweetiepie9]

Hi Liz, I'm just so used to posting here that I don't use my Facebook much, plus I don't like to post about my dragons on Facebook where Tara can see it. Just weird for me. But I'll try to post on your Facebook more often, k?

I'm so sorry to hear about Sorin, hopefully the shots work again and he's free of this stuff once and for all. You're right, it's always something. Didi seems to be doing better, my vet finally found a cream that seems to be working, he goes back to the vet on July 9. I have alot of extra $ in July, so they're all going to the vet. Leo goes in with Didi & hoping to get a blood panel on him, his eyes are very weird, very protruding and he has trouble opening this eyes sometimes. He was showing high liver enzymes, normal but on the high sides, so she told me no more supers, he's eating roaches now & bok choy, not collard greens like the others.

Lonzo and Gabriel go in on July 19 & Puff goes in on July 26. I have to figure out $, if I have enough I'll be taking in fecals, too, even though I'm sure they're all parasite free, you never know. So that will take care of them for another year unless something else crops up. Gabriel is only 3 1/2 yrs old, but the others are 6 & Lonzo is 11, so you never know what can crop up.

I got new Arcadia lights, got one working but not through an extension cords, so Todd & I are getting together on the weekend on the phone to fix this problem. Now I'm wondering if I have to get UK timers and extension cords to make the silly lights work. I can't be without timers, I don't get home until 9:30 at night, which is way too late for them to be up, their lights are on at 7:30a. So hopefully we'll get this sorted, if not then it all goes back & I'm going to try Solar Glos, it's the only other light I can get in Canada that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. I 'm not going back to tubes, all my set ups are for MVBs, so I'll get it figured out, it's just very frustrating.

My dad is feeling so much better, I went over to their place last night to drive them to the hospital today, he had 2 nuclear tests but took 5 hours in all. We were all sure tired by the time we got back to their place. I was pleased to drive them in, though, my mom is a very nervous driver in their small town, never mind on the highway, so I felt better driving them in and back. And I got supper out of the bargain, too. It was good to get home, though.

 

[zandi202]

It's okay, I don't mind hoping on your thread here.

I'm hoping this is the last round of shots for Sorin. I don't want him spending the rest of his life on shots.

I'm glad the new cream is working on Didi. I bet he's happy to. I hope Lonzo is all right. In the words of my grandparents "It's tough getting old." I do hope it isn't anything serious. Good luck with all the vet appointments and getting the lights to work.

I'm glad your dad is doing better. That's always good news.

 

[beardie parents]

Hi Deb

We got the kit from Todd. I know you couldn't because of being in Canada. We have timers but from a local Home Depot. It's nice. I did have to buy another timer because the one we originally had for Rosie had the 3 holes in it so it could fit the plug for the drop light so the uvb will go off when it was supposed to. Squirt's timers only had the two holes so we went and purchased another one with the three. We didn't have to get special timers. It seems it can get confusing, at least for us, when you have to set every thing up a certain way. We we got the kit, I remember looking at the transformer and wondering how to set it up. I called Todd and we told he already set it up so all I had to do is plug it in. I didn't know you could get one transformer that would hold multiple bulbs. I wonder if you can get the drop light fixture that Todd has. We had drop light fixtures but I much prefer his drop light fixtures because it has an on-off switch on the cord. It's so nice to not have to unplug the light to turn it off, which is what we do when we take them outside in the sun - daily - unless it's to cold in the winter or raining which our rainy season is coming up in a week or two. Our local (Tucson) station says we are officially in our 'monsoon' season but haven't seen rain yet, except for a few drops. anyway, if we get a lot of rain before July 4th, we will get less rain overall then when it doesn't rain much before July 4th.

Anyway, did you get the drop lights from Todd also? or did you use the ones you already had? I just felt more comfortable to use his whole setup. But then, I have only two beardies, even then it was expensive to us and I purchased it because we had some $ because of something we sold, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to do it. Bill feels (and I agree with him) that we can only handle two at one time, especially with the Roadrunners coming on our property more and more often.

 

[sweetiepie9]

Hi Liz, yes I'm praying that this is it for shots for Sorin. I hate hearing our babies are getting this septic stuff that takes awhile to get rid of. Thresh went through it, too.

