Like many of you, it was a particular beardie that got me hooked. I always had a curiosity about them, but was intimidated by their diet. Fresh veggies? Fresh fruits? That was better than I ate! But I did like looking at them in my local pet store, Pet Paradise in Virginia Beach. They specialize in reptiles and birds. Real nice "mom-n-pop" place.
A baby came in that was kind of... well, let's say she starts up a lot of conversation. At the time I owned gecko's, so I was in the reptile department all the time. I noticed one of the employee's putting lotion on the baby, and inquired why? They explained to me that she was a silk back, and what that meant. (She was also hypo translucent, just a little side-note.) The thing that got me, tho, was they kept "teasing" her, making funny comments typical to guys. Silkback's have no scales, they have very smooth skin, so they made jokes about she looked like a "burn victim," and the usual. All good natured, of course. I jumped in on her defense; I like underdogs. I proclaimed if they kept calling her "burn victim," they were going to give her a complex! We all laughed and I found out that they were actually sort of creeped out by her. She is very interesting to look at, and to touch, but even I have to admit, it does resemble burn scars.
I loved her immediately, but again, fresh veggies? Roaches? My level of skill was still at the gecko "powered" diet and crickets. So, for a year I came into the shop weekly - even when I did not need to pick up any supplies - and went straight back to my reptile guys. "Have you guys lotion-ed the pretty girl today?" "Oh, you mean the burn victim? Let's see, I think XYZ lotion-ed her last week, maybe..." (they teased me, pretending they were not really interested in her care, tho I know they always treat all their animals with the utmost care. I know this, because of the grins on their faces every time they relayed this information). I would then of course act indignant and demand "Bring that baby out here!" They would unlock her cage and point to the tub of Utter Butter they used to lotion her.
(Little side note, if you are not familiar. Because of the lack of scales, silkbacks require special care - it is technically a "handicap," as a silkback would not survive in the wild. They need lotion almost every day as a baby, and every week as adults to retain the moisture in their skin and help in shedding. This is why they can be controversial.)
I would spend time petting her, applying the lotion, and I even tried to get her sold for the guys. Everyone who saw me holding her wanted to know about her, why she looked like that, why she needed lotion - I became pretty well versed in her and normal beardie care before even owning one. My "sales tactic" was double edged. I was sad, because if she left the store with someone else I would never see her again, BUT if she was already gone, I wouldn't be tempted to buy her anymore! Also, during this period, I insisted the guys start called her (thought it was a him) Krueger, which I found aptly fitting. Krueger was my favorite villain as a child, and he DID have burn scars all over his body.
After many months, the guys started asking when I was going to take Kruger/Burn Victim home. But, her care + she was really expensive (hypo translucent hypo, remember) + husband was already frustrated with the number of animals at home... I "helped" the guys tend to her needs for almost a year, and bonded with her very well. Finally, after pleading with the husband, agreeing to severely cut down the number of reptiles, and the discovery of a powdered diet for Beardies (you can even make it into a "stew," or jelly like concoction for consumption), I caved and brought her home. I have never regretted the decision. She rides with me back to the pet store on warm days and everyone loves seeing her again; I take her to pet and reptile expo's, and she always generates a lot of attention there, and I am more than happy to tell people about her and other Beardies, let them touch her and see how soft she is, and she seems to tolerate the attention well. She tells me when she has had enough by climbing from my shoulder onto the top of my head. But she is very patient and mellow, she always has been. She is a wonderful ambassador for her species and mutation.
Well, that's Krueger's story. Sorry, didn't mean to write a book, here.
