Why I stand AGAINST Jim Dix and "Utah's Reptile Rescue Service"

I don't normally waste my time in mud slinging or on how other people do or don't run their own rescues. BUT someone needs to stand up and state publicly why Jim Dix should NEVER EVER be allowed to rescue animals again. The horror stories of how he runs his rescue have been whispered behind closed doors for too long in the fear that Jim will (and he almost always does) retaliate.

That ends with me. This is my public statement of why I have done everything I could legally do to prevent him from being the face of Reptile Rescue in Utah.

From a tank found in Mr Dix's possession
a leopard gecko who starved to death 

To my knowledge, I have never personally met Mr Dix. You may decide that this immediately invalidates my arguments, but I ask you to bear with me and keep reading. Most of the stories will have a link to my original blog post so you can verify the dates and stories. My stories are all word of mouth and lack the "Substantiation" required for court cases. Those with the first hand knowledge and pictures of his abuse & neglect also have first hand knowledge of how Mr Dix retaliates against those who go against him. They are scared to death of what he might do. My hope is that if I stand first, I can give others the strength to stand behind me.

Mr Jim Dix is a bully, not a rescuer.

There is a public Jim Dix who is often rather charming and portrayed as a picked on "Good Guy" who has gotten a bad wrap. I've talked to people who have only met this side of him. It is the Private Mr Dix who is a Monster--yes, a monster!-- who needs to be stopped from ever rescuing another reptile.

My Own Experiences: 

1- I began my own private reptile rescue out of my own house in December of 2012. I didn't really publicly advertise until the Spring of 2013. I heard of Mr Dix as being the main reptile guy for Utah. I was also warned to steer clear of him. One friend said "Jim can be a powerful ally or a terrible enemy. Don't cross him." I had just left another animal rescue because of the continual drama and assumed reptile rescue would be far less dramatic. I didn't pay much attention to the warning.

2- My first real experience with Mr Dix came in September 2014 with Fido, a large male iguana. At that point I was only focusing on bearded dragons and did NOT want an iguana. But someone claimed to have "rescued" Fido from Mr Dix who apparently had him in a plastic tub under a table all weekend at a local reptile expo. I was told the iguana would be "put down" by Mr Dix after the weekend and could I save him. "But if he needs to be put down, what can I do for him?" The answer horrified me-- Mr Dix's way of euthanizing iguanas (healthy or sick) was to tightly wrap them alive in plastic bags and put them in his chest freezer to kill them. I could not believe it! I had the iguana taken to my vet for a humane euthanasia. Imagine my shock when my vet called to say Fido was the healthiest iguana he had seen in a long time. I ran to a local pet store, bought a 55 gallon tank (the biggest size they had), and brought Fido home even though I was scared to death of him. I had him for two weeks before I found him another home.

3- In June 2015, a friend showed up at my door with another plastic tote containing another iguana. This iguana, Junie, had spent the last two weeks in the tote (instead of just two days) at Mr Dix's facility. Junie had been left behind after a local murder-suicide and Mr Dix stepped up to take him. If you read my first post about Junie, you'll see that I didn't mention anything about where he came from. Over time, I got tired of looking the other way instead of calling out Mr Dix for what I was hearing; the second post is more vocal against him (even though I didn't name names).

Over the years in between, I received many stories about Mr Dix along with very dire warnings to "not cross him." Most of these don't have proof more than my own memory and so I'll leave them out. I hadn't been in rescue more than a year before I realized that Mr Dix was a bully and a sham at being "Utah's Mr Reptile" even if he made the news every few months.

4- My biggest (and worst) experience with Mr Dix was in April 2016 when I took in 12 reptiles that were pulled out of a burning house by firefighters. At first I thought the reptiles were simply owned by the known meth user and producer who owned the house, but found out that they had been placed there by Mr Dix who needed more homes to put his rescued reptiles
In the beginning, I kept details of the fire victims' story private. I did not mention names or places and focused mainly on getting the reptiles healthy and adopted out. When my rescue partner started receiving threats and harassment, I put my foot down and called out Mr Dix and the meth user on my blog HERE. That call out earned us two weeks without harassment. But then it started up again (HERE). I refused to return the reptiles (only 11 of which were still alive) to Mr Dix or to the meth user living in his car. I delivered a list of requirements I needed for the reptiles to be returned and had it delivered by certified mail. A reply never came. It took about a month, but we were finally left alone. All the reptiles were adopted out into good homes and lived "Happily Ever After." There are many posts on the Fire Victims and you can read through the list if you click HERE.  During one of the post-fire inspections, an insurance adjuster found tanks and bags in the attic & crawlspace of the house that contained hundreds of animal skeletons. We begged him to make a statement to the police or animal control. As far as I know, nothing was ever done with the information.

5- Last year, I received a call from one of Mr Dix's volunteers (he contacted me several times through someone else but never called me directly) asking if I knew why a tank full of 12 bearded dragons would all suddenly start throwing up blood and then die within an hour. Why? Because his rescues just had. I even asked my vet if he had any clue. Neither of us had any idea, but the vet stopped questioning it the second he heard that it had happened to Mr. Dix.

6- 140 snakes were seized from Mr Dix over a month ago. It was during this seizure by animal control that 83 turtles & tortoises & snakes were put into boxes and bins and moved into a plumber's warehouse. Approximately a week and a half later, Mr Dix was admitted to the hospital. By the time the remaining 83 were found, they had gone two weeks with little to no food and water and no heat.  Remember that the reptiles were in the warehouse for a week and a half before he went to the hospital. Last week even with a broken foot and a full house, I took in 12 of the reptiles abandoned by Mr Dix and confiscated by the county animal control. Why? Because for the first time as a rescue I could publicly do something to help save the animals from him. Here's a News Story on how the reptiles were adopted out after being quarantined at the county shelter.

Other stories I've heard: 

-when volunteers would get angry and quit, Mr Dix would call their work, declare who he was, and lie about having to let the volunteer go because they'd been caught stealing. More than one employee lost their job because Mr Dix lied. Volunteers became terrified to quit because they feared they'd lose their jobs or he would have animal control take their animals.

-one volunteer went to change the water and add food to the water turtles' horse trough only to find that the living turtles could only get above water by crawling up on the backs of the dead ones. And yes, there were more than a few dead ones.

-Elvis, the alligator that appeared at every Utah's Reptile Rescue event, was actually several different alligators because they kept dying from poor care. One would die and a new one would be put in its place as Elvis.

-Mr Dix has been evicted no less than a dozen times in the last 3 years. It is always for non-payment of rents on houses and storage units. Though he may claim he has been discriminated against because of his reptiles (especially the venomous ones), a simple phone call will show you how many thousands of dollars each storage unit owner or homeowner lost because of him.

-Centerville city had so many residents complaining about the smell coming from the garage of the house where he was staying that the city council actually rewrote city ordinances to prevent wild animal rescues from operating within in city boundaries. That law was changed about the same time he was evicted again for non-payment.

-I am aware of several cases of Animal Cruelty and Neglect being pursued by multiple government agencies at this date. That's all they will say in an effort to keep their case strong and defendable. And yes, they know how to contact me and the pictures documenting the neglect have been forwarded again.

-As I have watched the #metoo movement on social media, I have wondered how many women wish they could stand up and say #metoo because of their time spent with Mr Dix. If you are carrying the heavy burden of guilt and shame because you were sexually assaulted or abused by him, I invite you to stand up in courage. I know of several sexual assaults committed by him that were shared in confidence.

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To you who don't know Mr Dix, I invite you to consider this testimony. If you'd like more pictures, I can supply them for you. I don't expect you to believe me immediately. I do simply ask you to consider all sides of the story. You can take my side or leave it, but at least now you know my side because I'm not remaining silent any more.

To all who have experience with Mr Dix and who have kept quiet out of fear, I invite you to take a stand with me. He has lied about his power over you. He has lied about how he can hurt. He has lied that no one will believe. He is a liar and a manipulator. His power thrives in the silence and dark (like black mold or fungus). Silence will let Mr Dix win. You don't need to be afraid anymore. All of us together cannot be attacked.

To all those who have looked the other way and kept quiet because "it doesn't effect you," I ask this: How many more animals have died and how many other volunteers have been abused and how many lies have been told because you remained silent? What good has it done to look the other way? How has letting this abuse go on in plain sight helped any of us in the reptile industry? It hasn't. He makes us all look like fools. Take your own stand on what it means to REALLY rescue & own reptiles in Utah.

To Mr Dix himself and his devoted followers, I invite you to change. I'd like to believe at some point that y'all had good intentions and really wanted to help. But time and power has degraded you and you are doing more harm than good. Those reptiles that you left cold & starving are now happy, full, & healthy. Leave them be. Let them move on as you move on.

Your first reaction may be to attack me and try to discredit me or ruin my life-- Please don't waste your time. The more you fight, the more public I will become with the private information shared with me. A smear campaign against me will ruin you further. This is not a threat, this is a promise. The buck stops with me.



If you have your own experiences (good or bad) with Mr Dix that you would like to share, please feel free to email me: sw_southerlands(at)yahoo(dot)com 

Today's Lesson on MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease)

Today's Lesson--

Here is a side by side comparison of two monitor lizard x-rays. The one of the left is the Nile monitor that the vet & I chose to euthanize yesterday; the one of the right is a random x-ray off the internet. Notice the difference in the bones?

Solid, dense, calcium-stable bones almost glow on x-rays. You can see their distinct edges and patterns. MBD bones are hollow, pitted, and almost invisible because of the lack of calcium.

There are parts of the Nile's x-ray where you cannot see his spine through because of the shadows of internal organs. But the sad thing is that the organs are *under* the spine. Under! And you still can't see it. You can also see multiple fractures and curves in the spine and legs that never would have healed.

Here's the hellish part about MBD-- a lizard's body MUST have calcium in its blood supply to survive. If there is not enough calcium being metabolized (coming into the body through the food and then converted into usable calcium through sunlight or adequately powerful UVB), the body will steal calcium from the bones. The bones start becoming weaker and weaker until they are rubbery like Jell-O. When they are that weakened, simple touching and holding will snap jaw bones; a small fall will shatter joints; a leg that is caught and then pulled loose will disintegrate.

A reptile must have enough digested calcium through high calcium foods (whole rat/mouse bodies, high calcium greens, or gut loaded & dusted insects). But all the calcium in the world will NOT prevent MBD if there is no way to absorb it. In the absence of direct sun, a UVB light is a necessity. It must be 18 inches or less above the area where the lizard is the most. It also needs to cover the majority of the area of the basking spot. The problem with coil UVB bulbs is that their radius is very small and often in a different place than where the lizard is. You can combine heat & UVB with a mercury vapor bulb or you can buy a long UVB tube to run the length of the tank.

MBD is a hellish way for a lizard to die. Some pet stores will call it "Cage paralysis" because a reptile loses the ability to control its limbs. It is painful because of frequent breaks and fractures.

PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH! Preventing MBD is FAR easier than trying to correct it. All the reptiles I have ever rescued with MBD who actually survived it had a significantly shorter lifespan.

Grief

Sadly, I seem to be an expert on bearded dragons dying. I know the process, the look, the death gasping, and what to do with their bodies immediately after death and then later.

I am often asked how I deal with the grief. This year has been TOUGH. There has been a lot. My great uncle, my husband's grandma, my dog of 10 years, at least a half dozen beardies, my bird, my fish, and several other reptiles. I've coached a half dozen people on how to handle their own dying dragons (including one today). I helped a dear friend in rescue with the loss of her two beloved dogs. I've helped people in my neighborhood and church who were in the process of dying.

Death has been rampant this year.

How do I handle it?

Some days I don't handle it so well. I'm not always graceful and in control.

But I think I realized what makes the difference for me. When I feel grief, I let it out immediately. I don't stuff or bury; I don't distract or dismiss; I don't ignore it and hope it will go away. When I feel sadness, I allow myself a moment to grieve and I let my tears fall.

On Saturday, I took my family to see Disney's "Big Hero 6." And, when in a moment of sadness in the movie, I applied the same principle. I cried. My tears fell hard and fast and I tried hard to moderate my breathing so I took in enough oxygen.

I cried over a fictional story filled with fictional characters. I let my grief out.

The funny thing about grief is that it tends to come and go at random times, but when I let it out, it goes away. When I bottle it up, it multiples quickly and becomes unbearable.

Yes, there have been some awkward moments when I bawled my eyes out over a small sick lizard. I have stroked the head of a dying beardie at the vet's office while I waited for the medicine to stop his heart and I wet his head & face with my tears. I had had that beardie for only a day when it was obviously time to put him down. I still allowed myself to grieve and feel the loss of his gentle spirit.

Sometimes, like with Xena, I cried a few days before her death. When it was time to let her go, my tears were spent. My heart was sad, but also happy that she was free. Sometimes I cry in anger at the stupid people who cause such suffering for animals/reptiles and I think mean thoughts like "I hope they never have children" or "I hope someone does this to them." But I let those thoughts out too and they go away.

I am sad for Andy tonight. I haven't cried yet. My tears are there, prickling just below the surface, and I may find myself bawling at a random time for his loss. But -- and this is KEY-- HE DIED BEING LOVED!! It may seem trite to say that to some, but I believe it. Andy knows he is safe & warm & loved; on some level of his little reptile brain, his defenses are down and he's letting go of the fight so that I can fight for him.

Love isn't enough to save bearded dragons. It takes saline injections and Betadyne and a LOT of syringes and Critical Care and my awesome vet & vet's office and Q-tips and toothpicks and a ton of laundry and paper towels and antibiotics frozen in my freezer. And it takes the ability to love and to let go.

So when my tears come-- and they *always* do-- I let them flow freely and let my heart grow a little bigger to hold the memory of the beardie (or reptile) I lost.

That, with the grace of God, is how I do what I do. Just in case you wondered.

Sweet Crikey

I did something I don't normally do-- I held onto Crikey while the vet injected a lethal dose of anesthesia this afternoon. I pet his head & talked softly to him while he passed. He didn't want to be held, so I laid him on his soft blankie and let him rest that way.

This was him after he was "gone."

Another educational bit for you--- reptiles' hearts are notoriously slow at stopping, even long after death has occurred. When my beardies die at home, I wait until they are done breathing and then I wrap them in a blankie and put them in my freezer to finally stop their hearts. The vet gave Crikey a fatal dose of anesthesia (as normal), but even two hours later, his heart was still going. I just went back to pick up his body and found, instead, they were giving him a second dose of meds. I'll go back later to get him.

Some reptile hearts can beat sporadically for several hours after the time of death! If you have a reptile die with you, I recommend that you put them in the freezer for a few hours before burial to stop all random body processes.

Sick Eyes

They say that eyes are the "windows to the soul" and that is true for beardies too. Yesterday, when I picked up Crikey, I took one look at his eyes and knew he was in very bad shape. That got me thinking about how the eyes are such a good "window" into a beardie's health.

Here is a picture compilation of sickly beardie eyes. They are heartbreaking-- I'll just warn you of that upfront.

Survived

Died 

Died 

Died

Died

Died, several months later

Survived 

Died 

Dying

Died 

Died 

Died

Our Sweet Lizzie

Lizzie, the boy named as a girl, our first beardie, our favorite love, our best beardie model, passed away today.

