Lil Foot's Sleeping Spot

Lil Foot, a red foot tortoise, has decided that the box on the bottom shelf of my reptiles shelves is HIS box. 

When we bring him inside, he walks to the food bowl to eat, walks through the front room and into my bedroom, and climbs into his box. 

Tortoises are smart! Hermy, my desert tortoise, is the same way. She puts herself to bed in the laundry room. 

Phoenix Update

Tonight was my first time giving Phoenix an antibiotic shot. He hated it, but I got it in him. Then I recoated his face and neck with antibiotic cream. The skin on his head and neck are so crispy and dead. I suspect that it will take 3 or 4 sheds before he's able to get healthy skin back. 

The good news is that he was strong and quick in fighting me. That's a good sign. His next vet visit is Wednesday and I hope we can tube feed him successfully again. 

The Tortoise Room

The weather is beautiful today and all my tortoises went outside, giving me a chance to clean their enclosures. Their day lights are now on one power strip and their night lights are on another. 

Next year, the white boxes will be too small for my babies and I'll have to find another way to contain them. 

Left- Georgie & Baby Foot 

Middle- Heidi & Derp

Right- T-bear & Half Pint 

Photobomber? Teddy, my dog. ;) 

Dragon's Bed

I love seeing how he's growing!! 

Dec 28, 2015 

March 28, 2016

Today

My Favorite Kind of Shedding

All my beardies are shedding right now. Seriously, all of them. 

But my favorite of all is baby Nip who suddenly split his old skin. 

He's like a tiny beardie explosion! It's so cute! 

Sweet Charlie

I worked outside after I got home from my vet appointment for a two hours, and by the time I came in to check on Charlie, he had already died. 

:( 

He didn't have enough strength to make it. Poor lil Buddy. 

Run free and happy, lil Charlie. 

Charlie at the Vet

Lil Charlie went to the vet today to see my vet.

The whole time he was on the border of life & death. He got a saline shot and a bit of calcium. 

He was very close to death as I had him there. I hope he can find the strength to pull through. I brought him home so he can rest. 

Charlie and Dragon

Someone on a local reptile group saw the pics of Charlie last night and insisted he be put down immediately. :( 

This is my picture response. 

Here is Charlie today: 

Here is Dragon on Dec 28, 2015: 

Here is Dragon in May 2016: 

And today-- (he hates my phone) 

Dragon is growing. He's healthy & happy. He is handicapped by his arms, but they do not slow him down a bit. 

Charlie had a cc/mL of Pedialyte last night and another one this morning. He also ate .8 cc's of baby food squash today. He has a vet visit tomorrow. Dr Folland and I are really good at saving babies with severe MBD. 

Charlie, like Dragon, still deserves a shot at life. And he'll get one. :) I won't quit if he doesn't. 

Charlie, rescue 148

Today was such a long long day, and I thought I'd take it easy tonight. 

And by "easy," I mean "take in a half dead baby beardie." 

Yep. That's me. Plus, I almost gave myself a black eye when I whacked myself in the eye with my thumb while fixing my pillow. I'm a Klutz!! 

Anyways, someone posted these pictures on our local reptile Facebook group. 

Within minutes, I had been tagged three times. 

I couldn't -- wouldn't -- didn't say "no." 

My rescue sister brought him to me and I got him to drink some Pedialyte on his own. Woo hoo!! 

Now he's in a soft tank basking with the right heat and a brand new UVB bulb. I'm leaving the lights on extra long tonight. 

He has *severe* MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease." He didn't have the right diet or a UVB and his body robbed the calcium from his bones. His bones are literally rubber. He's as bad as Dragon was. 

The fact that he drank on his own is good! He was so weak and tired that he kept falling asleep. :( Tomorrow I'll give him more fluid and some outside time. 

I think he'll recover. I'm hopeful he will be okay. I'm glad it's spring/summer here so he can get the direct UVB from the sun. That is the BEST medicine. 

