Monday, September 30, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Spike, rescue 3.23
Spike has come back to me again.
Poor guy. He just wants a good, permanent home and he keeps being bounced. :(
He's temporarily in Master Oogway's tank while I clean the 40 gallon tank I just bought for him. His mouth & face are wounded too because he got into a fight with another male beardie.
So sad.
Poor guy. He just wants a good, permanent home and he keeps being bounced. :(
He's temporarily in Master Oogway's tank while I clean the 40 gallon tank I just bought for him. His mouth & face are wounded too because he got into a fight with another male beardie.
So sad.
Babies & Hospice Care...... Again........
It's a long story. And I'm a glutton for punishment. And I have 5 sickly baby beardies now.
But I also have a new "system" for keeping them alive: color coding for identification, more frequent & smaller feedings, and lots of heat.
 |
| The babies with their colors |
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| My emergency supplies box & a chart with their colors & weights |
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| In their tank |
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Greens! Greens! Greens!
Because I have herbivore/omnivore reptiles, my fridge rivals any die-hard vegan's! Greens, veggies, & fruits are always on my shopping list. With so many reptiles to feed, I finally got my greens down to a system and I thought I'd share that today.
1st-- know what greens are good all the time, which are good some of the time, and which are good rarely. My favorite staples are: collard greens & mustard greens. The rest of my mix changes weekly. I've added in cilantro, parsley, spring mix, kale, beet greens, bok choy, and others. You can grow your own greens, buy them from farmer's markets, or get them from any produce seciton.
2nd- buy your greens. I buy most of my greens from Wal-mart or from a local grocery store. Sometimes I'll buy a box of Organic spring mix from Costco, but lately my reptiles can't eat all of it before it goes bad (so it doesn't really save me much money even though it is super cheap).
3rd- I soak all my greens in the sink for 5 minutes. Then I swish them around with my hand. You can buy organic greens, but you should wash them anyways.
4th- I cut the stems and wilted pieces off my greens. I save the ends & such and put them in a bag to send to my neighbor's chickens. I chop up the greens and put them in my plastic reptile greens container.
Putting a paper towel in the box keeps the greens from going mushy quickly. I change the paper towel out frequently (every other day or so).
5th-- I will grate other veggies: carrots, squash, zucchini, apples, red bell peppers, etc and put them in separate containers. I learned the hard way that storing other veggies with my greens makes them all go bad. :( So now I just grab out my greens box and my other containers.
6th-- I never have enough feeding/watering dishes to go with my rescue tanks and am always buying them. I was so excited last weekend when I found small, rounded plates at a thrift store for a quarter a piece. I bought a dozen of them.
Now I can pull out my clean plates along with my greens and dish up the greens from the kitchen and then deliver them to my tanks.
7th-- all my old, dried greens go into my compost box. Though I do have a few beardies who will NOT eat greens until they are totally dried out & crispy. Crazy beardies!
8th-- repeat when the greens are gone. I do it at least weekly, but sometimes every 5 days.
This way saves time & works well for me-- especially when I have 8 beardies to prepare greens for and an iguana-- that iguana eats a TON of greens twice a day. :) Sometimes I'm not as organized and I find myself scrambling to find things to feed my reptiles-- which is no fun. It's just easier to play ahead.
-----------------------------
Here's a link to my FAVORITE list of what beardies can eat:
Beardie Dragon Diet
The key is variety. No beardie likes to eat the same thing over and over. If you're finding your beardie has stopped eating greens, then switch it up. Let them try something new to see if they'll start eating again. Swapping out your veggies will make sure that your beardies get many essential vitamins & nutrients.
Share your own tricks, secrets, and ideas in the comments box below!
1st-- know what greens are good all the time, which are good some of the time, and which are good rarely. My favorite staples are: collard greens & mustard greens. The rest of my mix changes weekly. I've added in cilantro, parsley, spring mix, kale, beet greens, bok choy, and others. You can grow your own greens, buy them from farmer's markets, or get them from any produce seciton.
2nd- buy your greens. I buy most of my greens from Wal-mart or from a local grocery store. Sometimes I'll buy a box of Organic spring mix from Costco, but lately my reptiles can't eat all of it before it goes bad (so it doesn't really save me much money even though it is super cheap).
3rd- I soak all my greens in the sink for 5 minutes. Then I swish them around with my hand. You can buy organic greens, but you should wash them anyways.
