taking on another beardie ... choices choice ahhh.

[sweetiepie9]

Sweet Flag, I'll have to look into it, too, just to add to what I've learned.

Emily, stop beating yourself up, it was just a mistake and it won't hurt her, honest. When I got Lonzo, he had tail rot, really bad, he had already about 3" of tail that was black & shrivelled & it was moving, so to the vet or amputation. I was to give him a dose of antibiotic by needle (freaked me out) daily but instead I misread the treatment and gave him the whole monthly dose in one shot. I couldn't believe what I'd done! He did survive but he sure wasn't happy. But his tail stub did heal properly. Poor Lonzo. I must misread the .06 or 6, which can easily be done. And I think the black beard is probably due to feeling the pain from the incisions, which will also pass. Hopefully Sweet Flag will also help her with her mouth, wouldn't that be great?

So Happy Thanksgiving to you, your family, Lexi and sleeping Bluebelle!
Love and Hugs,
Deb and my boys

 

[SonicsMomma]

Oh gosh! I missed A LOT!!!!!!! I never got email notifications that there were replies on this thread! GGGRRRRRRRRRR!

So glad to see that you got to the "root" of Lexi's infection. I agree with everyone else when they say that none of what happened to her is your fault, Em. She survived for so long WITHOUT care, and now, she will survive much longer WITH care. And the OD on meds was an honest mistake. The vet says she will be fine, so no need to worry.

I wonder her arm is doing what it's doing because now she has more weight on it? I wonder if there is such a thing as Beardie Physical Therapy. LOL


Sonic woke up! He was asleep for awhile. He would wake up off and on for about a month and a half - two months. But now he is up for good. Back to gaining weight. He's turning into quite the character. Running up and down his tank to get the attention of my dogs, then when one of the dogs is on the arm of the chair next to his tank, he with black beard and head bob at them. I think he's trying to say "I'm the top dog around here!" It's too funny.

I finally got the sand out of his tank. I use shelf liner that is a pretty sandy color now. My boyfriend looked at me funny when I did that. He said "Don't bearded dragons live in the desert where there is sand?" My response: "yes, but domesticated dragons are different and can get impacted by the sand really easy" Still working on getting the right UVB bulb and fixture for his tank. I want to mount it inside, but I'm afraid it will be too close to him. All the fixtures I've found so far are huge! I had to get a new fixture for his heat bulb. For some reason, the other one ended up getting a short in it. I blew through 6- 75 watt bulbs before I figured that out lol. It's weird, I got a "really good" heat bulb from the pet store, but it still doesn't get hot enough. I ended up going to walmart and getting a 150 watt one that does the trick. The new fixture is cool, it has a dimmer on it.

Sonic is eating his greens very well! He gets excited when I take his dish out to refill it. He likes kale the best so that's usually what I buy. He will eat collard, but he doesn't get as excited for those as he does with the kale. He also eats 8-10 kingworms. give or take a few depending on his mood, every day.

I love coming home from work every day. He is usually basking on his log, and when I walk through the door, he perks up and looks for me with that cute head tilt they do! ??


Em, I'm so glad to hear about Lexi's updates. It's nice to hear that her and the cat are besties too. I'm sure Blue will be awake before you know it.

XOXO Jennifer

 

[Lurhstaap]

You should tell your boyfriend that wild bearded dragons do NOT actually live on sand. Not all deserts are like the Sahara. They come from a rocky, badlands-type desert that's mostly exposed stone, not sand. Which is exactly WHY they don't handle sand well! If they did live on it in the wild their digestive systems would probably be better equipped to handle it and be less at risk for impaction.

So how is Lexi doing now, anyway? Let's have an update!

 

[sweetiepie9]

Sonic's mom, their desert is hard clay, mostly, scrub land, so sand isn't what they really live on. That's thanks to Steve Irwin who had a show about them years ago.

So yes, Em, how is our pretty Lexi doing?
Update & pic please, when you can!
Deb

 

[SonicsMomma]

Oh, Yes, I did not realize that.

