taking on another beardie ... choices choice ahhh.

[blue11]

thats what i do too

ive always realized how short Blue is in comparison to other beardies, but when i heard Sonics length i thougt i would post about it. teehee.
she is i THINK 16 inches at almost (about) 1 year 4 months. not terribly short, just a little shorter than average.

her tail is soooooo short! it is, im like Blue what's up with your tail girl???
and there is no nip or anything, it does have a kink at the end.
she not lacking in, girth, ha, in any way :shock: and is strong and muscular, but i see all these 19, 20, 21 inch beardies. i know the tail has alot to do with length.

it would be really interesting to do a thread on the snout to vent length i think, rather than tip to tail, just to see how much of difference that makes. my short tail Blue :mrgreen:

CURIOUS ABOUT LEXI ....
im still curious as to why Lexi's spin is so sunk down like a trench with the bones up around it, versus most underweight/malnourished beardie i see have a raised spine, or the spine just is so prominent b/c they are lack weight around it.

Deb, you got any ideas? this baffles me, b/c most every picture i see of rescue beardies or sick beardies, skinny beardies, the spine is very well seen, unlike Lexi's whose is so dipped down, OR the bones around it have just grown in such a warped way that they are simply higher than the spine?
anyone have thoughts? thanks, its been a burning question in my mind, and i meant to ask the vet. i havent really seen a beardie whose spine looks like that .... ???
thank yall!!!
~Em

 

[mommisgurl]

awwwww thanks mommiesgurl ... i LOVE the way you said "one little ripple can cause a wave"
you could not be more right. and its so so so true.
and its such a pretty analogy too
love it.
im glad that Lexi and I have sparked your desire to start a rescue program, and i really think that with enough connections, you could get donations and hand me downs, so any people DO care.
that makes me really happy! the work is intense but the outcomes can be so miraculous in any cases. others, you know, thats just part of damage done that no matter what you do, b/c they way previous owners abused them or did not seek medical attention on sicknesses and such ... its heartbreaking to hear stories of rescues that didnt make it, but at LEAST they were in caring hands before they crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
its all so worth it,
im so proud of you!!!!

and THANK YOU REPTAR!!!!!
we love ya Reptar, our cheer team is amazing!
thank you so much, and will get some pics up. she just ate the ultimate slurrry ... yay! go Lexxers!
i truly love you allllll so much!!
and if anyone has any insight to sunken in spine versus the raised up spine, i would be jazzed to hear any imput you have!!!
much love, and BOY reptar is GROWING! what a big healthy boy at 12.5 inches at 3 months!!! his weight is catching up to Lexi's ha!
GO REPTAR GO!!! you seem to be doing a outstanding job with him!!! i bet her loves you so much!!!!!!!
~Em

If and when I start one,you will be the first to know We'll see how it all goes out I will definately have to do my research and see the best ways to take care of a variety of illnesses,as well as set up a great vet who I can maybe get on board..I get excited just thinking about all the possibilities.! :lol:

We are proud of YOU.! All of us on here are.
As for the sunken spine...I can't really shed too much light on that still...Rep is my first beardie,still very new to this all :roll: I hope Deb or someone else can help with their inputs
He's a good,strong boy..has the whole neighborhood in love with him..hope he gets to a huge size.! And I think a snout to vent thread would be great His tail is a good 8 in of his full 12 1/2 xD

Keep up the great work Em

 

[sweetiepie9]

I always did lengths by snout to vent because alot of mine have tail nips & Lonzo's tail is missing quite a few inches because of tail rot & amputation by my vet. So these are my guys measurements. Also, Em, Didi has a really short tail, too, as he's only 17" long.

So snout to vent:

Didi 7 1/2"

Leo 7 1/2"

Gabriel 5"

Lonzo 8 1/2"

Rubio 10 1/2"

So you can see the differences between my guys. And yes, Gabriel's head is 2 1/2" long, his body is only 5" long and his tail is 10" long. Unimaginable that his poor little body is only 5" long, but it's now a round 5" belly, instead of skinny!

