Return of Summer

Ziggy & Max believe their only cage should be outside in the sun. These two would be happiest free roaming in some great desert somewhere! ;)

Thankfully today is warm enough to put them in their outdoor cages. 

Max is in a hamster/rat cage and Ziggy is in a bunny/guinea pig cage. Each has perching spots and plenty of shade that I shift around during the day. 

The baby tortoises are in their outdoor pen which also has plenty of shade and some shallow water dishes. Heidi walks around and Georgie hides. 

All the other guys are in sunny windows. 

Milo: 

Grumps: 

Finn: 

I love giving my guys direct sunshine & sunny windows and my electric bill (and my husband) love all those lights being turned off. 

I have one more cage to set up outside and then I'll rotate the other beardies through, giving each of them a couple hours of sunshine. Tiger *hated* outside time last year so he may not get much outdoor time this year. If my beardies hate it, I only take them outside with me. 

Good News & Bad News about Ginny

The good news is that she's been eating roaches & greens on her own and drinking water. She's pooping fine and much more alert. She still LOVES to be wrapped in her blankie at night and tucked into my shirt.

See? No swelling a few days ago.

The bad news is that her shoulder area above where her arm was amputated is very swollen. :( Vet visit scheduled for Monday morning.

Before the amputation, Dr Folland noticed that the healthy part of her arm was very swollen. I was worried about it being filled with infection, but it was only fluid built up. He called it edema. 

I'm hopeful that her shoulder is swollen because of the same fluid build up now and can be easily fixed. I'll keep you posted.

Milo's Morning

Milo has proved that he is NOT a morning bearded dragon.

That's his "Really? You want me get up?" face.  

Turbo's Arm

I took Turbo to see my vet on Wednesday morning and Dr Folland was sure (like I was) that somehow Turbo broke the outer arm bone. He said it was an easy fix but he wanted to take an X-ray.

Dr F came back in 10 mins later and said "You brought me another head scratcher." 

The X-Ray shows no break, no fracture, no signs of old breaks, but quite a bit of swelling around the bone called osteomyelitis. But he couldn't find any reason the bone would ha e that kind of reactionary swelling. 

This is an unusual case for Dr Folland and he decided to post the X-rays on a few of his vet groups to see if other reptile vets had any ideas as to what is going on and why and, most importantly, what to do next. 

I found this pic of me & Turbo on April 23rd. He had no swelling at all. 

For now we are just waiting to see if other vets can provide any insight and to see if the swelling goes down or not. So I am sad there was no broken bone because at least then there would have been an easy fix. 

Turbo walks fine and acts normal. He hates having the swelling in his arm touched so we know it's painful for him. 

I'll post an update when I have more information. 

Progress for Ginny!!

She moved on her own, pooped, and then drank a lot of water. 

Then after she wobbled her way over to her basking spot, she ate a roach. 

Happy to see this! 

Ginny, rescue 88

Poor little Ginny came in last night after we had been told her arm had gotten "pinched" over the weekend and was dying.

This is how she looked: 

That arm has been dead for a LONG time!!! 

Today she went to my awesome vet who amputated her entire arm. :( She is severely malnourished and very underweight. She was fed spinach which is terrible for bearded dragons. She is missing several fingers and toes. 

Tonight she looks sad and is still groggy from anesthesia. So I'll let her sleep. 

Tomorrow we will start all the interventions that will help get her healthy. She'll have 3 weeks of antibiotics, pain meds for a week, and at least a week of Critical Care. 

I have learned that Ginny and her "sister" were kept by a teenager who was given inaccurate info from a pet store (pet stores are NOT experts!!! Do your own research!!!!!) The parents of the teen also didn't provide any supervision. It wasn't until yesterday that the mother saw the arm and immediately sought help. 

Words of Wisdom-- 

1- Do your OWN research. Don't rely on the pet store only.  

2- If the parents aren't willing to supervise and help and take over, do NOT get a pet!! Teens and kids are NOT capable of carrying 100% of the burden of pet care. If parents won't help, don't do it. Too many of my sicklies were rescued from kids who lost interest. 

3- Beardies do NOT need friends!! It is only a matter of time before they hurt each other. Please don't put two beardies together. Ever. 

Finally! Success!!

After two plus years, I finally got my big boy Max to use and like a blankie!!!

Cute Pics of Grumps

Isn't he adorable?

Slowed Down

I had foot surgery almost three weeks ago and haven't taken in any rescues. I am not able to put weight on my foot and have a knee scooter to ride around with. Everything takes three times as long as normal and I get tired quickly.

Luckily all my reptiles are doing well and not having any issues. 

Here's an X-ray of the metal pin and plate in my foot. 

I should be back up and walking on my own by next week. :) 

May the 4th be with you!

Finn- Before & After

Finn had his nose bitten off by a tank mate when he was around 6 months old. 

This is Finn now-- beautiful & happy. He doesn't like to be held much, but he will let me wrap him in a blankie at night and snuggle him in my shirt. 

Eggs!

This may be hard to believe but I have never had a female rescue lay infertile eggs for me before. The girls I've rescued have laid eggs before coming to my house or after leaving my house, but never AT my house. 

Until today. 

Chomps decided to lay me some eggs. Oh boy. This reminds me why boys are just easier to handle. :)