Hi Lori, yes I just found out from Todd that I need to get timers that have 3 prongs & that will have to wait unitl I get paid July 4 (our holiday is July 1, Canada Day, in Canada), so that weekend should do the trick. And no I didn't get the whole set, just the bulbs, because I already have domes set up for all my crew. So now we'll get it all sorted, as I did get one to work without the timer, so I know the bulbs work in the domes. It's just to get the timers right now. It's good to hear that your lights work just fine, so do Diane's for Angie and Loke. My crew deserve good lights for a change, Power Suns weren't working well at all.

I'll keep you all posted about the lights.

 

[sweetiepie9]

Hi Lori, I didn't get the "kit" from Todd, just the light, because I already had the deep dome set up. So I was successful finally in getting the light set up in Didi's tank and he's very happy with it, he's under it most of the day!


I also got the 3 pronged timers and extension cords I need to set up Gabriel, Lonzo and Leo, so I'll get that done tonight if I'm not too tired. It's alot of work to get all this set up, but well worth it. Didi loves the new light and isn't even trying to get out of his tank, which is his usual thing. He's also shedding most of his body right now, so I think the new light will help with that, too.

 

[Esther19]

Hi Deb! That's wonderful that you finally got the lights to work. Didi looks SO happy! Try not to overdo it, okay? I wish I could afford those bulbs...someday, I guess. They just got their Reptisun T5's changed. What I would really like to invest in is a UVB meter.

I took in a new rescue a few weeks ago. A girl named Maisy. She is doing well, but is huge with eggs, and her fat pads are STILL sunken in. She is not digging yet, but I have the goods for a lay box and will be assembling that so she can spend a little time in there getting used to it before she needs to lay.

Cissy is holding her own. She is having acupuncture treatments. I see a little improvement, but not the huge gains I was hoping for. The doctor finally figured out that she has a pinched nerve in her neck that happened when she had MBD as a baby. It's just been too long since she was injured for the acupuncture to help. The doc says a surgery would be too delicate. So we make do with the ability she has, though I know it still frustrates her that she can't move efficiently.

Hang in there getting the rest of the lights set up. Do you have to work today?

 

[sweetiepie9]

Hi Esther, congrats on Maisy, just remember liquid calcium is the best thing and give it to her daily so she can replenish what the eggs are taking. And don't worry about the fat pads, she might not ever get any. Puff is back to over 500g and still has no fat pads, it's disheartening, but she's always been that way & she's now 6 or 7 years old.

I'm sorry about the pinched nerve in Cissie's neck and that the accupuncture treatments aren't working, poor sweet girl, but at least you know why she's the way she is & it's not a disease!

I'm back full time since mid-May, but taking a vacation day a week. We're talking at work about me leaving an hour earlier a day when I get to full-time in August. That would probably help, getting me home an hour earlier. Plus I'm always at work early, so may starting working 15 min earlier and adding it to my breaks so I can have a walk, too. My manager and I are figuring it out, while I get more reports for the long term ... don't think I'll ever be approved but I'm sending everything this time.

As for the lights, they'll have to wait until Wednesday, my day off. I don't have the energy to organize them all after work, I just get home too late. So I'll be free on Wed afternoon, so will do them then, if I can get them to work, then I'll know what to do for Puff and the ramp. Once they're all in place I won't have to worry about lights for at least a year, yeah! And these are less wattage than the Power Suns, so they can stay under the lights longer. I'll keep you posted!

 

[sweetiepie9]

So after much hard brain strain of what needed to be connected to what, I finally got the other 3 lights up & running. Puff, Lonzo & Gabriel, being side by side, were easier to connect than adding Leo to Lonzo and Gabriel. Means I need 2 more small converters, so will order them next week & Todd will let me know when the Arcadia lights come in so I can order two more. I just need to get one more timer and 2 small 3 prong extension cords, one for Leo and one for the ramp & I'm all set. I don't put a timer on the ramp, as I don't want whoever is out to be in darkness (in the winter) so that's one less expense. I can get two converters for $20 each, so that's good & then I'm set up for life to get replacement Arcadia lights. Didi loves his, spends all day sitting under it and as he's shedding (still has back and tummy & bits on his beard to go) I think the good UVB is going to help him. I'll see how Puff. Lonzo and Gabriel react to their new lights tomorrow am. I bought 2 digital timers and they didn't work, so they're going back & I'll see if I can find 2 more like Didi's. So the weekend of the 19th I'll be going back to Walmart to see if I can get two more timers & ordering the 2 converters I need, then hopefully Todd gets the new Arcadia lights in early August. Can't wait until they're all set up!