Blue could also grow in body a bit more, I've found my beardies always grew up to an extra inch in their 2nd year. So measure her when she's 2 & that will be the final measurement. Some beardies have really long tails, like Leo & Gabriel and some have really short tails, like Didi. So measuring snout to vent has always been the best measurement, especially for rescued beardies with bitten tails.

So what to do your girls measure, Em? And everyone else, too! Rubio has the longest body of any beardie I've ever seen, but he's unusual. Between 7 1/2" to 8 1/2" seems to be the norm.

As for Lexi's spine, I think it has to do with the ribs being out of whack. You'll have to make a list of questions for the vet as you go along as you don't forget anything at the next appointment. But you can always call the vet & ask if he noticed that & if he has an opinion. He sounds very approachable and I know he's called a few times to check on her.

More pics please, of both your girls!!!!!
Take care, hugs, too
Deb

 

[blue11]

hey!!!

Deboh i love the snout to vent measurements!!!
the girls are sleeping but in the morning i want to get those measurements on them for sure
Blue is def getting ready to slip into brumation. she has those "brumation eyes" ... i hoping to grab a fecal from her before she REALLY goes out so i can get a check on it.
if my mind is right, she owes me a poop from some roaches on Friday, and it needs to come out before i let her slip into BlueBelle sleep. so im hoping one more bath will do the trick!!! ahhhh jeez i hope so. she was a zombie in the bath today. total zombie. i was like c'mon Blue, poop poop poop for me!!! i had flashbacks of her zombies baths from last year.
i think im right on that one, im pretty sure she ate Friday.
its so unlike her not poop once a day. so she is slowing her body down for sure, Lexi will have to keep me company for the rest of the year!
Lexi is doing really well
i felt her little head fat pads today, and even though they are sunk in, i feel a little substance starting to jelly up in them like the vet said he cold feel ... a little, but a little is better than nothing. so yay!
she is eating well, pooping well, sleeping well, basking well ... she is thumbs UP right now!!!
Blue is giving me a run for my money ofcourse, i always get weird when she starts to go down. like, i know its natural and healthy, but its like little worry feeling inside the head always. darn brumation. gotta live with it.

im so glad you posted those measurments, its neat to know the head length, width, all that. YAY for a 5 inch round belly!!! love a belly versus no belly at all ... go Gabriel go!! wooohoooo!
so this will be a cool thing to to compare tomorrow.
im ordering some Vitamin B for Lexi ... i have read that it can help with twitching, i mean, idk ... i know that she is going to twitch, and im giving her the liquid calcium (which has done WONDERS!!!! amazing!) but yeah, ive heard really cool things about Vitamin B. i think im going to get it from beautifuldragons.com ... hmmmmmmmmmm.

im glad to hear good things about all the wonderful beardies on here
oh! mommisgurl ...
yes yes you totally would need a good herp vet for a rescue center, if you can dream it you can do it
oh man, if i was rich and didnt have to worry about money, i would TOTALLY love to do a dragon rescue, i mean, it would be something that is a passion and meant something to me. ok so now i just need to marry rich ... should i tell my fiance now or later that he needs to making at least 7 figures in order for me to stay with him so that i can operate a dragon rescue? :laughhard: teeeeheeeee.
much love!!!
and i will post measurements tomorrow!!!
yay! oh and i have new pictures tooooooooooooo!!!
~Em

 

[blue11]

ok ha, after reading about their Vitamin B solution and reading the ingredients, i totally ordered a 2 oz bottle. i think it will be a good thing regardless

 

[sweetiepie9]

I think so, too, Emily. I've never looked into it as I've never had a deficiency of that kind, but if it can help her twitching, then go for it. I take mega doses of Vit B, too, the whole spectrum, the great thing is you can't overdose on it, it's like Vit C, expelled thru urine, which would be her urates. So is her urates turn really bright yellow, you'll know it's extra Vit B being expelled.

