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:

 

[diamc]

Congratulations Deb on your new boy and to Castiel for his new home. He looks great & a big boy. Love his puffed out beard. Amazing how relaxed he looked in his new tank. You sure will be seeing LOTS of black & puffy beards, Cierra will be in her glory. :lol:

This is just so exciting and wonderful!

 

[sweetiepie9]

Thanks Tonja & Diane. There has already been lots of bobbing and black bearding. I had Castiel out on the ramp after I put Cierra back & he spent almost an hour bobbing at his reflection & watching cartoons on the TV. Then Nathaniel came alive when I was holding Castiel, lots of bobbing going on, now they're all settled down & will be asleep soon. He did such a long trip, amazing that he was in such great shape when I picked him up. He's a great snuggler, too, if it doesn't interfere with his bobbing :lol: He even got 1/2 hr of real sunshine. I think he's beautiful, too, and I'm sure Puff guided me in bringing him home.

Nathaniel is getting bigger and bigger, he's now 18" long and was 435g last Sunday but I think he's gained since then. He's getting more & more yellow, too. He just reminds me so much of Lonzo, alot of the same mannerisms and he even black beards almost the same way (almost down to his vent :shock: )

Cierra and Leo get along famously, I usually put them outside in the sun, even though they don't stay there very long:

And a pic of Cierra and Nathaniel being snuggled, that didn't last long either :lol: You can see how big they're getting and I don't think they've reached their full length or weight either.

 

[Tonja]

My isn't Nathaniel the handsome little one with all that yellow. Ciera and Leo are so cute together. Glad you got cuddles from Nathaniel and Ciera so sweet. I am happy for you that Castiel is settling in nicely. You are going to have your hands full with all the bobbing and black bearding lol.

 

[beardie parents]

Thanks for the pics, Deb. I enjoyed the laughs at the stories of him headbobbing his reflection and other minor things. I enjoyed the pic of Nathaniel's welcome to Castiel, a black beard and a not very happy look in his eye. :lol:

 

[sweetiepie9]

I could hear a major amount of scratching when he went to bed. I went to check and he'd scratched up the newspaper in his hide and was completely covered. Wonder if he'll do that every night? Nathaniel was very put out with the newcomer, so he had a long nap on my shoulder before I put him to bed. Seemed to make him feel better. I wish I could be home every day, but at least it's only 1 day before I have the weekend.

I'm looking forward to the posturing, I used to think it was stressful for males to see each other, but not anymore, they seem to enjoy all the black bearding and bobbing. Gabriel was eyeing Castiel when we got home as he was on the ramp but after that he wasn't too bothered. But Nathaniel was very put out by the newcomer, especially since he's almost the same size as him. :lol: He'll get used to Castiel, just like Gabriel got used to Nathaniel, just takes awhile.

I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures, Lori & Tonja, I feel as if my family is now complete.

 

[brandymulvaine]

Hi Deb, I've reached 2014, so I'll be in the "present" soon! Should be able to get lots of reading done today, it's cool and rainy here.

 

[sweetiepie9]

Hi Brandy, check out the last 2 pages, though, Castiel got home yesterday from a trip from Baton Rouge, LA to Canada a 2 day trip. He's beautiful & 9 months old. He was a gift from Sabrina, a very good friend of mine.

I'm glad you're getting along in the story, it sure is long, all the way from Feb 2010! Lots has sure happened since then!

 

[BlueDragon09]

Congrats hes home and gorgeous hi Castiel!

Deb there's a picture on my thread.

 

[Esther19]

I always love the pics, Deb. Thanks. I'm so happy for you!

 

[sweetiepie9]

I got home tonight & Castiel was back underneath the newspaper in his hide, sound asleep. I checked his bug bowl, he'd carefully picked out all the superworms and left the 4 roaches in there. No greens eaten either. At least he ate some bugs, so that was good news. Hopefully he'll eat his greens soon, too.

Thanks Kami, I'm so glad he's home safe. It was so nice of Sabrina to give him to me.

 

[Goonie]

Looks like it's time to introduce blankies to Castiel, since he decided that he wants to be covered up for bedtime

I can't get over how big the twins are getting! They'll be all grown up (sniff sniff) soon.

 

[sweetiepie9]

I know Gina, it's sad but really good to see them growing so much. I'll see in December if they grow anymore, but I'd be pleased if they stayed the way they are. I think I felt lumps in Cierra, her tummy is really big, so guess I have to keep looking out for her as she grows. She'll have to wait for a weekend to get in the laybox because I don't have much time off during the day anymore, but it will be another 2 weeks at least if I'm right.

There isn't any room in that hide for a blankie, Gina, he had the newspaper ripped so he can just hide underneath. I had to bring him out of it this morning LOL. Guess he had a bit of jet lag :mrgreen: I put Nathaniel outside first, Cierra is back under the ramp light & I'm going to run out for some groceries. Get it over with, then I have to clear everything out of the kitchen & go pick up Jolene and Brianna and get my house cleaned up. There's going to be some excitement, Jolene is bringing her year old leatherback Fizz, he'll be on the ramp for the time they're here. I can just imagine what the bobbing & black bearding is going to be like. Should be interesting :lol:

 

[sweetiepie9]

I had picked up Gabriel and Nathaniel for their baths this am & decided to take a pic, Nathaniel is sure getting big :shock:

Castiel showed off his big black beard this am when Cierra was on the ramp :shock: He sure knows a female when he sees one :lol:

Cierra is full of fertile eggs again, I can feel the lumps in her belly. I'd guess 2 weeks and she'll be laying. I'm hoping this is the last clutch, ever.

So my friend Jolene and her s-i-l Brianna came over. Jolene brought her boy Fizz over, he's just over a year old and so big. He's a beautiful leatherback trans dragon, big black eyes and pretty colours. He had fun black bearding & bobbing my 3 boys. Brianna, meanwhile, got my kitchen, dining room and bathroom so clean, it was a joy! She'll be back every 4 weeks, next is my bedroom and living room and hopefully Jolene brings over Thresh, her big girl, next time.

So here are a few shots I took of the boys:

Gabriel, my King Bee, not too bothered to have another one here. He showed off his black beard, then he had a nap :lol:

Nathaniel, on the other hand: "Mom, another one, really?!?" :roll:

Castiel showed off his beard but otherwise wasn't bothered either :mrgreen:

And Fizz, he was having lots of fun, King of the ramp for the afternoon, I just love his big black eyes

 

[Goonie]

How long were you able to have both Gabriel and Nathaniel on you? I'm surprised that either of them even allowed it for a second.

What an impressive black beard poof on Castiel! Cierra sure knows how to "excite" the boys, huh? :laughing6:

 

[sweetiepie9]

Gabriel and Nathaniel lasted on my chest until I got to the kitchen sinks. I put one down, held onto the other while I filled them up. It's funny for those two, it's as if they're very used to each other now. It's Castiel who's getting all the black beard and bobbing from them both. Not so much each other.

Cierra is a big flirt, thank Nathaniel for bringing that out on her. And she's getting bigger by the day. I can always tell when she's got eggs, for some reason she gets up on the "beehive" all the time when her eggs get big. Otherwise she's never on it. Not sure if the rough service feels good on her bigger belly. Either way, that's where I find her most of the day now.

Castiel is a sun dragon, just like Nathaniel. He's out now but he just jumped down, not sure what he's up to, guess I'd better check! Guess he got spooked, he's on a box along the inner wall and seems comfy in the sun there. I had to pull him out of his hide again this am. Guess once he's in there, he likes to stay :mrgreen: