Bittersweet

My head hurts and my eyes are swollen this morning. There are two less lights to turn on and two less iguanas to give kisses to. :( 

I did something important this morning-- I moved Junie downstairs to the corner cat tree where Sancho spent the last year and a half. 

I didn't want Junie and I didn't know what to do with him when he was brought to my front door. He had been left behind after a local young family was killed in their home in a murder-suicide. He was given to another reptile rescue who kept him in a plastic crate for two weeks and blamed his testiness on having watched his family die (ignoring the obvious fact of being locked in a crate. Ugh!) 

I wasn't technically supposed to have Junie and I had to keep it quiet for awhile. Since Turbo was free roaming in my room and Sancho was in the living room, the only safe place to put Junie was in my craft room upstairs. That's where he's been for the past 4 months. 

Junie seemed to be happy enough (if you can tell if an iguana is happy) and was becoming nicer and calmer. But he didn't get much interaction and he was locked away all the time. 

Now he can be downstairs with the family. I expect him to be a terror for awhile once he discovers his new freedom and all the sunny windows. Over time, I hope he settles in and enjoys the tree to climb and the windows to bask in. I don't think he'll ever be as sweet as Turbo & Sancho were, but I hope he's at least happier than he has been. 

Heartbroken

I stood in the exam room and rocked Turbo and Sancho while we waited for the vet. I rocked them and kissed them and cried. 

Turbo: 

Sancho: 

And I held them as they died and sobbed. 

I am heartbroken. 

Sadness times Two

I knew this day was coming and I've been dreading it. 

And today is the day. :( 

Both of my special iguanas, Turbo & Sancho, have been getting worse, and, instead of waiting until they get worse, I'm opting to have them put down today and then cremated together. 

Turbo has stopped eating. He doesn't move much and he has blood filling his only good eye (he lost his other eye due to a massive blood clot). Sancho's limbs are freezing up and I've rescued her multiple times from being on her back/side. Plus she's losing control of her bowels and can't get her body turned around to get food & heat. 

It's time for both of them. I've put it off as long as possible, but their health keeps getting worse. 

At 4:30, I will take them in and hold them & love on them while my vet puts them down.  I've been heartbroken for days and can't even talk about it without getting choked up. The vet's office knows I will be bawling today and won't expect me to speak. 

The only good thing about putting them down at the same time is that they can be cremated together. Their little box of ashes will sit on my mantle next to the ashes of my beloved doggie Kip. It's a small comfort though. 

I never wanted to rescue iguanas, but these two are the most amazing two I've ever met. 

Here's some of my favorite pics of them: 

Sancho & her sexy leg: 

Sancho giving me loves: 

Turbo giving me loves: 

Turbo showing off some sexy leg: 

Who knew that iguanas could be so much like kitties and become so special to me? I will love these two forever. 

I will still have Junie, a slightly wild male iguana who is a pill. He haunts my craft room. 

And whipped me with his tail Saturday: 

With love to Turbo & Sancho. <3 

A Funny

Just realized this has no author credit. I'll track it down so the person who created it gets the glory. :) 

Delilah & Peanut went to the Vet

Delilah's tail was looking rather odd and Peanut's upper arm was swelling up, so off to the vet we went. 

Delilah was NOT happy to be held. Or touched. Or looked at. 

She was only fine when she was down. I was trying to flick off a little piece of fluff on her incision and the whole end came off! 

Dr Folland said it looks fine and I'll keep it washed and cleaned until it heals. 

Peanut has a thickened bone because at some point his upper arm broke. :( On his other arm, his elbow broke and healed in a twisted way which is why he walks on his wrists. 

His bones are still pretty soft due to the MBD. Hopefully by the end of the year, he will have recovered from the MBD. He will most likely always walk on his wrists and have a smaller than normal size, but the rest of his life will be ok. 

When I got Peanut, he wasn't even strong enough to lift his body up and walk. He's made a lot of progress in just a month. 

This is why I have a Tortoise Problem

This is Tiny Tim Two. He's a 2 week old sulcata tortoise. 

Even my non-reptile friends find him to be adorable. 

And he's mine for now. Not really a rescue but a new (tiny) addition to the zoo. 

He's only 40 grams! That will change quickly! Heidi, my 2 year old sulcata, has put on 100 grams in 2 weeks. Wowsers! 

Update on Mooshy, Dory, Delilah, and Peanut

All 4 of these beardies are doing great! 