I'll be interested to learn what the snout to vent measurements are on both your girls. And Blue is already going into brumation? So early? I'm glad mine haven't slowed down yet, though Lonzo & Rubio are both starting to get sleepy earlier in the day. Rubio can't brumate yet, he's doing almost a complete shed right now & is miserable, so that might be why he's getting so sleepy. Lonzo always goes to sleep about 4p, so that's not new, so hopefully they're not doing that yet. I really don't want Lonzo to brumate, his lung isn't 100% yet, maybe 50%, which is better than it was. I keep checking & see movement now, so that's such good news.

I'm not sure if Gabriel will brumate. He's just shed all the rest of his body, has only a bit on this tummy. And now he's more yellow than brown, which is so cool. He's sound asleep, too. Only Didi & Leo are still up, they're always the last to sleep. Gabriel took me by surprise this am, he was up on his log waiting for his light so early, I usually wake him up, he's just full of surprises!

So glad to hear that Lexi is doing all things beardies do & that her fat pads are starting to fill in. Don't worry, it's takes awhile. Gabriel's were really sunken, poor guy, that was in April, now in August they're quite pronounced, so it will take her awhile, she was so much skinner than Gabriel was, poor darling, but it's really good to see her so full of energy! You're a great beardie mama, Emily, I'm so proud of you!

Looking forward to the next update.
Take care
Deb

 

[blue11]

BlueBelle love to hide in hair ... and LOVES any shoulder to rest on!

Blue's favorite past time ... BATHS!

Blue and all her glory

sweet Lexi. just after most recent vet trip, car ride!

sunshine days for Lexi

Lexi likes the boys!!

sleeeeeeeeeeepy time

 

[Esther19]

Oh, thank you, thank you, Em! The girls both look teriffic! How have things been going? I've been out at school until almost 9 all week, and last Friday, too. Due to budget mess-up, we have a freeze on hiring, supplies, and subs. So we had to lose a 3rd grade teacher to 1st, which puts us at 32. If one of us is out, we split the class, and have 47 or 48! So, lots of fun...shopping too, because I bought for 28.

I hope you all have been well! Lexi looks great!
E

 

[blue11]

ESTHER!!!

im so glad you liked the pics!!!!
WOW it sounds like craziness at your school right now! oh man, im sorry! and yes, you ahve some more shopping to do indeed!!! thats quite an increase in numbers for you!!! oh man.
we start until monday ... not sure if im ready! ha!
i bet you are the coolest teacher, i can just imagine you in the classroom.

ive been good, ive been taking lots of care of Lexi and watching Blue teeter back and forth on her "start of brumation but im just going to taunt you b/c one day i will bask and then three days i will sit in the same spot"
yup, thats BlueBelle for ya!!!
she starts this pattern this time of year. well last year it was October.
she's a silly girl

Lexi is still a trooper, she is bonding with me more and more, and has pretty much shut down her sometimes "scared" stance ... she seems to have relaxed and seems to feel more and more carefree SO much over the past 2 weeks. it makes me SO happy. she was always a totally sweet dragon, i think she was just on guard once she started feeling well enough to actually BE on guard if that makes sense. i mean she was sooooooooo out of it when i got her. i still cringe thinking how she lived.
but enough of that emily!!
BOTH my girls are still, as always, making me smile and laugh everyday. even Blue and her little "hmmmmm what will i do THIS day to confuse mom even more" ... teehee.

how have you and Cissy been??? ive been thinking about yall alot!!!! is Cissy doing ok? she is always ALWAYS on my mind.
let me know, we wold love to know!!!
here's to a stress free school year (ahahahahahahahahaha does that even exist?!?!) *cheers*
much love to you E!!!
~Em (the other E)

 

[sweetiepie9]

Oh Em, thanks for the great pics, BlueBelle is so cute on that little girl's shoulder, bathing & basking, what a cutie, both of them! And Lexi is looking great, love th epic of her tail way up in the air & just loves the boys, eh? Good for her! I'm glad she's starting to really relax with you, you start school next week? Yep, it's that time, I sometimes forget as my son is 28 & on his own, but we start up here in Canada on Sept 4, so soon enough. The teachers start a big early getting ready for the students. My cousin is a teacher, too, 2 more years & she retires and I know she can't wait, over 30 years as a teacher, it's a great career!

