I found out early this morning that SweetPea passed away sometime last night. :( She was such a special beardie and was loved by everyone who met her. I'm heartbroken for her owner who loved her to pieces.
Showing posts with label SweetPea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SweetPea. Show all posts
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
When Dreams Come True
Ziggy went to his forever home today and the pictures of him with his new owner make me SOOOO very happy. This is why I do rescue-- to see beardies loved forever & forever.
I lent SweetPea out to a friend who unexpectedly & tragically lost her beardie a few weeks ago. Here's SweetPea sporting the latest in beardie fashion:
SweetPea is being loved & adored. That warms my heart-- even if I am missing her myself.
I lent SweetPea out to a friend who unexpectedly & tragically lost her beardie a few weeks ago. Here's SweetPea sporting the latest in beardie fashion:
SweetPea is being loved & adored. That warms my heart-- even if I am missing her myself.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Beardie Roll Call or Our House feels Slightly Empty
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| Toothless |
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| Spike |
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| Max |
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| Hurley (who is leaving Monday) |
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| SweetPea- the lone female |
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| Our boy named Lizzie |
Down to only 6. Raji got adopted out last night. Yeah! All the others have gone home or been adopted. Dr Folland was teasing me that if I'm down to 8, I'd better load up! ;) I think we're okay with just a few for now.
P.S. taking pics of the beardies in their tanks showed me how dirty the glass has gotten! whoops! Time to wipe some glass down.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Sun Time!
My favorite vet, Dr Doug Folland, likes to say that the single best thing you can do for your reptile is to give it sun time. Especially this time of the year when it is warm outside, sun time is a great way to make your beardies healthy.
I have two males, Max & Spike, who have their own cages outside, and they both believe they should NEVER have to be inside in a tank. As soon as the sun rises past my neighbor's trees, I take my big boys outside and they spend the day in the sun/shade.
Their set ups are simple: a rat/guinea pig cage with leftover pieces of astroturf on the floor. Max's cage has a shelf on it; Spike's cage has a tree branch. I use astroturf or reptile carpet to cover part of the top of the cage so there is always shade.
Today I put my old parakeet cage on the table on it's back so I could sun Toothless for awhile. Because he's so small, he could fit through the bars on the other cages. A parakeet cage is perfect. He has a rock to perch on.
When these guys are outside, I check them hourly to make sure they have sun & shade. In the heat of the day (between noon and 3) when the sun is at its highest, I put up my patio umbrella and position it so it shades their whole cages. Even with the umbrella up, they get plenty of heat and UVB reflection. Also when it is hot, I'll spray down the astroturf with a water bottle to keep them from overheating.
Upstairs in our south facing window is Lizzie. He's the little bump on the right side of the window. The window filters out the UVB light, but he still enjoys have the sun & warmth.
Downstairs in our south facing window is SweetPea. She is too timid to be outside, but she loves being on the window ledges in the sun. Here her head is up, but most of the time she looks like this:
So here's my helpful hints for outside sun time:
1-- NEVER EVER EVER use a glass tank. You will kill your reptile quickly!! Use an old bird/ferret/rat/small animal cage.
2-- Check on your beardies hourly to make sure they have plenty of sun & shade. Put them in a location where they won't be bothered by neighborhood animals.
3-- Windows filter out UVB (that's their job) so the only natural UVA & UVB light is direct sunlight. So get them outside when it's warm or consider opening up your windows when it's not as hot.
4-- Always keep water in their cages. When they spend a lot of sun outside, bathe/soak them more often to keep their hydration levels up.
5-- Beardies like the heat. It may be too hot for you, but it is perfect for them. In the wild, beardies sun themselves in temps up to 110 degrees. As long as they have both sun and shade and water, they should be fine with the heat. But that goes back to rule number 2-- check them a lot. If they are gaping consistently, or hiding, or trying to get out, it may be time to move them back to their tanks.
