Pops, number 123

Pops is an ornate box turtle who came to me yesterday. He was a rescue who couldn't stay with his rescuer.

So far he's proven to be very good at "Hide N Seek." He is good at hiding from me. 

He's headed to a friend of mine who will fix him up good with a nail trim and beak polish. Then he'll be prettier. :) 

Peanut is Home!

After a stressful night with not enough FedEx updates, Peanut made it home! 

Hooray! Have a great life, sweet Peanut! 

Bon Voyage, Peanut!

The weather finally warmed enough to ship Peanut to his new home in Arizona. 

Shipping reptiles = sleepless night for me. Especially when FedEx doesn't scan his box's barcode when he departs the Salt Lake airport. :( 

Every time I ship one of my critters, I think "I'm never doing this again!" This is shipment number 5. Shipping ranks up there with "No iguanas in rescue" and "Never taking in a red earred slider." ;) 

I'll feel much much better when Peanut has safely arrived at his new home. Until then, I'll try to sleep instead of compulsively checking my FedEx tracking updates. 

Sides of Rescue

This morning I've been thinking about the hundred plus rescues I've had and the different situations they've put me in.

I've picked up or rescued reptiles:
-from parking lots because people didn't want me to know where they lived
-with a police escort
-from another rescue that had a deplorable conditions
-from houses in scary parts of the city
-from single wide trailers that are older than me
-from pet stores
-from people who've brought them to my house
-from people who were super excited to get rid of the critter
-from people who sobbed as I said goodbye
-from people I wouldn't ever want to meet again
-from addicts, abuse victims, and abusers
-from teenagers who didn't know any better
-from families who were mourning loved ones who just died
-off internet classified ads advertising "Healthy" pets for sale
-from sobbing kids
-from abandoned apartments & houses
-from a backyard/back bedroom breeder who ended up with too many sickly babies
-from my vet's office
-from friends
-from other people who did their own "rescue" but realized it was too much
-from coworkers of friends
-from a parking lot 3 1/2 hours away from me (it was halfway)
-from families who bought their own beardie but ended up with a grumpy/sickly one
-from a backyard greenhouse
-from other places & situations I can't remember
-while on vacation in another state
-from people who ended up threatening me until I had to call the police

There have been many times when I went on a rescue expecting a good situation only to find a hellish nightmare and vice versa. I remember once driving 40 minutes to a trailer park and thinking I was going to chew out the owner for flipping animals. I found a very old trailer, but very clean and very impressive tanks. I was so surprised.

There have been times when I purposely give my friends or family the number & name & address of where I am going on a pick up so if I disappear, someone will know. There's only been a handful of those calls (thankfully).

The biggest thing I'm learning is this truth:

I see only one side of each situation and sometimes it looks far worse than it actually is. I try to not judge to harshly. I never call out owners on my blog. When I get to the point that I feel like I hate everyone in rescue, I take a break until I can "play nice."

Yes, there are some people who should NEVER have pets (or children). Yes, there are people who are ignorant and blame it on the pet store instead of taking responsibility. Yes, there are animals who are harmed or killed by bad choices of their stupid owners. Yes, all of these make rescue much harder. Yes, sometimes it's is just TOO late to save an animal. Yes, all of this is the reality of rescue. And yes, it makes it all harder. But sometimes you gotta just ignore it and get to work.

My goal is always "get in, get the animal, get out." If I have a chance to educate, I do. My first priority is always my safety and the safety of the animal. Because of that I don't often go in with "guns blazing" ready to seek justice. I bite my tongue, I get the animal, I get out. Sometimes I drive home with shaking hands; sometimes I drive home crying. When I start getting really critical and angry, I remind myself about two sides to every pancake and move on.

Luckily, all my critters keep me busy enough that I don't have time to waste on anger or seeking revenge. It's exhausting feeding these many critters and picking up their poop.

Tortoises are Adorable!

Just some random pictures I took today. 

Spring Fever!

We are all anxious for Spring here. Today is around 54 degrees. It's glorious!! 

I have my back door open so we can catch some direct UVB rays. 

And Dragon is finally able to bask. His poor rubber bones need sun time desperately. 

I love Spring and Summer. :) I'm tired of the cold & dreary winter. 

Darth, rescue 122

This morning's rescue was both quick and horrible. It seemed simple enough-- a 3 month old beardie who isn't eating or gaining weight.

The first picture I received didn't seem too bad: 

A second picture and more of a case history made me hesitate. Maybe this baby had gout. If he did, he'd be the youngest beardie I've ever seen with gout caused by kidney failure. 

This morning I picked up Darth. In one look, I knew that it was gout and that he needed to be put down immediately. 

:( 

Darth had lost all movement in his fingers & toes as well as his wrists & ankles. 

I gently attempted to get his legs and arms to move at the shoulders/hips. Nothing. 

Poor baby. Gout is agony. Uric acid crystals are not processed by the sickly kidneys and begin to collect in the joints. Every movement or touch pushes against the crystals that feel like tiny knives. 

In such a young beardie, there's no real treatment. Gout is a symptom of kidneys that are genetically flawed. Frodo, last month's rescue, had the same issue. Poor breeding practices are causing many genetically messed up beardies to be sold at pet stores. 

I left Darth with my vet to be put down and then had to call his family to explain what I had chosen and why. It was a hard phone call to make. I made sure to emphasize that it was not there fault and no it was NOT calcium deficiency like a vet had told them two weeks before. 

I'm seeing a significant increase in baby beardies sold at pet stores that have significant problems-- failure to thrive, kidney failure, and yellow fungus. More than ever, you need to be careful when choosing a pet from a pet store. There's no way to tell if a baby has genetic abnormalities though. The best you can do is try to find a reputable breeder who take care of their pets. 

Poor baby, Darth. Rest in peace now that you are free from pain. 

Why I have a Tortoise Problem

Because they are ADORABLE!! 

I've been nominated for TWO Flukie Awards

My blog and my Etsy shop were *both* nominated for this year's Flukie Awards!

Woo Hoo! Have you voted yet?

To Vote, Click HERE!!! 

Cleaning Day or "Why we can't have nice things!" ;)

I spent an hour cleaning tanks today. New paper, fresh food, scrubbed out water bowls.

This can only mean one thing-- 

Poop Time!! 

Ziggy did a 3-move maneuver-- spread food, splash water, poop painting. 

Smaug had been saving up his poop for this very day and put it right in the middle so I had to change all the paper towels and not just one side/end. 

Nubs splashed all his water out and soaked his paper towels. Then he scratched at them to tear them into pieces. 

Because of this, cleaning day happens in at least two parts-- the main cleaning and the re-cleaning. 

I jokingly tell my beardies "See, guys? This is why we can't have nice things!" Ha!