 

[sweetiepie9]

So now you can educate your boyfriend!

 

[Tensi]

Oh my gosh! I read the entire thread, and I simply cannot believe how much of a trooper poor Lexi is! I am amazed that she has been able to survive all this trauma, and continue on to be so friendly towards you, despite only knowing pain from humans before you.

I think it is so amazing that you took Lexi in, and despite some mistakes you've beat yourself up on (with a dragon needing so much care, there are bound to be some mistakes - no worries!) you've done such an incredible job.

When I saw the photos of before you got her, I literally said "Oh my gosh" out loud, and was so pleasantly surprised to see how much improvement a couple days of hard work can do! Although her teeth and jaw will most likely never return to 'normal', I'm sure with such a dedicated momma, it'll soon become something Lexi never even notices anymore.

I read that you were concerned about her army crawl being painful - although I cannot tell you for sure, since I'm a beginner with beardies, taking from my biology classes and previous knowledge, I think it is more likely than not that it no longer bothers her, even though it probably did in the beginning. The body has ways of adapting to survive, and her skin (and now bones, thanks to your care) have probably toughened up to let her get along in her own little way. If she didn't walk around, I would suspect it bothers her, but from the videos of her trucking along, it seems like she's fine with her own methods

On behalf of me and my Tensi, thank you so much for taking such great care of Lexi, and stepping up to the challenge of making her the best beardie she can be despite all the challenges! We look forward to more updates

Good luck on clearing up that mouth infection, from me and Tensi!

 

[blue11]

hi yall ...
i just wanted to write a quick note before i went to work, then when i get home i can go into detail ...
Lexi is doing alot better now. i was realy worried for a few days, but now she seems to have leveled off and not acting as strange. I can see the hole in her in mouth ... if she opens her mouth to eat once in a while i can see in the on the jaw line and there it is, a hole. maybe the size of a pin head, like the stick pins with the little ball on top, its a right sized large hole to have in a mouth. i see it and im like woah ...

thats where all the infection was getting in to ... the pocket he laced looks like MIGHT start to be filling back up, i cant really tell yet, i hope it doesnt ... she hasnt had and soft food that could get down in there since her surgery, mainly just butternut squash and collard greens.
what REALLY strange is that ever since her surgery, she will not go after a roach or show any interest in them. shes getting no protein at all. i dont understand that b/c right before she was alllllllllllll about eating up some roaches.

i know she is an adult and so she is mainly on veggies, the whole 80/20 precentage, but ofcourse id like to see her take in some protein like 2 days a week ya know? i dont know what to do about that ... ?? i was thinking Carnivoure Care, but sot food i think gets down into the whole and starts the cycle all over again ... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

but i read everyones replies and they are full of awesome thoughts and insight and sweetness, and i will write more VERY soon ...
Love,
Em and Lexi Blue would say hi, but she is still in a coma

 

[athenacp]

So awesome that you took her in and she is really getting some TLC now! She will be beautiful!

 

[sweetiepie9]

Can you hand feed the roaches like you did before? Would she take them that way? She does need protein & more than normal because of her situation, so I'd call the vet if she still won't take roaches over the holidays, which are coming up soon. Good luck with that, she's gone through so much, maybe she's just waiting to feel a bit better. I'm rooting for her. At this end I'm having to hand feed worms to Lonzo and Gabriel and not just them picking them off my hand, I have to put them in their mouths to get them to eat any. So this has been an interesting twist to normal hand feeding. I have to open their mouths & put the worm in sideways, then they'll chew. Maybe that's what you need to do with Lexi :lol: We are surely whipped :whip: :laughhard: Who'd have thunk it :lol:
Take care,
Deb

 

[sweetiepie9]

HOPE YOU HAD A GREAT CHRISTMAS EMILY & LEXI AND YOUR FAMILY!
Deb and my sleepy crew!

