Spike!

[Hemilover77]

Spike's Human....I am so in love with your wittle dragon!!! Thanks for the pics girl! I will try and get some of Hemi tomorrow and post them for you! I think I read that you are taking Spike everywhere you can with you? I read that quickly at work this morning and I thought you had said that. I can't wait to be able to do that. Hemi is getting more use to being handled, but I wouldn't trust him to not fall off just yet. We have had Hemi almost one month and he has grown well over an inch. I want to get a scale so I can do weekly weigh ins. ughhhh...weekly weigh ins are NO fun...lol...unless you are a dragon and a fat tummy in a plus Thanks for the menu advice, that is pretty much what I have been trying to do for Hemi. I bougth him some mustard greens, but those really aren't his favorite. Today I added some mixed dark greens and he actually ate them. But I did top them with very very tiny meal worms. I ordered some super small ones. I hope those are ok. I will not give him the bigger ones. Hoping to get Hemi a larger tank this weekend, and hoping that will help with the stress marks we are still getting. Wish us luck! Hemi sends Spike head bobs!

 

[Spikeshuman]

Everyone on this forum seems very against meal worms. They have a tough shell that is hard to digest. In my personal experience.. I fed Spike a bowl full of them once... she probably ate around 40.. and she didn't poop or eat for 2 days. It was a scary experience and we have never done meal worms again. In any case.. digested or not.. they have hardly any nutrients. The reptiworms or phoenix worms are awesome.. they aren't as crunchy and they wiggle a lot so babies seem to like them.

I did post a thread on my daily outings with Spike. I have been doing it since the first week I had her. She has always been one to just sit with me.. even straight out of the Petco tank. I held her in my hand while I shopped around for supplies that very day. She goes with me everywhere as long as I am not buying produce, or other fresh foods. I honestly think she is happiest when we are walking around and people are admiring her. That is the only time she turns her bright pinkish orange. Normally she ranges from a rust colored orange.. to light brown and orange stripes. She was actually black yesterday.. I still have no clue what that was about.. but the minute I picked her up.. she was all pretty again.

I should dig out my chinchillas scale. I used to weigh him weekly as he was growing. I didn't think to keep tabs on Spikes weight.. because shes always pretty round and healthy.. but its probably good to know her weight for comparison.. if anything were to happen.

I can't wait to track Hemi as he grows!! My favorite thing on this site is getting to see the growth of these cuties over time!

Oh.. and as for the falling.. Spike has never fallen off me before.. she keeps a good grip.. but I do notice she has a harder time since I trimmed her nails. I had to though.. when she touched skin her little talons would get stuck in my neck or arms and I had to pick them out !

 

[Hemilover77]

Hey Spike's Human,

I will dump the mealies out. I thought the small ones were okay. I don't want to take any chances ! I am having trouble finding the other kinds of worms. But I will! I just don't trust Hemi to stay on my shirt yet because I read about a lady who had one that jumped off her shoulder and died two days later from internal damage

I have to say I love your post Gotta run for now we will chat later

 

[Spikeshuman]

Here are some pictures of a few of Spikes brothers and sisters...

Stubby.. he lost his foot in shipping on his way to Petsmart

Jill

Jack

Lexi

Bodhi

Oreo

Precious

 

[Hemilover77]

Ohhhhh....I love seeing the pics of all of your babies! The chinchilla with the sign...hello...how adorable is that? So I know nothing about geckos. They are very neat looking. How are their personalities compared to our beloved little dragons? All of your babies look so healthy and happy. Guinea pigs are pretty cool little guys too. We had two for a long time. Thanks for sharing all of your sweet babies!