6-- Start off small. Try 30 minutes a day until they get used to being outside. SweetPea is too freaked out by alone outside time. She'll stay with me on my lap, but can't handle being outside. Most other beardies will adjust quickly to being outside with new sights & smells & sounds. But you can build them up. Until you are sure they can handle the new environment, give them short segments of time during the day (maybe once in the morning and once in the afternoon).
Anything else? Leave a comment below!
I have two males, Max & Spike, who have their own cages outside, and they both believe they should NEVER have to be inside in a tank. As soon as the sun rises past my neighbor's trees, I take my big boys outside and they spend the day in the sun/shade.
Their set ups are simple: a rat/guinea pig cage with leftover pieces of astroturf on the floor. Max's cage has a shelf on it; Spike's cage has a tree branch. I use astroturf or reptile carpet to cover part of the top of the cage so there is always shade.
Today I put my old parakeet cage on the table on it's back so I could sun Toothless for awhile. Because he's so small, he could fit through the bars on the other cages. A parakeet cage is perfect. He has a rock to perch on.
When these guys are outside, I check them hourly to make sure they have sun & shade. In the heat of the day (between noon and 3) when the sun is at its highest, I put up my patio umbrella and position it so it shades their whole cages. Even with the umbrella up, they get plenty of heat and UVB reflection. Also when it is hot, I'll spray down the astroturf with a water bottle to keep them from overheating.
Upstairs in our south facing window is Lizzie. He's the little bump on the right side of the window. The window filters out the UVB light, but he still enjoys have the sun & warmth.
Downstairs in our south facing window is SweetPea. She is too timid to be outside, but she loves being on the window ledges in the sun. Here her head is up, but most of the time she looks like this:
So here's my helpful hints for outside sun time:
1-- NEVER EVER EVER use a glass tank. You will kill your reptile quickly!! Use an old bird/ferret/rat/small animal cage.
2-- Check on your beardies hourly to make sure they have plenty of sun & shade. Put them in a location where they won't be bothered by neighborhood animals.
3-- Windows filter out UVB (that's their job) so the only natural UVA & UVB light is direct sunlight. So get them outside when it's warm or consider opening up your windows when it's not as hot.
4-- Always keep water in their cages. When they spend a lot of sun outside, bathe/soak them more often to keep their hydration levels up.
5-- Beardies like the heat. It may be too hot for you, but it is perfect for them. In the wild, beardies sun themselves in temps up to 110 degrees. As long as they have both sun and shade and water, they should be fine with the heat. But that goes back to rule number 2-- check them a lot. If they are gaping consistently, or hiding, or trying to get out, it may be time to move them back to their tanks.
6-- Start off small. Try 30 minutes a day until they get used to being outside. SweetPea is too freaked out by alone outside time. She'll stay with me on my lap, but can't handle being outside. Most other beardies will adjust quickly to being outside with new sights & smells & sounds. But you can build them up. Until you are sure they can handle the new environment, give them short segments of time during the day (maybe once in the morning and once in the afternoon).
Anything else? Leave a comment below!
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Finally! Some Sunshine!
It's been cloudy here for the past four or five days (totally abnormal for the summer) and my animals have missed being in the sun.
Thankfully, the beardies can share the window space if I use the "beardie barrier" I made out of corrugated plastic. Here's SweetPea and Toothless side by side. Toothless is fine with SweetPea, but she attempted to eat him last time they were near each other. So they are under my watchful care always.
Thankfully, the beardies can share the window space if I use the "beardie barrier" I made out of corrugated plastic. Here's SweetPea and Toothless side by side. Toothless is fine with SweetPea, but she attempted to eat him last time they were near each other. So they are under my watchful care always.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Bath Time-- a Weekly Must for Adult Beardies
Adult beardies need a bath *at least* once a week so they have an opportunity to drink and to poop. Once they get used to the bath, they will do both of things without fail.
Juvenile beardies (over 6 months) need a bath a couple times a week. It's best to not bathe baby beardies because they can't handle the temperature changes.
