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:

 

[Tonja]

Awww I am so happy to hear you are getting another that will need a good home, and glad he is healthy. You can never replace those lost but you can sure love another and fill the void. I am happy for both you and your new incoming boy!
Christmas pictures on Emily and Emmett's page if interested, will have to go a page back though,

 

[Goonie]

I am so happy that you're getting another beardie. Do you know this beardie's history, like why he was in the rescue to begin with? (if I poked around FB, would I find out?)

I think it's time to update your signature photo.

 

[BlueDragon09]

Yay another baby! Good luck on your search for one.
Lonzo was a pretty boy! Can't replace him and the
fire he had in his eyes.

 

[Esther19]

I know how much you miss Rubio and Lonzo, but it feels strange with an empty cage, I know. I hope it works out, and I'm very glad that the prospective new boy is healthy.

 

[BlueDragon09]

I'm with Esther in this. Having an empty cage was soooo weird after having my boy live in it when he was about 1-2 years of age. I want to wish the new baby good health.

 

[sweetiepie9]

I'll get the background info when I see him next Sunday. He would have been abandoned or found to be at the Rescue, as they rehabilitate reptiles and re-home them. So he's healthy, he's been vetted (they do that, too) and he's eating well. All good for me. I was amazed that I heard back from Val, the owner, so soon, I only sent the email on Saturday & heard back today. She's good friends with one of my best friends, so I was given priority, as Val doesn't normally see people on Sundays. I'm also going to ask if I can volunteer some time on a Sunday afternoon, feeding them all, as I"m good at that. I have to fill out the adoption paperwork & they have strict rules, but I've assured her that once I have a beardie in my home, it's a forever home. None of my rescues were ever re-homed as you know.

Once I have pics of my new boy & a name, I'll send you pictures of him & Puff and then yes, I'd love a new signature, Gina, thanks for offering. It'll be so hard not to have Titan, Rubio or Lonzo on my signature anymore, but life must go on, right?

And I hate having an empty tank. For Titan it was different, after scrubbing and sanitizing his tank, Puff got it. Then with Rubio, I just destroyed his tank because it was too big & too full of memories of him. But for Lonzo's tank, I don't mind having new life in it. I'm not sure if I'll move Leo into it or leave Leo where he is & more my new boy into it. It depends on if he's used to seeing other reptiles. If he is, then Leo can stay where he is, he's used to being there anyway. I'm not moving the tanks around, it's too hard on me and with Leo brumating, he might not want to be disturbed. So I'll see how it goes. I'll have to leave my new boy at home for awhile, need to get him new furniture. Val might have some basking things to sell, will see what her set up is, and if not he'll be coming with me to PetSmart to get a basking spot at least. I'll be picking up in the the gym bag I normally use, full of blankets that have been warmed up & I'll warm up the car first. I'm so looking forward to picking him up!

 

[Goonie]

Once I have pics of my new boy & a name, I'll send you pictures of him & Puff and then yes, I'd love a new signature, Gina, thanks for offering. It'll be so hard not to have Titan, Rubio or Lonzo on my signature anymore, but life must go on, right?

It's entirely up to you. You can keep this sig for awhile longer if you want, as a way of remembering Rubio and Lonzo.

 

[diamc]

Deb, I am SO happy that you are getting another beardie, that's great. Bet you can't wait for Sunday to arrive. Once you see him, you'll have to come up with a name and we could help if you want. :wink:

I enjoyed looking at all the pictures of Lonzo, some were new but others I hadn't seen before. He was such a handsome guy.

I have to be honest, over the years, some of your beardies reminded me of different ones of mine. Sweetie was a lot like Sabrina, Titan reminded me of Gizmo since he had so many health issues and Lonzo, so much like our Judas. So, every time one of yours passed, I had a hard time dealing with it because of the comparisons and it brought it all back. So, that's why I haven't posted much on your forum lately, I apologize. I have been thinking about you a LOT and I know how hard it is. I just wanted to share the reason for my not saying too much.

Having an empty tank is so hard so I'm very happy that you will have another to fill a small void in your heart that needs you. All of your beardies would be very pleased as they know how much love you have to give.