4th- I cut the stems and wilted pieces off my greens. I save the ends & such and put them in a bag to send to my neighbor's chickens. I chop up the greens and put them in my plastic reptile greens container.
Putting a paper towel in the box keeps the greens from going mushy quickly. I change the paper towel out frequently (every other day or so).
5th-- I will grate other veggies: carrots, squash, zucchini, apples, red bell peppers, etc and put them in separate containers. I learned the hard way that storing other veggies with my greens makes them all go bad. :( So now I just grab out my greens box and my other containers.
6th-- I never have enough feeding/watering dishes to go with my rescue tanks and am always buying them. I was so excited last weekend when I found small, rounded plates at a thrift store for a quarter a piece. I bought a dozen of them.
Now I can pull out my clean plates along with my greens and dish up the greens from the kitchen and then deliver them to my tanks.
7th-- all my old, dried greens go into my compost box. Though I do have a few beardies who will NOT eat greens until they are totally dried out & crispy. Crazy beardies!
8th-- repeat when the greens are gone. I do it at least weekly, but sometimes every 5 days.
This way saves time & works well for me-- especially when I have 8 beardies to prepare greens for and an iguana-- that iguana eats a TON of greens twice a day. :) Sometimes I'm not as organized and I find myself scrambling to find things to feed my reptiles-- which is no fun. It's just easier to play ahead.
-----------------------------
Here's a link to my FAVORITE list of what beardies can eat:
Beardie Dragon Diet
The key is variety. No beardie likes to eat the same thing over and over. If you're finding your beardie has stopped eating greens, then switch it up. Let them try something new to see if they'll start eating again. Swapping out your veggies will make sure that your beardies get many essential vitamins & nutrients.
Share your own tricks, secrets, and ideas in the comments box below!
Monday, September 23, 2013
Buddies
Normally, tortoises are solitary reptiles and spend all their days alone. I didn't expect that any of my tortoises would want anything to do with the other, but I was wrong.
Master Oogway, the Russian, has taken a liking to Hermy, the desert. I let them free range the kitchen & laundry room yesterday while I was gone and came home to find them like this:
The corner of the laundry room by the washing machine has ALWAYS been Hermy's corner. That's where she sleeps when she's not hibernating. I guess yesterday Hermy must have put herself to be and Oogway followed her.
He loves to watch her when she wakes up. He follows her around and shares the sunlight on the kitchen floor with her. He'll even try her food-- to see if it tastes better than his own.
There's only two sad things:
1- Hermy can got outside and roam, but Oogway is too small. He can get through our fence so I can't let him go out by himself.
2- Hermy will be hibernating in about a month and then he'll be lonely for her. Perhaps by then, Lil Foot will be healthier and they can be buddies. . . . hmmm, maybe Lil Foot would be healthier if I let him hang out in the house with Oogway during the day. I'll ponder on that one. :)
Master Oogway, the Russian, has taken a liking to Hermy, the desert. I let them free range the kitchen & laundry room yesterday while I was gone and came home to find them like this:
The corner of the laundry room by the washing machine has ALWAYS been Hermy's corner. That's where she sleeps when she's not hibernating. I guess yesterday Hermy must have put herself to be and Oogway followed her.
He loves to watch her when she wakes up. He follows her around and shares the sunlight on the kitchen floor with her. He'll even try her food-- to see if it tastes better than his own.
There's only two sad things:
1- Hermy can got outside and roam, but Oogway is too small. He can get through our fence so I can't let him go out by himself.
