3 at the Vet

On Monday, I took two tortoises and a beardie to the vet. It's because I had paid off my rescue credit card on Saturday! Ha! A $0 balance must mean a vet visit! 

Lolly had her jaw bitten by grumpy Loner Leo who managed to sneak into her tortoise box. It ended up being okay and Dr Folland thinks her runny nose is because her eyes are so misshapen that they drain onto her face & nose. She was an easy visit-- except for her pooping all over. 

Gramps has been acting very lethargic and sickly lately. During his physical examination, Dr F found a mass in Gramps' belly that felt like a bubble or blister with a hard center. When he aspirated the lump with a needle, he immediately pulled out black fluid (bile) and then nothing else. Both bad signs. For some reason, Gramps' gall bladder is HUGE. It's encapsulated in a bile filled bubble. Sadly Gramps' mouth is a mess too-- he has very few teeth and mostly exposed jaw bone because his lower jaw is so messed up.

Gramps is old and in poor health. We are giving him a week of force feeding to see if his gallbladder will empty itself, and, if not, I believe we will choose to let him be done. :( He's not eating on his own and he's been super stressed and more sickly since his gallbladder was messed with. Also bad signs. In the past two days, he has hidden in his tank under his blankies or under the paper towels. His colors are poor and he seems in pain. Poor baby. I wish I could make up for his poor life, but 7+ years is a long time to be neglected.

Red is a 5 year old sulcata that weighs 3 pounds (and she lost weigh in the last month). Her buddy Bunsen (who just went to a new home in St George, Utah) is also 5 and weighs over 13 pounds. He eats & drinks & poops & motors around without stopping. Red, on the other hand, doesn't move. She's been like a pet rock. I gave her a month of good heat, lots of sunshine, the offer of food all the time, and there was no change. Her nose still drips and she still sleeps all the time. That's why I took her to the vet.

We didn't do anything with Red on Monday, but she's at the vet all day today. They will sedate her, draw blood, and take an x-ray. Hopefully the blood work & x-ray will show us what is wrong with her. I'm not overly hopeful since she's not grown at all since I got her two months ago (you can see their new growth easily on their bellies). I think whatever is wrong with her is serious and I'm anxious to hear if Dr Folland finds anything obvious.

2 Beardies + 1 Uromastyx in *ONE* Tank, rescues 188, 189, 190

So yes, I'm on vacation. But I'm not dead! ;)

Last night I picked up 3 reptiles off this ad:

Once I read the ad, I realized that there were two bearded dragons and one uromastyx in the single 40 gallon long tank.

Today, I got them all set up in individual tanks. 

In the big tank is the 2 year old male bearded dragon named Pancho. Once we wrapped him up in a soft cloth diaper last night, he wouldn't leave it. He has a hammock in his tank now and he won't leave it. 

Gramps is the smallest of the 2 beardies even though he is around 8 years old. He obviously had severe MBD when he was little because he has an underbite and misshapen mouth. His upper lip was stuck out and coated with lots of junk (dirt, old food, old shed, etc.) I cleaned off his mouth and he looked better. 

He's an adorable little guy and loves to hang out with us on the couch. He got a water bowl and spent 20 minutes swimming in it. Then he parked himself on his soft hammock for a nap. 

The uromastyx is pretty stressed from all the moving around. Every time I pull him out, he pees on me. :( I'll let him settle in to his new tank before I trim his nails and give him a bath. I'm pretty sure he's a Mali uromastyx. 

So now they are all in clean tanks with fresh clean paper towel and NO smell or dead things. Once I get them home in a few days, they will get better water bowls and UVB lights. 

An HUGE SHOUT OUT to Liam L, Ginger S, and Jordyn H who helped me pay their fee ($150 total) and for their basic tank supplies. THANK YOU!!!