I think I'm at 14 beardies now, but sometimes it's just better to not count, ya know? ;) 

Phoenix at the Vet

Phoenix needed another tube feeding today and a check up. 

It was a terrible experience for him. :( 

He fought us and ended up tearing off one of his scabs. He's been shedding, but struggling to slough off all the dead skin. I had skin pieces all over me. 

He peed and then pooped and thrashed some more. 

We're starting him on antibiotics now to help his skin heal quicker and to prevent a respiratory infection. We tube fed him Critical Care and he threw it all back up. 

By the time we got him back in his box, he was exhausted. He wouldn't even move. I worried the stress would kill him. 

His mouth is still swollen and raw. His one eye is completely dead. His other eye seems to be okay. The skin on his neck is burnt and dry, but not ready to shed off. And the fecal test shows he has pinworms. 

At this point, we will watch him for the next week. He's come so far, but still has so far to go. :( I hope he's able to pull through this okay. If not, I think the best option will be to let him be done with his misery. 

I hope it doesn't come to that. 

Sweet Blaze

I'm sad to report that Blaze, the sickly Savannah monitor fire victim, died this afternoon. He laid down on a super soft blankie this afternoon and passed away very peacefully. 

He will be buried in my flower garden with the other sweet lizards that I've lost over the past few years. 

Sorry, Baby, that I couldn't save you. I tried so hard.

Poor Baby Blaze

My heart is very sad this morning. I found Blaze, the sickest Savannah monitor, on his side with his eyes unfocused and his neck turned in a weird way. I honestly thought he was already dead. He moved when I picked him up but not much. His eyes wouldn't focus. 

Poor buddy has never been healthy; he was severely malnourished and underweight (no obvious trauma from the fire). We've tube-fed him and force fed him since we got him-- he's never eaten or drank on his own. He's been to the vet twice with another vet visit scheduled tomorrow. I'm not sure if he'll make it through the day. 

I held him and loved on him for awhile before putting him into a special "Sick" tank that is filled with super soft blankies. He'll stay there for now. If he makes it through the day, I expect tomorrow morning my vet will recommend we let him be out of his misery. :( 

Poor Blaze. I know I can't save every critter, but I sure tried hard to save you. I really didn't want to lose any of the fire victims. I'm sorry I couldn't save you. :`(

Sickly Blaze

This poor Savvy looks terrible today. :( He's out of his hide, but limp and lethargic.

Vet visit on Monday to see what we can do for him. 

The glass is wet because I gave him his morning spray. He usually loves it, but today he just laid there. 

I took this pic after I published this post:

Fire Victims Update: a Letter of Conditions to be Met

A letter of conditions to be met for the return of the fire victims was sent via Certified US mail yesterday. We've tried to be fair and focus only on the things that will insure these reptiles remain in great health. At this point, I have no idea how it will be received.

Here is a copy of the letter with some identifying information removed (see original post HERE)

May 9, 2016

Dear Mr. ----------

Following a house fire at your place of residence on April 6, 2016, you dropped off 11 reptiles (7 snakes & 4 lizards) on April 7, 2016 to [my partner's house] with a verbal agreement that Marybeth & I would take over their care and vet treatment. The first vet appointment was on Saturday, April 9, 2016. Four more visits were made on 4/9/16, 4/11/16, 4/14/16, and 4/27/16. To date we have spent a total of approximately $1,690: $1,043.19 in vet expenses (including several discounts) and $650 in additional expenses for enclosures, supplies, food, etc. We anticipate an additional $200 in vet care for 3 of the snakes and 2 of the lizards.

The goal from the beginning has been to return the reptiles to their owner when they are healthy and finished with vet treatment. However, we believe it is essential to ensure that the reptiles will then be cared for properly in accordance with the wishes of the 50+ donors who have generously donated over $1,200 to their care. Consequently, we feel it necessary to add a few conditions for the return of the reptiles.

