Spike!

[FranktheTank]

Oreo is so cute! Chinchillas have always fascinated me, but I hear they are difficult to keep? Is that true? The pictures of Spike are great. I like the last one of her on her hammock. She has the sweetest little expression on her face, she almost looks a bit mischievous...little cutie.

-Kaleen

 

[Hemilover77]

Oh my has she grown! I can't believe she is three months! She is so beautiful. And I agree with Kaleen in the first pic she almost has a look of ok... What can we get into today? She is well taken care of and she looks so healthy. I can't wait for Hemi to get that big, but I will miss him being little too! Thanks for the pics... And photbucket gave me fits yesterday!

And little Oreo... I just wanna squeeze her or him lol. All of your babies are just beautiful. Maybe Hemi needs to come and live at your house for a few weeks you certainly know how to raise the babies!

 

[Spikeshuman]

Thanks for all the compliments! My little Spike does seem to be growing fast.. some part of her is constantly in shed (its her head today). I have yet to get her... OMG WHY ARE YOU WAKING ME UP?!?! picture.. maybe I will try that today. Some days she even gets all puffy and her beard goes half black.

Chinchillas, although not that expensive themselves.. about $75 for the standard grey like I have.. are very expensive at first to get all their things. They need a tall cage because they need a lot of vertical space. They need large exercise wheel that usually has to be special ordered.. they don't generally carry large enough ones in the pet stores. All the insides of the cage need to be wood, the shelves, the hide, the toys, because they chew everything. I guess any baby is expensive if you spoil them like I do! Even my betta fish have fancy houses and bottled water! Once you are all set up though.. a chinchilla is very easy as long as you have time to spend with it. You can get away with spending less time if you have two of them, but if you have two they will bond to each other and not to you. I have had Oreo since he was 2 months old, I am his family. He would not tolerate another chinchilla at this point, he would see it as competition. They are inexpensive to feed.. just timothy hay and maybe a tablespoon of chinchilla formulated pellets a day. They cant really have treats, their little tummies cant handle it. They are very fragile so you cant hug them and squeeze them. They sleep all day.. unless you wake them for play. Poor Oreo gets woken up every time I go to feed Spike which is at least twice during Oreo's sleeping hours. Each time I have to give Oreo some attention too or I get a nasty stinky look. I could go on all day about chinchilla do's and don'ts.. bottom line is.. as long as you know what your doing.. they aren't difficult to keep at all.

As for how I care for babies... I do my best. I want all my animals to be happy. I'm sure you all agree.. there is no point in having an animal if you can't make its life longer,better, and happier than if it were on its own! I have been tempted to buy a poor little beardie at petsmart just to raise him up and then give him away (I would keep him if I were allowed). He has been stunted at 5 inches since I bought Spike in July! Its so sad. He went on sale for $40 this weekend and still no one bought him! I should take a picture of him today and put it up. He is a light sand color with creamsicle orange stripes. They have him labeled as a pastel and he is normally $80.

 

[Hemilover77]

Oh...I wish you could get the little guy and raise him...but BEWARE when you do that you don't give them away...Lol. We have a yorkie that we were only keeping until we found her a good home. Looks like this home is it! That little beardie sounds beautiful. You know I told you there was one when we got Hemi left all alone, and I kept going back to see if he was still there and every time he was. We stopped last Saturday on the way back from the Expo and he was gone I hope someone got him that loves him and joins this site for the proper do's and don'ts. But with everyone that leaves the petstore there will always be more. Hemi's little tank mate was gone, but there had been several more to take it's place. One little guy was very light colored and will be a beauty when it grows up but it was laying in the corner, had it's whole body smooshed to the ground and looked sickly. I felt so bad for it. But I do know the vet that treats those specific Petsmart babies, he is the one that helped us try so hard to save Zeus. I am sure he will look him over. I would love to see a pic though if you make it there today. Here it is rainy and cold and I have the day off...I think I will stay in alllllll day

How long do you think it will take Hemi to get use to his new tank? I noticed yesterday he came down off his spot a few times and looked around. He still doesn't go all the way down to the other end of the tank though. I think he thinks the koi fish will eat him. Silly dragon. And he is sticky to the only log that was in his old tank, like hey, this is the only familiar thing I know. I am hanging on!

All of your babies are very beautiful they are lucky little ones. I agree whole heartedly, there is no since if having them if you can't not only give them good quality of life, but the very best life. Most of the time all they really want is love, and warmth and food. Sounds like you have all the love in the world for those babies. And alot of knowledge to boot

I wish we could set Spike and Hemi down beside each other to compare the difference in size. Hemi looks so tiny compared to your Spike. And the ones that we saw at the Expo some was about the same age as ours and they were much bigger than Hemi. It almost makes me wonder if Petsmart was wrong and Hemi is only 2 months old. I don't know. He is shedding his tail today which means growing. I think it is just the Momma in us to want to feed them and watch them grow lol.

Have a good day, I will check back later...got some babies to snuggle! P.s. since I can't kiss and squeeze Oreo maybe you could just give him a little pat on the head from me then????

