Kreature, an Argentinian tegu

Here's a few more pictures of Kreature. 

So much going on in his brain. He's so curious and watchful. 

He's about 3.5 feet long. 

He's picked his potty spot. He just sorta missed it tonight. I put down a big puppy pee pad. 

Tegu Time

Meet Kreature, our foster Argentinian black & white tegu. I'm a little gun-shy with big lizards (thanks to all my experiences with iguanas, Savannahs, Nile monitors, etc. so we are letting him out to explore on his own terms.

My boys LOVE Kreature! They think he's fantastic. My dog Teddy wants to kiss him and smell him. My dog Belle thinks he will murder her. I think he's cool but I'm hesitant to have a big lizard again. I'm really not into biting anymore. Crazy, huh? ;)

How NOT to make a Chameleon Cage

The chameleon I rescued today was in a 29 gallon tall tank. No branches, no vines. Just 4 fake plants on one wall. 

Chameleons need to be able to climb close to their heat lamp when they want to warm up. They need lots and lots of vines and branches and places to climb. They need mesh walls so air can flow in and out. Glass tanks cause nasty respiratory infections in chameleons. 

This chameleon has soft bones and the start of Metabolic Bone Disease. He had only a small coil UVB light on top of the tank and its rays did not penetrate far enough to help the Cham absorb the UVB rays. Without the UVB, his body couldn't process and absorb the calcium and his bones grew soft. 

As his bones replace the calcium levels and firm up, they will get rather lumpy and thick. 

Here's his new set up: 

Lots of branches and vines and sticks and ladders. Even a live plant. He can get right up under the new Mercury Vapor bulb to heat up and absorb UVB. He'll do much much better now. 

Crazy Day

Today might have set a record for craziness. And it didn't have a single thing to do with Thanksgiving tomorrow! 

Here's a good pic of the chaos: 

I brought home a full grown Argentinian tegu, 2 young ball pythons, and a young chameleon with metabolic bone disease. 

The snakes ended up in the living room. I don't like overhead lights for snake tanks, but this is temporary. 

Luckily, I learned my lesson after the last two chameleons and saved my nice set up. The chameleon was in a 29 gallon tall tank with fake plants on one side and the wrong kind of lights. Now she's in a good mesh cage with a ton of climbing branches and a mercury vapor bulb on top. 

The tegu will stay with us for a couple days and then go to his new home. My boys love tegus. But I don't have a picture of him. 

Everyone is in a basic set up and is fine for the night. Tomorrow I'll fix them all up better. I've been fighting a chest cold all week and I'm exhausted. Tomorrow I can improve all the set ups. 

Vet Visit

Today was a long vet visit. I took in Sunny, Tommy, and had my rescue sister bring in Zeus, a red tail boa. 

Sunny stayed warm in my shirt before the visit. She looks great and her vent is in good shape. I'm going to inject a little mineral oil in her feeder mouse tonight and see if she prolapses again. If she does, Dr Folland will put a stitch along the sides of her vent to keep her from prolapsing again. 

Tommy's beak has started growing but it grew out weird and bubbled. Dr Folland said (as he often does for my rescues) "Weird! I've never seen anything like this." He filed down his beak so it can grow in evenly and smoothly. 

Tommy, in response, pooped all over the floor and peed on their hands and shoes. He was NOT happy! 

Zeus has a mouth wound that looks okay overall. We'll treat it with an antibiotic cream daily for a week to help it heal. Dr Folland says Zeus is a beautiful and healthy snake. 

Overall it was a good vet visit and not nearly as complicated as I thought it might be. 

Another Substrate Attempt

When you have ten or more tanks, the substrate (covering) at the bottom of the tank makes a BIG difference when it comes to cleaning. 

Over the years, I've tried tile, slate, AstroTurf, shelf liner, peel & stick tile, vinyl fabric, and now linoleum. 

I think I like linoleum the best. I bought a 6 foot by 8 foot rectangle from my local Home Depot for $24.99 plus tax (US dollars) and cut it in to 6 pieces for 40 gallon tanks and 2 pieces for 55 gallon tanks. So about $3.50 a tank/piece. 

I use clear packing tape to stick it to the bottom of the tank so it doesn't slide around. When there is poop, I take a flushable wipe to clean up the poop and then I flush it. I never ever throw away poop-- it stinks!!! Flushing smells better. 