1. Each of the reptiles must complete their vet care before being returned.

2. Since last Thursday, we have had FOUR separate, non-related adults demand the return of these reptiles and are no longer confident who the owner actually is. We need proof of ownership in the form of adoption contracts, receipts, purchase forms, or other similar documents.

3. We need the address of a stable residence where the reptiles will be kept. The residence will need to have the utilities necessary to provide the appropriate climate for the reptiles, including heat and electricity. Our rescue committee will conduct a brief home visit to make sure everything is ready (including the setups described below) before we return the reptiles.

4. Permanent enclosures for five of the reptiles will need to be provided:
− 2 large enclosures for the albino Burmese pythons (bigger than a 75 gallon each)
− 1 large enclosure for the Nile monitor (bigger than a 55 gallon)
− 1 large enclosure for the adult red tail (bigger than a 55 gallon)
The other reptiles will be returned in setups that were donated or purchased for them with donated funds.

5. We have received multiple reports from people who prefer to remain anonymous regarding conditions of severe neglect and abuse occurring in the house in West Valley prior to the fire. Additional reports of outstanding warrants and drug abuse have also come to us from reliable sources and have been verified through state websites. The legal owner of the reptiles must not have any outstanding warrants or other issues that might result in the animals being unexpectedly abandoned due to the owner’s arrest.

If you feel that these conditions are unfair, we will consider returning the reptiles as is without any further care and without any setups included if you demonstrate ownership and reimburse all expenses so we can refund our donors and our rescue members. An exact spreadsheet of expenses will be provided upon request, but it will take up to 10 business days to get a complete and accurate expense record (along with copies receipts & statements) to you.

You are welcome to communicate with me through the email address or post office box listed above. If either of these methods are used for harassment or abuse, I will feel justified in cutting off all contact. In addition, if you continue to harass Marybeth (at her home OR at her work), I will assist her in obtaining a restraining order. I sincerely hope this is not necessary.

If you do not accept these conditions, please feel free to consult with a lawyer. In return, I am prepared to retain an animal rights lawyer if necessary to make sure these reptiles get the necessary care. Again, if you choose to take this route, please have your lawyer contact me through the above email and address.

Sincerely,

Sarah --------

Fecal Testing

When I get a new beardie in, I don't test for parasites right away. A couple weeks of clean tanks and good food usually clear up any parasite infections on their own.

Lately it seems that all my guys are having stinky, runny poops so I've decided to run a test on everyone. 

I pick up the poop with the float kit and fill it full of a special liquid. Then it sits for 15 minutes with a slide cover on top. 

Then I put the slide cover, with the poopy liquid on it, onto a glass slide. 

Then I look at it under 400 X magnification with my microscope that I got on Amazon. 

Yesterday I tested Dex and have never seen so many pinworms in one test! No wonder her belly is bloated! Flame is being treated for coccidia. 

Then I have a list of treatment dates by the meds so I don't forget. 

If you're interested in doing fecal tests on your own, you can get all your supplies and instructions from 

www.beautifuldragons.com

Read about Do-It-Yourself Fecal Testing HERE

Pixie the Hedgie

She's still not too sure about me-- 

Blaze, the sickly Savvy

Blaze was out tonight when I turned off his lights and so I decided to try something. 

I pulled him out and wrapped him in a blankie. He loves it!! 

He loves having his head rubbed! He's so cute!! 

Now if I can just get him to eat on his own. I'm still having to tube-feed him every few days. 

He goes back to the vet on Monday. He's had a month of tube-feeding, but isn't getting any better. 

Silly Dog!

I'm watching the kids movie Spirit with my kids. 

And my dog. 

He can't stop barking at the horses. 

And the horse noises. 

And the birds. 

He keeps coming to me to "fix" it. When I don't move, he runs up to the TV and stands on his back legs to get closer to taking out the horses. 

Teddy's not the brightest bulb in the box, but we sure do love him. ;)