We are heart-broken. Something happened internally that was catastrophic for him. At first we thought he had overheated outside, but it was obviously more than that. After 7 years of life, 5 of those with us, our beloved Lizzie joins the host of little beardies waiting for us in heaven.

Yesterday morning we were trying on birthday hats for him and taking pictures. Can you tell he wasn't thrilled?

Then by last night, he was in bad shape.

He didn't even look like himself.

Today we thought he'd be okay in the long term so we left him in his sick tank and went to church. By the time we returned, he was gone.

My daughter got Lizzie for her 9th birthday. He was the best present she's ever gotten. We couldn't have asked for a better beardie and we'll never be able to replace him.

I will love Lizzie forever. My heart is heavy tonight. I cry for my daughter and I cry for myself.

Rest in peace, Sweet Lizzie. You will be with us forever.

Frilled Dragon, rescue number 38

Picked him up at noon; he is severely underweight with a bad shed 

At 4 pm, I gave him a bath and he drank

Wrapped him in a towel and put him under a heat light; he didn't move

Increased his humidity up to 80% and he seemed to relax some

At 10:30 pm, I found him on his side in his tank 

He was completely unresponsive 

He started doing his "death gasping" every few minutes

And then he was gone :(

Too little, too late, too far gone.

Two dead dragons in three days. I'm feeling raw and tired.

Another Tragic Example of Needless Neglect

A Disturbing Picture of What True Neglect is

This picture horrifies me. It sickens me. It breaks my heart. I bet it does for you too.

And it should.

This is why EDUCATION IS KEY to owning any pet.

This what happens when people don't care of animals entrusted in their care. This is senseless and wrong.

UPDATE on 12/16/13 at 11:27 am--

I've been on the phone with this little guy's rescuer for the past few hours. I was ready to give up on him when she text me and said he was licking his lips. So I had her dribble water on his nose and he lapped it up. That's when we knew he had some spunk left in him! Hooray! She got in in a Pedialyte bath and soaked him for 10 minutes plus. He was so tired and lethargic that the experience wiped him out. But he drank! He got in lots of nutrients and such. The next step will be to get him to eat some baby food squash or something else bland and pureed. He has a vet visit at 3:45 today.

There are SO many issues to deal with still, but right now it is a matter of triage and he's passed the biggest hurdle-- he's at least drinking on his own.

He didn't have a name so the rescuer is calling him "Steve." :)


Will update more later.

UPDATE on 12/16/13 at 8:00 PM

The rescuer found a couple in her area that rescue & rehabilitate beardies like I do! So they took Steve and have a whole game plan now for what they need to do to keep him alive: fluids, heat, light, and food. I think he has a really good shot at making it now. The rescuer said he perked up a lot just after getting a Pedialyte bath with some fluids & electrolytes.

It's amazing to me how much lizards can go through and still be alive. It blows my mind that he's surviving. As long as the new rescuers go slowly with nutrition, he should be okay. He'll most likely never be full size because he has had such a crappy life the last few months.

The rescuer I've been helping today has all these pictures now as evidence and plans to show them to the principal over the teacher who bought Steve as a classroom pet and then took him home for a couple months. Yes, that's right, the neglecter is a TEACHER!! (GAWK!) But the rescuer will make sure the school administration knows what happened with this school pet so it never, ever, ever happens again. I think the teacher just took him home and forgot about him.


So what do you do to prevent something like this in your world? Make sure YOU have the knowledge you need to care for your animals well and if people talk about their pets, ask about them. Ask to see their pets, offer suggestions (don't be bossy or pushy), but offer suggestions if necessary. Animal cruelty is against the law in most statements so if it comes down to it, call Animal Control and get them involved in bad animal abuse/neglect cases.