 

[Gnels85]

Poor beardie, So Glade he is getting a new home with someone who knows how to take care of him. Hope he makes it through. but if he has lived 4 yrs in such bad conditions he must be a fighter. Lucky would be a very suiting name for this guy. wish you and him the best of luck.

 

[blue11]

hello everyone!!!!!

DEB! i hope you and the boys had amazing Christmas and happy new year on Christmas i actually thought to myself ... ''i wonder if Deb did a Christmas photo of the gang?" ... I was sitting there thinking how cute Lexi would be with a tiny Santa hat and thought about you ha! i totally did, teehee.
i hope you and the crew are doing awesome. how is Lonzo? hes always on my mind, soft spot for him i guess,

WELL ... Lexi went to the Music City for Christmas!!! We took her to Nashville with us!!! My parents and sister live there. Lexi took a 9 hour car ride like a champ! She slept on me, slept in her bag, sat on my knee, looked out the window, ... she was awesome!!!
We took her tank and lights, its long but obviously not anywhere near the size it should be. Blue has a HUGE viv, and Lexi is still in her 29long. With us having bought a home recently, the holidays, bills, her vet bills alone ending up being veryyyy enormous, *sigh* ... i have not been able to save up for a larger tank.
i wanted the same guy who built Blue's tank to do Lexi's, but i am just going to have get a 40g and call it a day. I know that sounds totally un-cool of me, but Lexi sleeps,wakes up, basks like ive never seen a dragon bask before, and then the rest of the time she is out running around or in a bath. she gets so much free time, so its not ideal, but its Lexi's routine and that tank is home for her. she cant climb and doesnt move around in the viv, only out of the viv ... idk, its going to have to be a 40g. We cam work with that. try to get the dollar per gallon sale.

SO, she has bounced back from surgery like WOW!!! and i THINK at this point in time, ive never seen her mouth so clean (its a mess yes, but its the best i have seen it ... ya know what i mean, im sure there is some existing perm-infection there) but NO more drooling and even barely anymore little crusties on her mouth either. she is eating better than ever. she goes after roaches and supers even now. the hole is there, but knwing what side it is on is helpful when i feed her endive and collards.

her appetite for all solid foods is at its highest its been at, and i make sure she gets her greens and butternut handfed each day, sometimes i skip a day. she is STUNNING ... her colour is absolutely magnificent and her body is just so much more solid!!! the good weight she has gained looks sooooooooooooooooooooo great on her.
she is pooping great (RARELY ever in her tank, just like Blue, yay for me on that one) ...

annnnnnnnnnd and more great news ... she is getting ready to go through a nice large shed!!!
most of her head, mouth, face, beard, and even one leg (?) lol, random i know. I am SO thrilled she is giving me anotherrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr shed!!! since i have had her she has gone through 2 beard sheds and several mouth sheds, one head shed ... and suddenly again BAM pale grey Lexi.

For a while there i was really worried after her surgery, but i can tell after alllllllllllllllll the medicines and everything she has gone through since i got her, she is coming into her own, (dont wanna jinx it) but Lexi is really truly off meds fully since July/August (omg i just forgot when i got her) ... she is a super star yall. and i owe it to each of you. so knock on wood, she stays this way. she seems so so so so happy, just the best dragon anyone could ask for
i will write more soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
love, em

 

[sweetiepie9]

Hi Em,

I've been thinking of you constantly, wondering how you've all been doing. Congrats on the house & all the expenses that go with that, but a new house, OMG that's great news!

And Lexi, so sweet that she made that trip like the trouper that she is. It's wonderful news that she's off meds, eating great and gaining weight, good for my wonderful miracle dragon! And don't worry, a 40 gallon breeder will be just fine for her. Didi, Lonzo, Leo and Gabriel are all in 40 gallon breeders and will be for life. Even if they don't get out of their tanks during the day when I'm at work, they have plenty of room to get around, so she'll be fine in one of those. Only Rubio, who's so huge, is in a 75 gallon tank, which we had because we had a tegu given to us at one point, who was rehomed, so that's how Rubio got the bigger tank. She'll do fine in that sized tank, no worries!