So thanks again for the pics & the update, it's always so good to hear about you and your girls!
Take care
Deb
P.S. my boys are doing great, they've all gained weight except Gabriel, but he's steady at 362. No sign of brumation yet, but Didi & Lonzo are starting to slow down on activity. I was hoping that Lonzo wouldn't brumate this year, guess it's going to happen regardless that his lung still isn't 100%, but I can always wake him up on weekends, just to check on it. Not much you can do when they start. Gabriel is still full of energy, he tried to jump off the counter again today, caught him by his tail, what a dragon, just can't keep him down.

 

[AmberC]

Any updates?

 

[blue11]

Oh Em, thanks for the great pics, BlueBelle is so cute on that little girl's shoulder, bathing & basking, what a cutie, both of them! And Lexi is looking great, love th epic of her tail way up in the air & just loves the boys, eh? Good for her! I'm glad she's starting to really relax with you, you start school next week? Yep, it's that time, I sometimes forget as my son is 28 & on his own, but we start up here in Canada on Sept 4, so soon enough. The teachers start a big early getting ready for the students. My cousin is a teacher, too, 2 more years & she retires and I know she can't wait, over 30 years as a teacher, it's a great career!

So thanks again for the pics & the update, it's always so good to hear about you and your girls!
Take care
Deb
P.S. my boys are doing great, they've all gained weight except Gabriel, but he's steady at 362. No sign of brumation yet, but Didi & Lonzo are starting to slow down on activity. I was hoping that Lonzo wouldn't brumate this year, guess it's going to happen regardless that his lung still isn't 100%, but I can always wake him up on weekends, just to check on it. Not much you can do when they start. Gabriel is still full of energy, he tried to jump off the counter again today, caught him by his tail, what a dragon, just can't keep him down.

DEB!!!!
hey hey hey!
i am happy you liked this pics! weeee!
we used to start after Sept 1 here ... idk when or why that changed a while back. teachers here start early too, well, we have workdays the week before to get ready for the kiddos! NICE that your cousin is retiring in 2 years! it is a good job to have, especially if you work for the state, like a public school. i work for a private school for kids that have been kicked out of public, so at some point, id really like to get into the public school system!!! but good for your cousin, i hope she gets good benefits and all that

YAY for the boys gaining weight!!! and YAY for Gabriel not LOSING weight!!! i am the same with Lexi, she seems be holding steady at around 230ish ... but i can feel that she FEELS different, so im not really worried ... not yet at least
maybe Gabriel is reaching a plateau and will start to gain soon? i love looking at that beardie, SO CUTE! and yes, cant keep a good dragon down! you should make a bumper sticker that says that!
I know you are worried about Lonzo and his lung ... its like, what can you do, you are right ... once they start, nature just keeps on ticking and they do what their body says to do. i guess the good part about Lonzo is, his lung is better than before. i know thats not much consellation, but its a little upside eh?
its that time of year to slow downnnnnnnnnnnn for so many. sounds like Didi and Lonzo's internal clocks are starting to tick slower.
Blue is like in slow motion. BUT, not out yet. Lonzo will be fine hopefully!!! we will send out good healthy happy vibes to him, and the rest of the gang too!!!! i love your boys so much! i'd love to just hang out with them for a day, never a dull moment i bet!
Gabriel reminds me of Lexi, full of curiousity and energy. And both rescues too ... i guess its a good thing, finally getting to be free, healthy, and happy

I got Lexi and Blue's Vitamin B complex today. I am going to start Lexi on it tomorrow, and i think i will start Blue on it next year when she is 100% functioning. I still cant get a poop from her, i think i was wrong about the one i THOUGHT she owed me, i think i missed my chance!!
dangit!!!
she ate like 5 baby roaches today, maybe in the next few days i will be able to get a little something from her.
i really want that fecal done this year before she sleeeeeeeeeeps.