2- Hermy will be hibernating in about a month and then he'll be lonely for her. Perhaps by then, Lil Foot will be healthier and they can be buddies. . . . hmmm, maybe Lil Foot would be healthier if I let him hang out in the house with Oogway during the day. I'll ponder on that one. :)
Friday, September 20, 2013
Animal Roll Call
So here's our current pet roll call:
-Lizzie, beardie **
-Max, beardie *
-SweetPea, beardie *
-Toothless, beardie **
-Hurley, beardie we are babysitting for 3 months
-Honey BooBoo, going to her new home this weekend **
-Volcano, in retraining **
-Spiny, in retraining **
-Lil Foot, red foot tortoise midget **
-Master Oogway, Russian Tortoise *
-Hermy, Desert Tortoise *
-Cannoli, FAST-growing female iguana * (she may be rehomed in the next few weeks)
-Frankie, canary *
-Kip, old grumpy poodle **
-Belle, young neurotic Maltese */**
-Golgi, pink & purple Kitchen Betta
-Algae, yellow Kitchen snail
-------------------------------
* Rehomed animal (took him in from someone we know)
** Rescued animal
-Lizzie, beardie **
-Max, beardie *
-SweetPea, beardie *
-Toothless, beardie **
-Hurley, beardie we are babysitting for 3 months
-Honey BooBoo, going to her new home this weekend **
-Volcano, in retraining **
-Spiny, in retraining **
-Lil Foot, red foot tortoise midget **
-Master Oogway, Russian Tortoise *
-Hermy, Desert Tortoise *
-Cannoli, FAST-growing female iguana * (she may be rehomed in the next few weeks)
-Frankie, canary *
-Kip, old grumpy poodle **
-Belle, young neurotic Maltese */**
-Golgi, pink & purple Kitchen Betta
-Algae, yellow Kitchen snail
-------------------------------
* Rehomed animal (took him in from someone we know)
** Rescued animal
Volcano, rescue number 25
Volcano was bought by a family a couple weeks ago who quickly learned that he was not as "friendly" and "nice" as the previous owners said he was. That did not go over well with the little kids in his family. His hissing and spitting and black beard freaked them out.
So after many discussions, I traded Apollo for "Cano."
I brought him home and got him out of his 20 gallon sand tank and into a, you guessed it, 40 gallon tank with astroturf. :) Can you tell what my favorite tank set up is?
He is a 2 to 3 year old male and he is TINY for his age! He's definitely going to take some work to get him friendly again, and he's already learning that when he puffs out his beard, I don't shrink back.
"Uh huh, Tough Stuff, what else you got?" is how I respond.
Beardies can be like dogs (or kids)-- if they learn that a certain behavior gets them left alone, they'll do it over and over again. Volcano's previous "mom" spent at least 20 minutes getting him out of the tank. Nope, not here. I've been bitten, scratched, whipped with a tail, pooped on, hissed out, head thumped at, poked. It just doesn't phase me anymore.
Here he is in his nice new cage-- I don't even think he knows what to do with so much space! He's a bit spooked out so we'll give him a couple days to adjust before I start really training him. Before he knows it, he'll be thrilled to go on car rides and be the center of attention after school. :)
So after many discussions, I traded Apollo for "Cano."
I brought him home and got him out of his 20 gallon sand tank and into a, you guessed it, 40 gallon tank with astroturf. :) Can you tell what my favorite tank set up is?
He is a 2 to 3 year old male and he is TINY for his age! He's definitely going to take some work to get him friendly again, and he's already learning that when he puffs out his beard, I don't shrink back.
"Uh huh, Tough Stuff, what else you got?" is how I respond.
Beardies can be like dogs (or kids)-- if they learn that a certain behavior gets them left alone, they'll do it over and over again. Volcano's previous "mom" spent at least 20 minutes getting him out of the tank. Nope, not here. I've been bitten, scratched, whipped with a tail, pooped on, hissed out, head thumped at, poked. It just doesn't phase me anymore.
Here he is in his nice new cage-- I don't even think he knows what to do with so much space! He's a bit spooked out so we'll give him a couple days to adjust before I start really training him. Before he knows it, he'll be thrilled to go on car rides and be the center of attention after school. :)
Spiny, rescue number 24-- renamed "Pickle"
Spiny is a 4 month old beardie with a bit of an attitude! Mostly, I just think he's freaked out and I'm a stranger. So when he sees me, he puffs out his beard and jumps back into a defensive position. He's young enough that he just needs to adjust to his new environment before we start working with him.
I don't have anything else to post on him yet. I'll add updates later as I get to know him.
I don't have anything else to post on him yet. I'll add updates later as I get to know him.
Master Oogway, our new Russian Tortoise
I've got a thing for small, hard-shelled reptiles. :) And we added Master Oogway or Oogway or Oogie for short. In my continual reptile tank switcheroo, I'm waiting for the right tank for him to open out. So for now, he free roams our house and his pen in the backyard during the day and sleeps in his turtle box at night.
Honey BooBoo, rescue number 23
Honey BooBoo originally came to me to babysit, but then her owners (who had just been given her) decided to let me place her for adoption.