WHATEVER YOU DO-- DO SOMETHING! Don't do nothing and assume someone else will take care of it. YOU do it. YOU be the hero that saves a life. You can't save them all, but you can save some. To Steve today, one rescuer made ALL the difference. For Nubs, his rescuer and now owner made all the difference.


UPDATE from 12/19/13-----

Rocky is eating still. He's not FLAT anymore. He's getting color back in his body. He's still got a long road to go, but he's got a fighter's spirit that will keep him alive. Hooray for his dedicated rescuers in Oregon. You can see from his arm how SEVERE his metabolic bone disease is. It's going to take a long time to get his calcium levels back up.

Rocky's rehab couple aren't accepting donations right now, but there are many other organizations who do bearded dragon & reptile rescue that you can donate too. For suggestions, "Like" my rescue page on Facebook and I'll post suggestions. I know of one lady trying to raise enough money right now to pay for her female beardie to have surgery. Thanks!

Update on 1/16/14--- For some reason, Rocky's rehab couple have cut off all contact with us. We don't know why or if Rocky is still even alive. There have been multiple attempts to contact them with no response. So I can't update you on him. Sorry. :( We are all attached to the little guy and now we might never know what happened.

The Dark Side of Rescue

A friend brought a baby beardie to me tonight. He was so sick. He had blood coming out of his mouth from mouth wounds and possibly a broken jaw from being force fed. He was in terrible shape. I wasn't willing to count him out, but I didn't have much hope.

I wrapped him in a softie and tucked him in my shirt. He died just a few moments ago. This poor beardie was stuck in a plastic box in the back room of a pet store for over a month! A MONTH! They didn't follow corporate company policy and they never took him to a vet. They let him die slowly and painfully. They forced him to eat crickets and worms, they forced critical care down his throat, they forced him so much that his poor little jaw broke. They stuck in their sick room on October 19th! I totally could have saved him at that point.

I'm so tired right now that I can only be half angry. This little nameless beardie died for NO reason. He could have been saved had a manager done his job.

The lil guy will be buried in my herb garden tomorrow along side the other babies who have passed on. Sickly babies break my heart a little bit at a time-- especially when they didn't have to die.

-------------Update 11/25/13 ---------------------

My friend who rescued the baby named him Oengus, an Irish god of love, youth, and poetic inspiration.

"Slighty Dead Looking" is an Improvement over "Mostly Dead Looking"

We're all about baby steps here.... Perhaps tomorrow we'll have "Sorta Dead Looking"??

Keeping a sense of hope for Nubs is HARD! I feel like I'm grasping at straws. I wake up in the middle of the night and have to check to see if he's breathing. I can't help myself. I have poured so much of my heart & soul & wallet into him that I can't fathom him still dying and I can't believe he'd even live. I was hoping for a quicker fix yesterday at the vet, but to no avail. In the end it comes down to me and Nubs and a sssssssssssssllllllllllllllllllllllooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwww battle back towards life.

But this little baby step of him looking more beardie like with less sunk-in eyes makes my heart's hope flutter a bit.

And I'm still going to poke him gently to make sure he is breathing.

This is what a very sick Beardie looks like

I took Spike to the vet. The infection from two old bite wounds spread into his jaw bone and into the rest of his body. He has two tonsil-like masses in his throat that are so swollen with infection that they are making it harder for him to breathe. We started him on antibiotic injections immediately. If that doesn't work, then my vets may surgically remove the abscesses. Hopefully all of this will be enough to save his life. :(

Just one more reason male beardies should NOT be put together when they are adults. If they grow up together and are related, that is one thing. If they are not-- DO NOT PUT THEM TOGETHER.

Feeling heartsick over this.

Brothers: Blue & Green

With the advice of my vet, we put Green & Blue to sleep tonight. They were both doing very poorly and were struggling to breathe. I watched them all day to see if there was any improvement, but they continued to deteriorate. Green started having full body seizures every time I touched him.

I agonized over it and finally decided it was time. :(  They are buried in the herb garden with the other babies that came from the same parents in an earlier clutch.