Dory still has her stitches in and will for another 2 weeks. She actually can see better out of her swollen eye now even though she'll always have swelling. She adores her blankies and snuggling at night. 

Peanut is a PIG!! He still walks on his wrists but he's getting better at chewing solids with his jaw and his bones are getting stronger. He eats better and is more active now that he's alone in the tank (LilBit went to his new home on Monday). 

Delilah is perfectly fine and very temperamental. Some days, she's mellow and kind and other days (like today), she didn't want to be held and bit my finger when I wouldn't put her down. She's got a ton of personality and is ready to be adopted out as soon as I finds good home. 

Mooshy has finally started becoming active! This morning he was scratching at his tank so he could get out. He is eating more (he used to only be able to eat one superworm before he was too tired to continue) and putting on weight. I suspect he has some neurological issues going on because his aim is bad. He has a hard time catching insects because he misses them by a quarter to a half inch. 

Mooshy is getting sun therapy today! 

Except when he wants to go exploring which is a new thing for him. 

An Overdue Thank you-- no, a THANK YOU!!!!!

I realized that there were people who donated to Lucy's surgery in July via PayPal that I failed to thanks. :( No good!

So I've been fixing that this morning by sending out "Thank You" emails and cards to July donors and also to two amazing donors for this month.

But you, my readers, deserve a great big THANK YOU!!!! too. So here it is:

Snuggle Time

Tonight I have FOUR beardies wrapped in blankies and sleeping on my chest: Milo, Delilah, Dory, and Mooshy. Best part of the night. :) 

Generosity

It's hard running a personal reptile rescue because the needs for money and supplies always outweigh the current supply. It would be easy to get into the habit of being miserly and keeping tight track of every nickel and dime. 

But I have tried to be (and remain) generous as I help rehab and rehome critters. I readily share what I have and try to give when I can. 

That attitude/practice has been returned in abundance to me. I'm frequently amazed by the generosity of those around me. From unexpected donations to PayPal to a beardie being returned with $500 worth of extra supplies, I always have enough. 

Sure I could have paid my van almost entirely off with the past year's vet bills alone, but instead I have 103 stories of rescues and a whole host of fabulous follower fans/friends. 

Thank you for your support and love. Thank you for reading my blog. Thank you for sending money and buying costumes to support my rescue. Thank you for being generous to the groups I recommend to you. You are one of my best rewards for doing what I do. 

:) <3

Oogy, rescue 104

Oogy is a 6 year old male Russian tortoise who needed a new home. So he's here with me for now. 

He's a bit smaller than he should be, but he's still adorable. 

I let him free roam tonight and he found a nice cozy spot to sleep. 

1000th Order

Within the next week, I should get my 1000th order from Etsy!!!

Woot woot!!! 

The 1000th customer will receive a $25 gift card to my store and free shipping!! 

:) 

Thanks to all of you who have supported my rescue efforts by buying ridiculously adorable costumes for your beardies to wear (and hate! ;) ) 

Sweet Baby Bean

The hard part of rescue is the reality that even with all the tools & skills & assistance I have, sometimes it's still not enough to save the life of a sick reptile. 

Saphira aka "Bean" didn't make it. He was too tiny and too deformed. I had to keep pulling him out from under a washcloth and into the heat and light. His eyes were rarely all the way open. Even being able to see other babies was not enough. :( 

Run free and easily and happy in heaven, sweet Bean. You & Roscoe can finally be whe and healthy. 

Vlad, rescue 103

I took in this Russian tortoise from a guy who found him walking in the middle of the road. He was filthy and cold. 

He has spent the last 36 hours basking in his heat light. Once he warmed up, he ate well. 

Today he just slept and stayed warm. Poor little guy. 

I'm pretty sure he was my friend's rescue last year that was adopted out last fall. I asked what this tortoise's name was and he said "Vlad." 

Ha! Then I thought of "Horron Hears a Who." So I asked if he was the bad Vlad or the bunny who makes cookies? ;) 

My friend hadn't seen that movie. Oh well. Vlad makes me snicker. 

Bad Vlad: 

Good Vlad: 

Dory & Mooshy at the Vet

Dory had her one week post-operation check up and I needed advice on Mooshy because he's not tolerating the Critical Care. So both of them went with me to the vet.

Dory looks great and Mooshy may have some decreased liver function that we'll have to keep watching. But overall it was a good visit. 

Here's both of them in their blankies, tucked into my shirt. They both slept most of the time. 

New Etsy Costumes!