So I'm off to bed, even though it was a day off, it was busy, but at least got my car serviced for the transmission and the guy who owns the place said the transmission was in great shape. He changed the fluid & it only cost me $89 for labour & fluid included. Considering he had to get the car up on the ramp & he worked on it for over an hour, that was cheap. He only charged me 1/2 hour labour cost, so that was nice of him, too. So now to get to my brother's on Sunday for the oil change (my birthday & Xmas present in one) and I'm all set.

Because I didn't know how much the transmission servicing would cost, I moved Didi and Leo's vet appt to the 19th and then Puff and Lonzo to the 26th, as I still want them all checked out. Gabriel gets off from going because he's extremely healthy and full of energy. I'm not paying for fecals but did find Kelly, who lives in the States, who does fecals for $10, so might send a sample from Lonzo, just to be on the safe side. The rest are clear & I'm pretty sure Lonzo is clear, too. But he is 11 years old, after all! I want the vets to do a blood panel on Leo, to check all their mouths for mouth rot (just in case) and overall health checks. Then they're done for another year. I realized tonight that I forgot to pick up the get I've been putting on Didi's mouth, so I'll pick some up on Saturday am.

All in all, I'm pleased that I got the 4 lights up & running and also pleased that they all go to the vet for check ups, they're all getting older, so I'm making sure I do this yearly now. Especially for Lonzo.

 

[Esther19]

Hi Deb. Glad to hear you're getting the light situation sorted. I know how confusing stuff like that is. Interesting that Puff has no fat pads, either. Now I'm not quite so worried. I switched over to giving Maisy the Calci-blast rather than the powder, as you suggested. Once a day, right?

That's great that you got your tranny serviced and will be changing the oil soon. I'm so bad about that. I'll have to make myself a sticky note.

Your babies are so well taken care of with regular vet check-ups. I myself am tired of the vets and would heartily love to give my pocketbook a break.

Please give that Lonzo a kiss from me. He's always been my favorite.

 

[sweetiepie9]

Hi Esther,
Yes, I've always found it strange that Puff doesn't have any fat pads in her head but Sweetie never did either, so not sure if it's just a female thing, or making eggs thing.

As for the calci-blast, you'd best contact Tracie about that. In Sweetie's case, she laid so many eggs I should have been giving her two doses a day to try to make up for the loss of calcium, but Tracie would know more about that. I just found out after she died, my vet realized when she got sick that her bones were almost hollow.

I hardly ever take my crew to the vet unless they're actually sick (like Titan, Rubio and Didi for that thing on his mouth) but because of the extra $ (it's great to get a full paychq for a change) I decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to be proactive with them. Can't do any harm.

I know how you feel about constant vet care for Cissy, I felt the same about Titan and Rubio, even though for them it didn't last as long as it's been for Cissy. I'm just glad you've found out what the cause is. I'm still hoping the acupuncturist can find a way to shift the nerve. Wish there was a physio you could take her to, as I had a pinched nerve that my physio managed to move & I've been fine ever since.

Take care & if you want to post some pics of your crew (up to 4 now, right, with the boys?), please go ahead, I'd love to see pictures of them.

And I'll give Lonzo an big snuggle for you tomorrow am when he's up. I'm so hoping the timer works, but I'll know as soon as I get up & I'll just reset it. I got Didi's to work right, so hopefully I did the right thing with this one, too.

 

[sweetiepie9]

The lights & timer all worked! I was so glad to see that this am! They seem to like them, but time will tell. I'm off to continue with baths & cleaning out tanks!

 

[sweetiepie9]

Well, I tried to buy 1 converter but they only accept VISA, so I'm going to try to apply for a VISA as it's the only method of payment the company Jolene found accepts. Wish me luck!