Lexi is just a champ as usual, i realized that she looked a little gangly in that car ride pic!!! lol, poor girl, all bony an twisted but SO cute to me!!!
the way she is progressing is out of THIS WORLD! and pooping, WOW that girl gives me a poop in the yard during the day and a poop in the bath in the evening. still hasnt gone in her tank yet .... BUT with school starting back up, i wont be around her as much, so i bet that will change, ahhhhhhh!! UNLESS she is like Blue and refuses to tank poop. im all for that!!!

oh here's a shocker - i knocked over her calcium and her vial of Baytril yesterday. what is it with me and knocking over Baytril?!?!?
i swear, ridiculous!! i have to go pick the remainder dosage tomorrow, it wont be much money b/c its only about half i need of the original amount. and really she was running out of liquid calcium anyhow.
NO ONE PUT BAYTRIL NEAR ME ... it will be gone in 5 seconds. lol ... wth?!??!

The little girl in the pic is my best friends daughter. I LOVE HER. she loves Lexi and Blue so much. Blue is HUGE compared to her when she carries Blue around. but as long as Blue is being transported on on a shoulder, she is on slap happy lizard.

WELL ... if you think of anything more going on with your boys do tell!! i love hearing about them!
and we will do that same here
MUCH LOVE!!!
~Em

Any updates?

hi Amber
yes lots of updates, all good!!! good things
~Em

 

[sweetiepie9]

Hi Em, glad to hear everything is ok at your end, even with the dropped calcium & Baytril. I've done the same thing, glad you can get the rest of the dose so easily.

Gabriel gained another 10g, weighed him this am & he's now 372. Not sure where that came from, but as long as he's gaining. He's a joy to have around, knows my voice, as when I walk into the bedroom & greet him, he always whips his head around & his eyes follow me wherever I go, so sweet. Knows his name, too, smart boy!

That little girl is so cute & you're right, Blue is a big parcel on her shoulder! So Blue is a shoulder beardie, too? So are all of mine. Gabriel has started trying to either climb my head or tries to jump off my shoulder recently. I've had to really keep my hand ready when he's on my shoulder. The others all sink in when I pick them up, they all love to cuddle and Rubio loves to take naps on me. So sometimes we nap together in the late afternoon, it's alot of fun. It's really funny when I wake up suddenly & jolt him awake, the glare I get is priceless "Do you mind Mom, I'm sleeping here!"

Just keep up the good work, I'll be checking your updates on how Lexi does with you at work. Hopefully she'll get into the habit of waiting until you get home for her bath, as she gets her bath later in the day, right? She might not like to share her tank with her poop. Mine go out of their way to be on the other side of the tank, as if it's toxic :lol:

Good luck getting back to work next week (it is next week, right?) and I know Lexi will be just fine. It'll be a big change for her, though, not having Mom home all the time like she's used to, but she'll get used to the new schedule quickly enough.
Take care,
Deb

 

[PicosParent]

OK Emily, I clicked on this link that you posted on my posting and WOW!!!! didn't realize I'd be reading for 2 hours and shedding tears and want to find the less than human creepizoids who owned Lexi so I could cause them great bodily harm.....maybe break a jaw and not allow medical help so it could heal however it did!!!!! UGH!!!!!! I am usually a nice, loving person but every time I hear of beardie neglect and abuse....I want to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!!!! Has anyone ever heard of a person being arrested and charged for animal neglect like they do for cats, dogs and horses???? If not, WE ALL need to work together to educate people and change things!!!!!!