 

[Spikeshuman]

I bought Spike this amazing branch.. it was huge and it stretched out across her 40g tank.. it had a few different spots to lay on.. but she stuck to her tiny baby branch.. so I returned the big one. I think just like babies.. they get attached to their things. In fact there is a spot on her little branch.. its sort of a knot in the branch.. and she used to hug it as a baby.. every once in a while I see her hugging it again.. but the difference in size is just crazy lol. She doesn't fit in her original favorite spot anymore.. I think there are pictures on the first page of her trying to stuff her big old body in to the tiny space she used to sit. She cant even try to stuff herself there anymore.. her head would barely fit! Hemi will probably keep his favorite spot until he doesn't fit it anymore.. then he will find a new one! That doesn't mean that he doesn't love the rest of the tank!

I do notice that Spike absolutely favors the hot side of the tank. She only goes to the cool side to poo. I think your fish was on the cool side.. so its likely that Hemi isn't avoiding the fish.. just the cooler side of the tank!

You are completely right about the temporary care. If I were to bring that beardie home.. I would be keeping it! I once bought a hamster because she was SO tiny and being beat up by the other large hamsters in the store. It wasn't the best idea.. she was so stressed from the abuse that she died 2 days later. I was so sad by my failure to save her that I bought TWO more! My girls could not agree on the color.. one wanted a black hamster.. just like the one that passed.. and my other daughter wanted a grey and white one! Both are still alive and well!

 

[Spikeshuman]

Here are pics of the little pastel baby that I am dying to rescue!!

So sad that he is about the same age as Spike. He has been at Petsmart since late July. I have watched the other tanks empty and fill with other dragons while he just sits there. I cant imagine why no one wants him.. especially when he goes on sale for $40!

 

[Spikeshuman]

He is usually even lighter with brighter orange.. but he was scared of Spike. He started puffing and hissing and everything!

 

[Hemilover77]

Wow...that is really unbelievable that difference in size! I can't even believe it. Just goes to show you what a little food and love can do. I wish you could take it home with you. It sure is a cutie! I bet you would have it double the size in a month! Well...I sure hope someone finds it that will love it like crazy.

 

[noelerhard]

I can't imagine why nobody wants to but him. He's adorable!

 

[Spikeshuman]

So sad... I just watched a girls videos on youtube. She posted a video of her brand new baby dragon on may 13 2009. It was an adorable little baby! She had her in a 20g tank. She then posted an update in may 2012. The same girl.. much older.. now a teenager with a job. The 3 year old little dragon is smaller than Spike... and still lives in the 20g. All her snakes have gotten huge new enclosures. She seems to want to take care of her pets well. I think she just doesn't realize what she is doing to that poor dragon. I don't know how to message people on youtube.. but her dragons situation is so sad. She is just a kid so I didn't want to post negative stuff on the actual video page. I hate when I see things like that and don't know how to help the situation.

 

[reptilemaster]

Awww he looks so cute sitting in your hand
I remember when my beardie could fit on my thumb.

 

[noelerhard]

So sad... I just watched a girls videos on youtube. She posted a video of her brand new baby dragon on may 13 2009. It was an adorable little baby! She had her in a 20g tank. She then posted an update in may 2012. The same girl.. much older.. now a teenager with a job. The 3 year old little dragon is smaller than Spike... and still lives in the 20g. All her snakes have gotten huge new enclosures. She seems to want to take care of her pets well. I think she just doesn't realize what she is doing to that poor dragon. I don't know how to message people on youtube.. but her dragons situation is so sad. She is just a kid so I didn't want to post negative stuff on the actual video page. I hate when I see things like that and don't know how to help the situation.

What's the url I can email her on youtube

 

[Spikeshuman]

I took a few pictures of my beloved Stubby.. he is by far my favorite gecko. There was a lot of handling and care and hand feeding to keep him alive as a baby due to his mangled foot. He still doesn't chase after crickets much.. but he is doing ok.

Spike's head has been in shed for days now. It takes soo long from when it turns white till when it finally comes off. I saw her doing the grossest thing yesterday, she was puffing out her eyeballs. I read somewhere that they do that to loosen the skin around them? Does anyone know if thats so? As soon as she knew I was there she stopped. Shes so funny.. she thinks that she has to be on her log or hammock when I come in the room so that I will think shes bored and come take her out. She could be eating salad.. or just walking around her cage.. but the minute she sees me she jumps up to her log.. and stretches her head up toward me.

Also.. does anyone elses dragon take like 4 weeks to shed? She sheds her tail one week.. her legs the next.. then her head.. and last her back / belly. By the time her belly sheds.. her tail is going grey again.

 

[Hemilover77]

Hemi did the eye buldging when he shed his head last time. It freaked me out! I do not like watching that! Also he sheds one thing at a time too. It's the tail, after that is done completely anthem it's his two back legs, then starts the head and that works down the front two legs and torso. I have never really thought about how long the whole process takes, maybe two weeks once I see the first peice of loose skin break off. But it you bound from the time his tail turns dull then at least a month. Maybe that's just how long it takes. Guess we better get use to it the way we feed our babies! Lol. But Hemi doesn't want to be bothered when his head and back is shedding! But luckily so far it has no affected his eating. As far as that goes you would never know. Hope that helps!

 

[Hemilover77]

By the way Stubby is amazing ! The coloring on this guy is amazing!