I buy whichever brand is cheapest for me. The last box I bought was from Costco and was a Kleenex brand that had an instant store coupon. 

The goal for substrate is a solid surface that is easiest for you to clean. Today I swapped out my old pieces of linoleum for a new piece. I took the old pieces outside and scrubbed them down good. Those are now in storage for the next empty tank or the next time I swap out all the tank pieces. 

Nom nom

Otis decided to taste my foot today. And then my shoe. And then my other shoe. 

Sunny, rescue 159

This sweet baby ball python keeps prolapsing (her intestines start to fall out when she poops). She's prolapsed three times in the last three weeks. 

My vet says it's not uncommon for babies to prolapse and his first treatment will be a small stitch in her vent. 

If that doesn't work, they will surgically attach the cloaca to the abdominal wall so it cannot be pushed out. 

We'll start with the stich on Monday and see how she does. 

Emotional Support Vest on Etsy

I've had several requests to make "Emotional Support"vests for bearded dragons through my Etsy shop, and I finally decided to just offer them as a standard item. CLICK HERE. 

These are a very simple felt design so they are lightweight and inexpensive to make.

NOTE- a vest alone will NOT legally allow you to have a beardie (or any other animal) as an Emotional Support animal. It MUST be accompanied by a letter from a licensed doctor or psychologist stating you need one. There is a lot of grey area regarding Emotional Support animals right now as people are attaching themselves to more animals than just dogs. Read your local laws and consult with a doctor before you do anything please.

Anyone near Waco, Texas?

I have been asked to help with a Beardie that was abandoned in Waco, Texas. Anyone down there or know of a reptile rescue in that area? 

Please use the "Contact" form on the right side of my blog and let me know. 

Vet Trip

I took Leo and Drake to the vet today. Leo got a beak trim and a Vitamin A injection to help with his swollen eyes. I have a two week game plan now to help him get back on track. If he's not eating within two weeks, I'll take him back to the vet to be tube fed. 

Drake is still not eating on his own. He sleeps all the time and has lost weight. He breathes through his mouth a lot too. 

Drake stumped Dr Folland on his last visit, and today he tried to repeat the stumping. His eyes are clear, his mouth is clear, his belly was soft. Nothing obviously wrong. He has zero body fat though. 

So they took blood to do basic blood tests to see if anything shows up. We'll start there. 

He is still shedding off the nasty stained sand. 

Blood tests come back tomorrow and we'll go from there. I'll start force feeding him every day instead of weekly to help pack on the calories. 

Leo, rescue 158

Leonardo is an 8 year old Russian tortoise who is the size of a 9 month old. He recently moved homes and has not been eating, drinking, or pooping. 

Not sure what's going on with him. I'll take him to the vet tomorrow and start there. 

Jabba, rescue 157

Jabba's owners left him at a friend's house for a "little bit" earlier this year. 5 months later, he was still there and the temporary owner couldn't keep taking care of him. 

At some point, Jabba had MBD because his tail and several fingers are really bent and kinked. His bones now are firm. 

He's tried bruminating lately and wouldn't eat or drink. Today I used my finger flicking trick and got him to drink a lot and then fed him 6 roaches. He's good. 

He is a BIG boy and he goes very pale, almost leucistic. I'll try to get a pic of him in the sunshine so you can see how pretty he is. 

Morning Drinks

I teach all my beardies to drink out of their water bowls. 

I set them right by their freshly filled water dish and then I start flicking my finger in the water to make it move. 

Sometimes I have to scoot them so they are halfway in the bowl while I am flicking the water. 

If they don't start drinking, I will put a drop of water on their nose. If they don't lick that off, I will take my fingernail and lightly scratch their lips to trigger a licking response. Then while they are licking, I will put another drop of water on their noses for them to lick off. And then I'll start flicking the water in the bowl again. 

Those few steps are almost always enough to get them to start the tongue flick required for drinking. Their bodies will flatten out into a pancake shape and they will duck their heads. Sometimes I'll gently push their heads into the water if they are trying to drink too high above the bowl. 

Once they are flattened and drinking, they can drink for up to 8 minutes. Their bodies will stay flat and their eyes will half closed. It's adorable! 