Boy, are you gonna see some black bearding and foot stomping when they all wake up and see him. :lol:

 

[sweetiepie9]

Thanks Gina, I'll leave the signature the way it is until my new boy has had some time with me, I'll let you know, though, thanks for offering.

Diane, I'm sorry this has all brought back all your losses, too. I know they're all together and I'll bet Rubio has gotten himself a car & is whizzing them all over the place. I can pretty well guarantee that Sweetie & Lonzo are together, but it wouldn't surprise me if Rubio has discovered Sabrina, she was so beautiful and they're a couple. That's how I envision our babies. Judas is buds with Lonzo & giving him a hard time over Sweetie and Titan is growing into a giant but is friends with everybody, 'cause that's how he was here. Gizmo is healthy again and buds with Rubio, loves to ride around in his car. They probably have made so many others friends, because they were always well taken care of & are now so busy. But I also know they all stop at the end of their busy days and remember us both with love. I also know Roger is there to take care of all of them. I'm sure all our lost babies are there being taken care of by Roger. I understand how you feel, it took me over 6 mo to get over Rubio, somehow he was the worst. Your sweet Misty is most likely hanging out with Titan, too, I think their all one big family, but I also feel them sending love to all of us & thanking us for our good care of them & all the love we blessed them with.

I know this helped me when I was grieving so much for Rubio and Titan, but mostly for Rubio. He was hard to let go...

But I managed to get over that period and I'm glad to be welcoming a new member to my crew. I'll keep you all posted.

I also got new pics of Lonzo from Kevin, who took care of him for the first 5 years of his life. I've copied them all, so will post a couple & they'll all be part of his memorial when I do it, never had a chance on the weekend, plus wanted to wait for the pics from Kevin.

there were 8 in all, so here they are
Baby Lonzo :love5: :




This is my favourite, he liked the "sun" even as a baby:


And I still have that log:


Look at that little silkworm, doubt it lasted long :mrgreen:


Love this picture, he's over a year here, and you can see how red he actually was:




This picture must have been taken when he was a few years old, you can see how yellow he became.

 

[diamc]

Wow, Lonzo was really red, isn't it something how it changed to bright yellow. His colors were absolutely stunning and by the looks on his face & in his eyes, he knew he was handsome.

Thanks so much Deb, you always know just the right things to say. I'll bet you're right, they're all the best of buddies. I can just picture Rubio & Gizmo whizzing around in a car together. :lol: And, who knows, maybe Sweetie & Sabrina are competing for a beauty contest. :mrgreen: They both looked SO much alike and were certainly very unique & loving. You're right, Roger is taking great care of them and they're all remembering us at the end of their day. I'm sure Misty is enjoying all the male attention too, she always did and got the darkest beard when she was teasing them. We have both lost a lot of beardies and at the same time, have received a lot of special love from each & every one of them in return. :love5:

It is great to welcome a new member, like we did Laura recently. She needed us and your new guy needs you. :love10:

 

[sweetiepie9]

It'll be so much fun to have a little one again, I'm so looking forward to seeing him. Don't know if he has a name yet, so we'll see about giving him a special one. Maybe I'll give him an angelic name like Gabriel's is, even though he's no angel :lol:

So Gabriel is sleeping for the first time. Not sure if it's full brumation, but covered him up with a warm blanket & turned his lights off, like Leo. We'll see how long it lasts.

This weekend is going to be so busy, I have to work on Sat from 1-4pm to make up for Wed when I see my doc. I wasn't feeling well last night, didn't sleep at all, so didn't go in today, will be talking to my doc about the fibromyalgia I have, my muscles ache all the time if I do too much on a weekend. I have to pace myself, but when you have to cram in food shopping, beardie care and family into 2 days, it does get hectic. But that's life and I have to just take it a day at a time. I don't want to miss any more days going forward, I just have to get through December and I have vacation time again.

I'm glad I was able to make you feel better Diane, I've always got my lost babies on my mind, but when I think of them, it's all positive. Whatever mistakes I made, it's all gone and I know they're feeling good. I picture them looking down on all their owners with love.