I so much enjoyed hearing everyone's stories of rescue and just overall pet ownership and love To all of you that had stories of pets going thru health issues, I send prayers of healing!!! Loved all the pictures by everyone on here too!!!! We all have some lovely lizards folks!!!

This site is a fantastic place for knowledge, ideas and emotional support. Last month when I lost Pico, I went thru two weeks of hell and it would have been so much harder had I not had the support of the wonderful folks on here who were all trying so hard to help me keep him alive.....I will never forget that and love them all for it!!!!! <3

I am very encouraged by seeing Lexi's progress to try the liquid calcium and other products on Chico. I am blessed that he is only 11 months old so I can hopefully change things so he won't suffer later in life like my Pico did from "ignorant ownership" for the first eight years of his life. I have a fantastic vet and he thinks that Chico will be fine after a couple months in my care. I sure hope so!!! Of course I will go to Tracy's store, she was so supportive during my two weeks of Pico dying and I will never forget that for a minute.

Chico was so loving and cuddly and when I got him, the seller said "she doesn't like to be picked up, she is very skittish and I am afraid of her". Well, I reached in and picked"her" right up and I have never had a problem with HIM wanting to be held and cuddled! Luckily, I bought him from a very nice young lady that just didn't know about lighting, heat, calcium etc. She would never have been mean to him but she had lots of other animals to love and did not form a bond with him. He was on calci-sand in a small tank with no UVB and no temperature control and no calcium supplements but it was the Ritz compared to what your poor Lexi went through!!!

God bless you and everyone else out there who takes on sick and abused animals and children....we KNOW what a difference we are making in their lives and the rewards and love are limitless!!! Every picture tells a story and the statue of the hands and the four leaf clover speak volumes!!!!

 

[sweetiepie9]

Picoparent, I'm so sorry to hear that you lost Pico, I know what it's like to lose a beloved pet, especially from previous abuse. He's in rainbow bridge with my husband (he passed away last summer & preferred dragons to people, so I know he's there taking care & playing with all our lost bearies), my Sweetie, my Issy and my Angel. And all the other lost beardies. I'm so sorry for your loss.

I'm also greatly relieved to hear that you now have Chico & that after a couple of months of your great care he'll be in good health again. It's so great to hear!

I have 5 males, some have been rescued, adopted & fostered. They're all back in good health & I work hard to keep them there. I go to a local pet shop for my bugs, I also have a 4 yr old golden gecko that loves his crickets. So I was there yesterday & I did tell them that any babies that weren't doing well, I'd bring them home & bring them back to good health. So I have 2 5" 4g babies that I am bringing back to good health. I wasn't sure if one was going to live, had to give him CPR twice but after many electrolyte baths & some baby food, he's doing much better today. I took over my Didi's tank. Luckily I have a ramp with a power sun where he prefers to live, so he's living there now, it's in the living room so he has the whole room to run around in & the power sun to get warm under. He slept on the ramp last night quite happily and the babies are doing well in his tank. I've covered every surface with soft facecloths, made them a small salad to nibble on between baths & baby food & also found some really small baby dubia to put into a cup, so far they're not eating the salad or thhe dubia but they have eated alot of babyfood, so I'm hoping they'll gain some weight. I won't return them until they're back to normal, may take a few weeks.
Here's a pic of the little ones:
On my hands, the flash sort of washed them out, but they are very pale in their colours:

Sitting on the salad, they look dark because of the lighting in the tank:

They are just cuter than cute & I'm hoping to get them back to good health within a couple of weeks. It was kind of the pet shop to have that much trust in me, as they are expensive babies (leatherbacks) but I've been going to that shop for 6 years, almost every week!
I have an update on my thread viewtopic.php?f=49&t=123266&start=2220 if anyone wants to follow up on their journey.
Deb