Still not allowed myself to let my sadness show , been keeping myself very busy trying not to dwell on Rex's death , been trying to keep my focus on my two remaining beardies and the two BTSs.
Toothless wouldn't leave Rex's tank alone today, kept going back to it and looking at Rex and his mood changed from excited and happy to what I interpreted a worried / sad / confused as his tail drooped and was no longer the usual upcurved up into the air tail (as is the usual posture while he's out for his freerange time).
Peppa was very unsettled too and kept going to over to look at Rex's tank and she refused to leave, even when I was giving Peppa a snuggle she was still unsettled and wouldn't settle and pancake on me like usual.
George and Mildred behaved similarly to Toothless, neither would leave her tank and kept trying to get her to respond by scratching at her tank's sides, back and front, they know something has happened but couldn't work out why she was unresponsive.
Is was very difficult to look at Rex in her dark cold tank yesterday evening , overnight, and today before I finally couldn't put dealing with her off (about 5pm) as she was starting to smell a little and liquid was oozing out of her mouth.
Was extremely difficult forcing myself to wrap her in absorbant kitchen paper toweling , and then in two plastic bags to go into the deep freezer (Wriggles is still there
) , will be very hard to dig a hole in the garden / yard to bury her and Wriggles , I don't think the vet still has Puff else I'd arrange to bury all three together.
Likely since I'm not mobile enough yet and not able to safely use the front and definitely not the back stairs , then I'll have to ask a friend or relative to do the digging., in the meantime, she'll be preserved in the deep freezer.
Her tank has been emptied , her stuff all thoroughly sterilized using F10 and put into storage, as well as her tank which I had my brother-in-law take down to the shed to be mothballed with Puff's old DIYS tank.
I've revised my design for the beardie multi bay enclosure to be built using the Qubelok system and aluminium square tubing + plywood bases and lids + acrylic sheeting for the sides and front sliding doors and back , will be a two level with built in provision to add a 3rd level on top if I ever need it.
I expect I'll be an emotional mess tomorrow.