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Bath water should be warm, but not hot! Don't burn them. It's not supposed to be a sauna. Be sure to add more warm water if they are in the bath for a long time.
Most beardies will involuntarily puff up with air when the get into water; it's a survival instinct to keep them afloat. Don't worry about it.
Some beardies like to swim around and play; some don't. If they like to swim, let them swim. My older three beardies got in tonight, got a drink, and then wanted out.
A beardie who has had a lot to drink will have a very full belly! Don't squeeze them too hard or they will spit the water back up.
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For new beardies who aren't used to baths, I dip my fingers in the water and dribble it on their noses to make them drink. It may take a few drops, but usually they will start opening their mouths and licking up the water. You can keep doing that until they stop licking or you can gently coax their mouths down toward the water so they can drink directly. Once my beardies learn to lap up the water themselves, I don't even have to dribble water on their noses-- they do it immediately.
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If they poop in the water, then bath time is over. Don't let them drink the poopy water. If they haven't had anything to drink, drain the water, wash out the sink, refill the water, and put them back in.
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Once my beardies have bathed, I wrap them in a clean towel and put them back directly under their basking spot so they can warm back up.
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When I have new beardies, I change the water for each one so I don't spread any diseases. Tonight Thor got the first bath, then I washed out the sink and refilled it for Toothless. I also used separate towels for them. Because Lizzie, Max, and SweetPea have been with me and around each other for a long time, I let them share the same water.
Juvenile beardies (over 6 months) need a bath a couple times a week. It's best to not bathe baby beardies because they can't handle the temperature changes.
---------------------------------------
Bath water should be warm, but not hot! Don't burn them. It's not supposed to be a sauna. Be sure to add more warm water if they are in the bath for a long time.
Most beardies will involuntarily puff up with air when the get into water; it's a survival instinct to keep them afloat. Don't worry about it.
Some beardies like to swim around and play; some don't. If they like to swim, let them swim. My older three beardies got in tonight, got a drink, and then wanted out.
A beardie who has had a lot to drink will have a very full belly! Don't squeeze them too hard or they will spit the water back up.
---------------------------------------
For new beardies who aren't used to baths, I dip my fingers in the water and dribble it on their noses to make them drink. It may take a few drops, but usually they will start opening their mouths and licking up the water. You can keep doing that until they stop licking or you can gently coax their mouths down toward the water so they can drink directly. Once my beardies learn to lap up the water themselves, I don't even have to dribble water on their noses-- they do it immediately.
---------------------------------------
If they poop in the water, then bath time is over. Don't let them drink the poopy water. If they haven't had anything to drink, drain the water, wash out the sink, refill the water, and put them back in.
---------------------------------------
Once my beardies have bathed, I wrap them in a clean towel and put them back directly under their basking spot so they can warm back up.
---------------------------------------
When I have new beardies, I change the water for each one so I don't spread any diseases. Tonight Thor got the first bath, then I washed out the sink and refilled it for Toothless. I also used separate towels for them. Because Lizzie, Max, and SweetPea have been with me and around each other for a long time, I let them share the same water.
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| SweetPea drinking. She's about to shed so her back is white |
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| Max drinking. He weighed a lot more when I picked him up! |
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| Toothless & her first bath with me |
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| Lizzie drinking. He used to hate bath time, but now he enjoys it |
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Squiggy in Love
Squiggy was running around the living room when he spied SweetPea, my only female, in her tank. Boy, he was anxious to get to her. She could have cared less.
This is the most she's ever paid attention to a male beardie in the house. She usually blinks boredly. She finally paid attention to him, but I think she just wanted to eat him. Or taste him.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Max & SweetPea, rescue number 7 & 8
Max, a German Giant, and SweetPea, a pastel, came to me by way of a private placement. These two will stay with me for the rest of their lives.
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| SweetPea loves the sun! |
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| Max wasn't super friendly when I got him, but he's doing much better |
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| Max is my BIGGEST beardie so far! He's supersize! |
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