JadeIcing
Well-Known Member
I will take that as you won't be at White Plains. 
Gratz
Gratz
Ren's WILDlife
- Thread starter RandomWiktor
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cheryl
Well-Known Member
Aww the new little girl is a pretty little bunny..i'm just so happy for her..
Oooo how exciting..getting married in two weeks...congratulations!...i'm sure you must be feeling very excited..
Oooo how exciting..getting married in two weeks...congratulations!...i'm sure you must be feeling very excited..
Dragonrain
Well-Known Member
The new rescue is adorable. She sounds like my Ziggy - he hates being held too.
Congrats on the upcoming wedding!
Congrats on the upcoming wedding!
RandomWiktor
Critter Keeper
Wow, it's hard to believe I haven't even really been on RO in about a week!
On Sunday the 27th of June, at around 1:00pm, Steven and I got married! The wedding turned out to be a ton of fun. We held it at the Taconic Outdoor Education Center, which is a facility at Fahnestock State Park that is used to teach underpriviledged children, special needs adults, etc. about conservation. The education center has some ambassador critters, tons of educational displays, and is surrounded by hiking trails. We were jazzed that the weather was great, allowing us to have the ceremony outdoors and play games as we'd hoped.
Despite some head-butting with our parents, we managed to have it almost exactly as we wanted it: it was a laid-back, barbecue style affair designed for fun and minimal environmental impact. We were also able to use it to donate to some causes near and dear to us; the International Reptile Conservation Foundation, Plantlife, Hop-a-Long Hollow, as well as programs that help women in africa, protect wildlife habitat, fight poverty in the US, etc.
Fun though it was I'm SO glad it's over. I was disgustingly busy for the past several weeks. I think Steve and I had one of the most pitiful wedding nights on the books because we were both just dead tired from entertaining out of state relatives and taking care of our critters while buried in business affairs and planning a last-minute wedding (lol). We didn't even want a real honeymoon - a day of hiking was more than enough for exausted us!
I don't have the photos uploaded yet, for they are many. However, a friend sent me this one:
Critter updates and such are imminent, just wanted y'all to know I'm still alive!
On Sunday the 27th of June, at around 1:00pm, Steven and I got married! The wedding turned out to be a ton of fun. We held it at the Taconic Outdoor Education Center, which is a facility at Fahnestock State Park that is used to teach underpriviledged children, special needs adults, etc. about conservation. The education center has some ambassador critters, tons of educational displays, and is surrounded by hiking trails. We were jazzed that the weather was great, allowing us to have the ceremony outdoors and play games as we'd hoped.
Despite some head-butting with our parents, we managed to have it almost exactly as we wanted it: it was a laid-back, barbecue style affair designed for fun and minimal environmental impact. We were also able to use it to donate to some causes near and dear to us; the International Reptile Conservation Foundation, Plantlife, Hop-a-Long Hollow, as well as programs that help women in africa, protect wildlife habitat, fight poverty in the US, etc.
Fun though it was I'm SO glad it's over. I was disgustingly busy for the past several weeks. I think Steve and I had one of the most pitiful wedding nights on the books because we were both just dead tired from entertaining out of state relatives and taking care of our critters while buried in business affairs and planning a last-minute wedding (lol). We didn't even want a real honeymoon - a day of hiking was more than enough for exausted us!
I don't have the photos uploaded yet, for they are many. However, a friend sent me this one:
Critter updates and such are imminent, just wanted y'all to know I'm still alive!
Dragonrain
Well-Known Member
Congrats!!!!
JadeIcing
Well-Known Member
She lives! I was going to drop you a line. Just posted pics of the girls. Isadora is doing awesome.
RandomWiktor
Critter Keeper
Unnnngh. Rabbit problem/vet disagreement rant.
I will preface this by saying that Steve loves all of his animals, but he is a reptile keeper, period. He doesn't "know" mammals well, and as a result, he has a bad track record of spotting mammal problems when they start. I've been trying to teach him, and he's improving all the time, but he's still bad at recognizing signs of early illness in mammals.
So, the other day Steve called me in a panic saying that Lucy's tail was sopping wet, and she'd lost a lot of weight "overnight." My immediate thought was "severe diarheea, and dehydration." However, the damp tail had no odor and appeared to be water, and the rabbit was not dehydrated. After some prodding of family members, I found out that his mom had spilled a whole waterer (they have one of those ones with a big tank that auto-refills) the night previous, explaining Lucy's wet rear. This doesn't explain, however, the weight loss.