 

[Spikeshuman]

The geckos are much more for their looks than to play with. Stubby does not mind being picked up.. since he had a lot of handling early on due to his injury. There were vet visits.. daily antibiotics.. and I had to help him shed until his foot finally fell off, so he does not mind being picked up at all. I could pick Jill up.. but she always wants to run.. so she is hard to keep hold of. Jack.. does not like being picked up.. and runs when you do get him.. so hes kinda hands off! They are getting better over time.. but no where near as easy as Stubby. If I take them out of the house.. they get so stressed that they vomit up their most recent meal.. so they don't do outings. They don't really do play time.. they do eating and sleeping, and they sleep during the day.. and are up at night. They do get excited for treats.. the occasional wax worm.. and they look at you with their adorable huge eyes.. and lick their mouths in this oddly cute way, but not really comparable to a beardie. All our babies are completely spoiled and I wish I could have a hundred more... mostly because I feel like I would take care of them better than someone else! I often stare at my dog as he is crushing me with all his 100lbs.. and think.. I wonder what you would be doing right now if someone else had bought you? I find that people that live on these forums like I do.. are pretty much the same way, hopeless animal lovers!

 

[noelerhard]

Spikes colors are to die for. I love the orange against the grey she has great contrast! You have so many animals, I wish I could have that many pets, but I'm alergic to fur.

 

[Hemilover77]

Well I completely agree with the animal lover thing. Growing up I had one or two of practically everything! At one time, I had 3 hermit crabs, two parakeets, one beta, 4 goldfish, one pet mouse, a cat, three dogs. I think I was 10 which really meant my Mom had all of them and I just played with them. My Dad got up and got ready for work and yelled across the house... "If I didn't have a zoo at home to feed maybe I wouldn't have to work so hard!" Well I now have the zoo and I am footing the bills lol. We have rescued two dogs, and both times I thought I would only have them until I could find them loving homes. Yea...that doesn't happen, because I find something wrong with everyone else...they don't have a fenced in yard, or they are gone too much. My hubby has cut me off! That is how I know I can safely go to the Expo tomorrow and know that I will be coming home with no more babies. You can say I told you so later...lol.

Well I think the geckos are beautiful to look at, but I don't think they are for me. I have a hard time having pets I can only look at because I am like that giant snowman on Looney tunes, the one that the Martian is always with, and the giant snowman picks up Bugs Bunny and says he wants to kiss him, and squeeze him, and love him, and on an on. Yea that's me. The way Bugs acts, is probably the same thing poor Hemi thinks...oh no not you again...are you trying to rub my skin off???

 

[Spikeshuman]

Sadly so am I... hives are a daily annoyance. Well.. not sure if I am allergic to fur.. or just to dog in general. I didn't know until after we got Bodhi.. and once you have them its already too late. I could never give him up.. no matter what!

 

[Spikeshuman]

LOL.. Funny story.. I also got cut off. Then this past July I saw Spike in the store.. now I have seen many baby beardies before and have never bought one.. but for some reason.. I just couldn't help myself. I got him.. got a house for him.. came home.. and said as nicely as I could.. how sorry I was.. but I just had to! My poor hubby had no words.. he just got in the car and left.. he came back an hour later with a case of beer and sat quietly at his pc. I was heartbroken.. but I took Spike back to Petco. That night.. after about 10 beers or so.. he began talking to me again.. and long story short.. he said.. OK you can keep the dragon! I set an alarm clock and was up in time to sit outside of Petco and wait for them to open. I didn't want to chance anyone else getting Spike. She was such a pretty tan color with 4 bright orange stripes.. I figured she would be gone fast!! I got in the store.. and there she was! I figure there has to be something VERY special about Spike if I was willing to risk his wrath in the first place. For some reason we were meant to be together! Its been two months now.. and hubby is coming around. He checks out all the pics.. and will help me with her when I need it.

 

[noelerhard]

Sadly so am I... hives are a daily annoyance. Well.. not sure if I am allergic to fur.. or just to dog in general. I didn't know until after we got Bodhi.. and once you have them its already too late. I could never give him up.. no matter what!