It took me over 18 months to train Ziggy how to drink. I kept repeating the process over and over again both with his water dish and in the bath. He finally learned and drinks immediately when he sees me filling up with water dish. 

Usually once you get their tongue flicking triggered, their instinct takes over and they'll drink. The key is moving water. Instinct tells them stagnant water is bad. That's why most beardies will drink in the bath-- because they are moving the water around them. 

Oh and it's very common to see them gasping for air for a couple minutes after they've been drinking. And the next few poops will be very runny. 

And usually my beardies drink good once a week. In the wild, they store up water when they find it. It's okay if you don't see them drinking every day. 

Here's Drake who was a little confused and was trying to drink in the corner of his tank. Silly boy! 

Next time I "teach" a beardie to drink, I'll try to get a video of it. 

Sun-soaked Bliss

This boy Max loves sitting in the sun in the window above my kitchen sink. He always makes the most serene expressions. 

Ah, happiness. 

Thomas, rescue 156

Today I picked up this little red foot tortoise. He's probably 3 or so years old. 

Poor little guy's shell is SO messed up! I've never seen such bad pyramiding. His shell should be smooth with no bumps. He's practically a Koopa turtle from Mario Bros! 

He's outside in the sunshine right now. Thank goodness for unseasonably warm days. He had a hard boiled egg and some greens and some pellets. He's pooped a ton and is super curious about his new home. 

I'm hoping that his shell will even out with a good diet and good habitat, but I suspect that he will always be "specially" shaped. 

Poop Painting

This morning, Preacher shows off his "off the canvas" style of painting for us. 

I think he was going for an "Abstract Expressionism" mix with a "Lyrical Abstraction" edge, maybe??? 

;) 

Poop. It's what happens. 

Well, Poop

Got home after delivering Junie and running a few errands and found poop all over my bathroom floor, bath mat, and baseboards. 

Otis!! Silly tortoise. He spread poop all over the back of the door too. 

Poop happens at my house. A lot! 

SO Perfect!

I just dropped off Junie. I couldn't even cry because I was so impressed and overwhelmed by his new owner and home. 

Junie's first owner was a male and male iggies tend to prefer males since the smell of Estrogen drives them crazy. 

His new owner picked Junie up and told him how pretty he was. He was so impressed with how alert and curious he was. 

It is practically perfect! I've waited a year and a half to find a better home for Junie than I could give him. I found it. I expect Junie to thrive more than ever now. 

My heart is full.  

My goal has always been to keep rescues until I can find the best home. And I succeeded. 

Junie

In searching for someone to take Midnight, I unexpectedly found the most amazing home for Junie! 

:O 

I had no intention of rehoming Junie, but the way this fell in to place was rather miraculous. I tried to find someone to take him several times last year with no success. 

I feel very good about this decision even though I'm sad. I'm giving both of these iguanas a chance for a better situation and that's always been my goal with rescue: the best possible life available. 

Here's a quick pic of Junie posing as a "Little Old Lady." :) He came downstairs yesterday (to see if that other beast was gone, I think). I realized how big he's gotten. And gorgeous. 

I can't say yet if I'll have updates on either iguana. Possibly? If I do, I'll pass them on. 

Here's Junie on his pillow which will definitely go with him. He loves his pillow. 

Tristan made it safely!!

Now I can breathe normally! Phew! 

I never sleep well when I ship my critters. Definitely a day for a nap. 

Bon Voyage, Tristan!!

Note: this was supposed to post Wednesday night. Tristan is about to be picked up (Thursday morning). 

Tristan is headed to his new forever home  tonight! 

Sending my prayers and love with this little guy! 

Sobbing out my Goodbye

 I tried to be brave as I dropped off Midnight. I cried on the way there. I cried as I tried to explain why you can see jaw bone exposed on his mouth. I managed to get out the door before I started ugly sobbing. I sobbed all the way to my appointment at my chiropractor's office. 

I'm about to go in and expect to cry more during my appointment. Especially if they ask how I am, 

I'm broken hearted about an iguana that ripped part of my cheek open. I'm feeling like a failure to him. I'm sad he's going from me. I mourn my dreams for him being my iguana pet on a leash. I mourn for Turbo and Sancho too. 

Go with God, sweet Midnight.