Lucy has always been a little on the lean side for a flemmie, but part of this is because she's VERY active. But when I checked on her, I'd seriously BCS her at about a one - she is EMACIATED! I don't see Lucy often since she is downstairs at Steve's house, but from looking at her she appears merely a bit lean due to her dense coat - unless you touch her, you probably wouldn't spot a problem if you didnt know what to look for. Steve got my lecture on needing to feel over your mammal's body EVERY DAY and really felt like bunnypellet. But, feeling bad doesn't fix a problem.
I check Lu over and my immediate impression was: there is saliva caked around her mouth, and a lot of her pellets are on the floor chewed in half. Front teeth looked fine, almost definitely a molar issue. Steve took her to the vet today and sure enough, her molars are a mess, explaining why she wouldn't eat. She's going to be given light anesthesia tomorrow after bloodwork/fecal/urinalysis is in and have them ground down.
Here's where I start to butt heads with the vet, though. In examining Lucy, they noticed some hard objects the size of feces in her body. Rather than thinking "Hey, this rabbit's mouth is shredded, maybe she hasn't been drinking enough" the vet IMMEDIATELY said that she needed an x-ray pronto and that she probably had dangerous urine stones - this is without a urinalysis, without a history of sludge, without a history of strained urination. Steve called to ask what we should do as the vet bill was soaring at the point, and I pointed out that maybe before they jump on stressing the rabbit out with an x-ray (and racking up a huge bill for us), they should look at the urine and feces. I asked if she'd passed stool while there and he said no, which seems odd to me since bunnies are poo factories when stressed, so I noted that maybe fluids and a laxative to get the right samples may be a good idea.
Suddenly with a more informed owner on the phone, the x-ray didn't need to be done RIGHT NOW, and the more expensive procedure would be put off until urine and feces were collected and the abdomen was checked again. They're going to give fluids and a mild laxative.They also conceeded that hard feces may be the more likely culprit despite the "zomgz your rabbit's bladder is full of poop sized stones" prognosis they'd given Steve.
They also told Steve that these totally unconfirmed bladder stones are all our fault because we feed our rabbits leafy greens, and that we should cease and desist immediately. Mind you, leafy greens help in hydration, and as long as they are fed in variety (instead of say, massive ammounts of kale every day), should not cause excess calcium. Considering that dehydration and excess calcium are huge contributors to bladder stones, suggesting that we up her pellets and cut out all leafy greens seems like the opposite of good advice for a rabbit that may have stones.
IDK, I understand that I don't have a vet degree, but today really rubbed me the wrong way. Most problems I've read about in rabbits come from TOO MUCH pellets and not enough hay and fresh greens. And I'm irked that they automatically assumed stones and went for the most expensive and probably riskiest (they'd need to sedate) way of finding out rather than considering the more likely chance that the rabbit simply has hard poos from not eating and drinking well. Normally I'd love this vet but my confidence is a bit shaken; I wish I was there as perhaps I'm not getting the whole picture.
So, Lu is away overnight in prep for her tooth work, and I'm hoping she passes feces, they turn out to be the source of the weird palpatation results, and she won't need the x-ray, as the vet bill is already several hundred dollars and would come out near $800 with the x-ray. Here's hoping; we could really use a financial break getting ready for this move. :/
I will preface this by saying that Steve loves all of his animals, but he is a reptile keeper, period. He doesn't "know" mammals well, and as a result, he has a bad track record of spotting mammal problems when they start. I've been trying to teach him, and he's improving all the time, but he's still bad at recognizing signs of early illness in mammals.
So, the other day Steve called me in a panic saying that Lucy's tail was sopping wet, and she'd lost a lot of weight "overnight." My immediate thought was "severe diarheea, and dehydration." However, the damp tail had no odor and appeared to be water, and the rabbit was not dehydrated. After some prodding of family members, I found out that his mom had spilled a whole waterer (they have one of those ones with a big tank that auto-refills) the night previous, explaining Lucy's wet rear. This doesn't explain, however, the weight loss.