My crew are fine. Rubio is like Belle, still sound asleep, even though he did get up for water yesterday, so I got myself a super Rubio cuddle before he went back to sleep. The other four are all up today, even though Didi & Leo have slept for the last week. Lonzo is doing well, considering his lung will never function again. He's still not allowed to brumate, but he does go to bed early, about 3p or so, so does very short days. I've had to literally feed him his food, so he's gained weight and looks great (I'll attach a pic). Gabriel hasn't figured out what brumation is, he slept 1 day so far, but otherwise is up every morning, has alot of energy in the am, then quiets down and he's sleeping earlier than usual, too. It's been wet and rainy every day since mid Oct, even though we did get 5" of snow the week before Christmas, closed down our area for a couple of days, but otherwise it's just been raining, foggy and if not raining overcast. Typical winter for here.

I'm so glad to hear that everything at your end is going well. When did you buy your house and when did you move in? I think it's wonderful that you guys were able to do that!

My other news is my son is engaged and Tara, his fiancee, is pregnant and due early August or earlier, we're not sure. She sees the doc again on Monday so will know more then. They're over the moon and moving to a bigger place with it's own backgard (the bottom duplex in a complex) in a better part of their city, so all is good. They came to my mom's on New Year's Day to announce the news. So I'm going to be a grandma if everything goes well!

The other news is my wonderful sis & b-i-l bought us all Cirque du Soleil tickets (the whole family) with front row seats for tomorrow at 1p, I'm so hyped, they give great shows. So I"m off to babysit my nephews tonight, then off to my sis's tomorrow for most of the day. As I'm on vacation, it's great that all this is included. Spent New Year's Eve with my nephews, too, watched movies, made noise at midnight, then bed. It was a whole lot of fun!

So here are pics of Lonzo:
He was keeping an eye on Gabriel, who was running around the living room:

and Gabriel discovered Lonzo's old log on the floor:
"This is mine, all mine!"

And I have a new family member, she's a 7 year old crested gecko and her name is Bunny. I bring her out every night and we have fun playing "catch the crestie" as she runs around on my bed. It gives her great exercise and I also feed her Repashy, as she was always fed crickets b4.
She likes to climb my computer screen. "So what's back there"

Holding her, she's so soft, just like velvet:

So I have the best of both worlds, the dragons during the day & Bunny at night. I have another gecko, Rocco, who's 5 yrs old, but he doesn't like to be handled at all, he'll bite me if I try. So I get to stroke his back, but that's it!

So I'm so glad to hear the good news about Lexi and her mouth, that is awesome. You have a wonderful vet. Do you have to take her back to be checked up?

Looking forward to some pics when you have a minute (if you ever have a minute!)
Love & Hugs
Deb and my crew of 7 now!

 

[blue11]

FINALLY, some very very recent LEXI pics (also VERY VERY VERY OVERDUE! :roll: :roll: :roll: i have been SO terrible about this!

NASHVILLE CHRISTMAS TRIP 2012 .... just totally chillin at moms feet in my bag

wassup?

checking out the sights ... trees. trees. and more trees. oh, and another set of trees!

cuddling on mom, enjoying the ride to Music City

Nashville Christmas bath

back HOME! look at my tail base! i actually have one now!!! wooooT!!!

December 2012.

MY BEST FRIEND!!! Lexi and Opal

a video of me and Opal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9QrIkfkXzY

i may not have the best aim BUT im getting better!!!
for Lexi, thicker the worm (higher off the ground, fatter), the easier to catc for her. Hornworms and the larger supers are actually easier for her to get hold of, but harder to keep IN. these were just little baby supers, harder to catch, but easier to keep in. she needs some help keeping the larger ones in her mouth, but she can get them off the table much much better and doesnt get frustrated. so we make it work either way
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEPfzc9Vw9I