My First Real Failure in Rescue-- Beardie #10

At the end of June, I bought a rare baby beardie at a local PetSmart. He was a translucent leatherback for $60 instead of over $150 from a breeder. It was my first experience with baby beardies-- and probably my last. 

I brought him home, set up his tank, and tried not to stress over how tiny he was. 

About a week after I got him, he stopped eating. And I started force feeding him. Last night, I was positive that he would die on me. It was a terrible feeling. I've done everything right for him-- lights, misting, heat, food, etc. I've charted his weight, his feedings, his force feedings. Nothing is working. Two days ago, he ate three small crickets. Yesterday, he ate nothing and hardly moved. Last night, I gave him a bath to really  hydrate him. He drank a lot and I think that is why he survived the night.

Today, he looks like this (see picture below). He won't hardly move. He won't open his eyes. He looks ill. He locks his elbows to keep his head up and won't lay down flat. Because I missed my 14 day return window by 4 days, I have to take him back to the store after 2 when the manager is in to override the return. PetSmart is GREAT when it comes to sickly pets. They will continue to force feed him and take him to the vet. They will do all they can to get him healthy again.

This has been the most stressful beardie I have ever owned! I don't think I'll do babies again. I can handle the adult ones that are infected or damaged or handicapped or neglected. I can't do babies. They are too hard and it's too sad to watch them slowly die. :(

Update-- ADDED 7/17/13

I called the pet store this morning to see how the baby's vet visit went and was told to call the vet. The vet's office doesn't actually open much on Wednesday so it took several times to get through. They reported the baby was a no-show. So then I called the pet store and talked to a different employee who said the baby was in the tank with the other babies.

WHAT?!?!?

After talking to the manager, the baby was pulled and put in solitary where he can be force fed every hour. There was a colossal communication problem between the vet's office & the pet store. The baby has a 9 am appt tomorrow. We'll see what happens from there.

Final Update-- ADDED 8/14/13

Baby beardie ended up having to be put to sleep two weeks ago. He was too sickly to survive. I think it was some genetic abnormality that was the biggest problem. I'm glad he is out of his misery.

The Dark Side of Rescuing

I spent this past weekend texting a friend who had just bought a beardie with her husband. At first, everything seemed fine and they took care of the little guy as though nothing was wrong.

Sadly, it quickly turned into a rescue mission. The 3 year old beardie wasn't anything like what they were told. He was underweight, dehydrated, sickly, and suffering from Metabolic Bone Disease. I told them what I would do had I brought him home. They spent Saturday night giving him Pedialyte baths and calcium.

Yesterday, he took a turn for the worse. His joints stiffened, his beard & tail turned black, and he couldn't keep his eyes open. I had tears in my eyes as I gave them some "last ditch" instructions. Water & warmth were all they could do-- more baths and a nice warm light.

It was too little, too late for this guy. He passed away sometime yesterday evening. I applaud my friends for their valiant efforts to save this guy. In the end, in his final hours, he was loved and taken care of. He left this world with someone caring for him. What a priceless gift that is.

His death was completely & totally avoidable. His sickness and poor health were a result of lazy pet-parenting. Metabolic Bone Disease angers me. There is NO reason that any reptile should suffer from this E.V.E.R. It is a failure of prevention and education. Pet owners by a cute little beardie from the pet store and take it home in the oh-so-inexpensive tank the pet store sells, thinking they know everything to care for him. Pet stores too often fail to educate about the critical need for UVB and pet owners fail to continually educate themselves on how to best take care of their beardies. Education is as simple as a Google search or a book from the library. Beardies are among the easiest reptiles to take care of. They need UVB light, heat, & good food to be healthy.

This failure of education & prevention lands many beardies into rescue. I spend a lot of my time cleaning up the "messes" other people made. Sometimes, regardless what what I do, it is too little, too late.

And that is the dark side of being an animal rescuer.