 

[Esther19]

Oh Deb, those pictures sent me over the edge again. What a sweet little guy, our Lonzo. The pic in the bathtub most reminds me of how he looked when he got older.The shape of his head, I think. How nice it was of Kevin to send you those. They are all great shots of him; I like your favorite, too. I hope you feel better very soon.

 

[sweetiepie9]

I'm glad you enjoyed all the pictures, it was sweet of Kevin to send them to me, too. And yes, I'm feeling much better. This cold weather & overdoing it on the weekend, brought the flare out again. I was asleep at 10p last night, with a 2 hr nap in the afternoon and I feel much better today.

So Gabriel is still under his cover, I checked him this am, he sort of opened his eyes and fell asleep again. First time he's ever brumated, we'll see how that goes. He did a big poop on the weekend & has been hardly eating, so I'm good with it. I have to wake them both up, Leo and Gabriel, on the weekend for baths.

Puff is still wife awake but no more eggs, if my total is right, she laid 23 altogether this time around. I've been stuffing her with roaches the last 2 days & she now weighs 434, so she's very slowly gaining weight. I'm going to try to feed her again today. But supers this time. She was 505 b4 she laid, so has some catching up to do.

Didi still has his lights on because he's still on meds. I think he's improving every day. I have the latest pic:

Still can't get all the cream off, but he looks better, doesn't he?

And here's Puff digging away, she wasn't pleased I was taking pictures, that's for sure :lol: She digs AFTER she's laid most of her eggs, since then I've found 4 to make the total 23 (maybe more)




She was sleeping on this log one night, the next morning she couldn't get off it, I had to help her, so now I make sure she's not doing that anymore. Can't see how that could possible be comfy for sleeping :mrgreen:


You can also see how skinny she is, she's horrible with getting her weight back, as she just won't eat. I leave supers and greens in her tank, she'll eat the greens but not the bugs. So I have to continue feeding her until she'll start chasing them again or eating them out of her bowl.

Puff continues to try to get out onto the balcony, but as it's about 30F out there, she's not getting out of the living room, poor sweet girl


Gabriel's usual reaction to Puff running around the living room, he was already getting really sleepy, too, but still managed a black beard and some bobbing :lol:


Didi enjoying his pillow, he gets onto it lots and then falls asleep for early naps.
He's beings so patient with the meds and cream.


And he likes his rock, too.


So he's sleeping as much as he wants to, but I'm keeping his lights on as usual. It went down to 68F overnight in the living room when I usually keep it at 73-74F, so I know the geckos were cold, too. I know it's not as cold as elsewhere in Canada and the States, but I hate it being cold here. We had a small snow storm and the snow has hardly melted, even though we've had sun daily since Friday. Oh well, that's my grump for the day!

 

[diamc]

Didi looks great. A huge improvement & his eye is nice & bright too. Loved the pics of him in his tank, he looks so happy on his pillow and rock.

Hope Puff is done with the eggs for a long, long time. She's being a real stinker about eating, isn't she? Suppose she would take some CC and baby food? She sure was hoping to go outside, she surely has no idea how cold it really is out there.

Funny that Gabriel managed to black beard & head bobbed even though he was so tired. What a macho guy he is. :mrgreen:

Hope your snow melts soon. The foot we got is just about going but this afternoon & tonight we're supposed to be getting a sleet/snow combination. :roll: Glad to hear you're feeling better.

 

[Tonja]

Sounds like Puff is an egg laying machine. She wouldn't like it outside as cold as its been, well here anyway. I love the picture of her poking her head out of the papers like Mom you see I am busy here, just leave me to it. The baby pictures of Lonzo are priceless and that orange is so pretty, so his him in that citrus yellow. Didi looks so much better with his eye and mouth. You have done a great job with your vet in getting him all cleared up. He sure looks comfy on his pillow and not so comfy on his rock :lol: Hope you are getting some much needed rest with all you have to do. You have to take care of you to. Gabriel looks like he could just fall asleep where he is laying. He just looks so tired but has enough energy for his black beard, to funny.