Honey is around 8 years old, which makes her a bit of a beardie senior citizen. I got her out of her small tank and into a clean 40 gln tank with astroturf instead of sand.
She got a bath and I scrubbed her scales gently with a toothbrush to get her nice and clean again. She loved being in the water and swam around too.
Because she is a "senior" I found a special home for her where she can live out the rest of her days in love. She needs a calm & mellow environment without little kids mauling her or big boy beardies trying to mate with her. She's earned the right to retire!
Honey is around 8 years old, which makes her a bit of a beardie senior citizen. I got her out of her small tank and into a clean 40 gln tank with astroturf instead of sand.
She got a bath and I scrubbed her scales gently with a toothbrush to get her nice and clean again. She loved being in the water and swam around too.
Because she is a "senior" I found a special home for her where she can live out the rest of her days in love. She needs a calm & mellow environment without little kids mauling her or big boy beardies trying to mate with her. She's earned the right to retire!
Monday, September 16, 2013
Apollo, rescue number 22
On Saturday, I picked up Apollo, a 3 year old male beardie.
Overall, he's healthy. He has had a bit of MBD in the past because his jaw is a little wonky. I switched out his tank to a better size/fit and gave him a couple hours outside yesterday which he loved!
He was roaming around our house when he discovered my female, SweetPea. At first, he seemed totally puzzled by another beardie. He spent several minutes just starting at her as though he wasn't sure what he should do. He then figured out he wanted her (like all the other boys before him) and tried to get at her. SweetPea, who must be training to be a nun, didn't even blink at him. She's not into boy beardies.
I'm hopeful that Apollo will be super easy to place into a good home. He was loved by his previous owner, but not super socialized. I can already see him blossoming with good food and outside sun time.
--------------UPDATE 9/20/13--------------------------
Apollo was placed today in a lizard-loving home filled with boys! They adored him and he is going to be spoiled with love and attention there. :)
Overall, he's healthy. He has had a bit of MBD in the past because his jaw is a little wonky. I switched out his tank to a better size/fit and gave him a couple hours outside yesterday which he loved!
He was roaming around our house when he discovered my female, SweetPea. At first, he seemed totally puzzled by another beardie. He spent several minutes just starting at her as though he wasn't sure what he should do. He then figured out he wanted her (like all the other boys before him) and tried to get at her. SweetPea, who must be training to be a nun, didn't even blink at him. She's not into boy beardies.
I'm hopeful that Apollo will be super easy to place into a good home. He was loved by his previous owner, but not super socialized. I can already see him blossoming with good food and outside sun time.
--------------UPDATE 9/20/13--------------------------
Apollo was placed today in a lizard-loving home filled with boys! They adored him and he is going to be spoiled with love and attention there. :)
I LOVE Beardie News Stories!
The firefighters put out a fire started by the beardie's light and gave him oxygen to help him feel better. Awwww....
Read the story HERE!
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Rescues 19 through 21 and How Hospice Continued
Remember how I said I was done with baby beardies? Apparently I lied.
I brought home three baby beardies on Sunday. Two babies that were 2 grams each.
And a 7 gram baby with a fractured spine.
Baby #1 died on Monday. Baby #3 with the broken back died on Tuesday. Baby #2 died yesterday. We buried them all in my herb garden. The two little babies were just too little and too far gone by the time I got them. It's possible they had genetic issues too. The baby with the broken spine had stopped pooping and was impacted along with his fractured spine. There was too much wrong with him that couldn't be fixed.
They all had a happy, safe, and loving end. That was all I could do with them.
------------------------------
Here's Yoda who I thought was so tiny next to one of the 2 gram babies. He looks huge & healthy!
I brought home three baby beardies on Sunday. Two babies that were 2 grams each.
And a 7 gram baby with a fractured spine.
Baby #1 died on Monday. Baby #3 with the broken back died on Tuesday. Baby #2 died yesterday. We buried them all in my herb garden. The two little babies were just too little and too far gone by the time I got them. It's possible they had genetic issues too. The baby with the broken spine had stopped pooping and was impacted along with his fractured spine. There was too much wrong with him that couldn't be fixed.
They all had a happy, safe, and loving end. That was all I could do with them.
------------------------------
Here's Yoda who I thought was so tiny next to one of the 2 gram babies. He looks huge & healthy!
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