I'm sorry I don't get hives I just cough and sneaze a lot. I know what you mean. I used to have a pitbull named Kitty, but she made me so sick my mom forced me to get rid of her. I cried for weeks. Then my mom introduced me to repitles. I was like 4 at the time and I've loved anything scally ever since. Now I perfer scales to fur.

 

[Hemilover77]

Ohhh noooo! That is one sweet little story. You must have a good hubby he loves you so much he is trying to come around. Mine is trying very hard to come around too. He tells me every single night I can't believe how much you love that dragon! Our introduction to beardies started off very sad as well. Two and a half months ago standing at a Petsmart in Florida on vacation, our child through a fit for a bearded dragon. We said no went outside, pulling out of the parking lot, tears streaming in the back seat. I put it in drive pulled back into the parking spot and said oh heckkkkk no...there are no tears on vacation! We bought a hatching that we were told was 4 months old. We bought a desert setup, no uvb light. I couldn't stand the thought of this thing even riding in our car let alone touch it. I said you take it to your room it's your responsibility. Two and a half weeks later, we have a very sick beardie. I see this tiny little thing hanging on and fighting so desperately for life, I decided it couldn't be too terrible so I picked it up, and then snuggled it. And the fight was on to save Zeus! Four visits to pet smart, which is over an hour away, two hour trip to the nearest vet, countless emails from people asking for help. We force fed him, the vet helped us out all he could, I gave him baby food, daily baths, medicine, and all the love in the world. The last night he was on this earth I sat up all night and held him, no baby is dying alone at my house! I cried myself silly. My husband came downstairs the next morning where I proceeded to crawl into his lap and cried like a little girl. He said you want another one don't you ?? Yesssss!!! And so now we have Hemi. Seeing how Hemi has grown shows me that Zeus was too little from the start, and not healthy. The vet said he didn't even register on a gram scale, and that he was shocked we had him as long as we had because he would have guess that he had justed hatched. I quickly learned all the things we were doing wrong and more importantly don't believe everything that Petsmart tells you.

I am so glad that you went back and got Spike, I am sure you couldn't get there fast enough that next morning! I can tell she is one loved dragon. Such a sweet story!!!! I am enjoying raising this little dragon so much. I am a vegetarian, and so I thought the cricket thing would be too difficult for me. Now I am like a cheerleader outside of Hemi's tank at every feeding..Go Hemi Go! Because I know every one of those little crickets will make him go bigger and healthier. But I do have to say I will miss him being so wittle.

 

[Spikeshuman]

I know that I should probably research my pets BEFORE I buy them.. but I never do. I do however spend days researching care and behaviors once I buy one.. I never trust what Petsmart says. You wouldn't believe the advice they gave me on my very first pet 2 years ago. If I had listened to them.. I would have had a dead chinchilla in about a week. She actually told me a chinchilla was exactly like a rabbit.. and that could not be further from the truth. One thing good about my petsmart.. is they will take back ANYTHING on a return.. even partially used food / bedding.. etc. I had found out the chinchillas cage was all wrong.. the food that they sold me.. the exercise ball.. everything they sold me could have killed my baby. Luckily I knew a bit about lizards from having chameleons as a small child. I am from Hawaii and they are everywhere.. all my chameleons were ones that I found on the street or in a tree! I never did learn about lighting till now though. I would just stick my chameleons in a tree while I swam in the pool! Also, the petsmart worker that sold me Spike's house actually has a bearded dragon.. so he gave me mostly good advice other than her light bulb.. which I returned for a reptisun 10.0 after a few days.

 

[Hemilover77]

Well the weekend is almost over... Hopefully that means Momma gets the laptop and we get new pics of Spike! Yay!

 

[Spikeshuman]

Haha.. it is 12:26 .. and I am dying to go to bed.. but here I am as promised. I sat down at 11:30.. but it took photobucket a while to load everything. So.. here she is!

And one of Oreo !