Lucy has always been a little on the lean side for a flemmie, but part of this is because she's VERY active. But when I checked on her, I'd seriously BCS her at about a one - she is EMACIATED! I don't see Lucy often since she is downstairs at Steve's house, but from looking at her she appears merely a bit lean due to her dense coat - unless you touch her, you probably wouldn't spot a problem if you didnt know what to look for. Steve got my lecture on needing to feel over your mammal's body EVERY DAY and really felt like bunnypellet. But, feeling bad doesn't fix a problem.
I check Lu over and my immediate impression was: there is saliva caked around her mouth, and a lot of her pellets are on the floor chewed in half. Front teeth looked fine, almost definitely a molar issue. Steve took her to the vet today and sure enough, her molars are a mess, explaining why she wouldn't eat. She's going to be given light anesthesia tomorrow after bloodwork/fecal/urinalysis is in and have them ground down.
Here's where I start to butt heads with the vet, though. In examining Lucy, they noticed some hard objects the size of feces in her body. Rather than thinking "Hey, this rabbit's mouth is shredded, maybe she hasn't been drinking enough" the vet IMMEDIATELY said that she needed an x-ray pronto and that she probably had dangerous urine stones - this is without a urinalysis, without a history of sludge, without a history of strained urination. Steve called to ask what we should do as the vet bill was soaring at the point, and I pointed out that maybe before they jump on stressing the rabbit out with an x-ray (and racking up a huge bill for us), they should look at the urine and feces. I asked if she'd passed stool while there and he said no, which seems odd to me since bunnies are poo factories when stressed, so I noted that maybe fluids and a laxative to get the right samples may be a good idea.
Suddenly with a more informed owner on the phone, the x-ray didn't need to be done RIGHT NOW, and the more expensive procedure would be put off until urine and feces were collected and the abdomen was checked again. They're going to give fluids and a mild laxative.They also conceeded that hard feces may be the more likely culprit despite the "zomgz your rabbit's bladder is full of poop sized stones" prognosis they'd given Steve.
They also told Steve that these totally unconfirmed bladder stones are all our fault because we feed our rabbits leafy greens, and that we should cease and desist immediately. Mind you, leafy greens help in hydration, and as long as they are fed in variety (instead of say, massive ammounts of kale every day), should not cause excess calcium. Considering that dehydration and excess calcium are huge contributors to bladder stones, suggesting that we up her pellets and cut out all leafy greens seems like the opposite of good advice for a rabbit that may have stones.
IDK, I understand that I don't have a vet degree, but today really rubbed me the wrong way. Most problems I've read about in rabbits come from TOO MUCH pellets and not enough hay and fresh greens. And I'm irked that they automatically assumed stones and went for the most expensive and probably riskiest (they'd need to sedate) way of finding out rather than considering the more likely chance that the rabbit simply has hard poos from not eating and drinking well. Normally I'd love this vet but my confidence is a bit shaken; I wish I was there as perhaps I'm not getting the whole picture.
So, Lu is away overnight in prep for her tooth work, and I'm hoping she passes feces, they turn out to be the source of the weird palpatation results, and she won't need the x-ray, as the vet bill is already several hundred dollars and would come out near $800 with the x-ray. Here's hoping; we could really use a financial break getting ready for this move. :/
RandomWiktor
Critter Keeper
I just realized how awful that whole post came off because it was missing one really important thing: my concern for Lucy! Sorry, I get a bit detached and clinical when I am upset. Lucy is seriously our best rabbit - a gentle giant with a sweet and friendly disposition. I'm VERY worried about all of this; how thin she is, the fact that she may be a bit constipated OR have bladder stones, the fact that she needs to be anesthetized in an already weakened state, etc. The vet reassured Steve that they have a very good track record with rabbit anesthesia and that it is no riskier than a dog/cat, but if I had a dog/cat in this health, I'd be worried about THEM as well! And though the price of this all concerns me, ANY price will be worth it if she comes out on the other side OK, of course.
Only compounding my upset and frustration is that Leon was also a victim of Steve's mom spilling water and got BADLY chilled. He was limp and cold when we checked on Lucy that morning, and while he seemed to have bounced back, I'm all paranoid that the episode will have health implications. Thankfully he passed about a truckload of good looking poop this morning, so I guess we needn't worry about stasis. And he seems back to his cranky, wayward self. But it was a bad scare.
Finally, my foster bunny leaves tomorrow. She's just starting to trust me - she binkies with excitement when I come downstairs to see her, and is getting very eager about petting. I feel bad that just as she's starting to think "people = ok," I'm pulling the floor out from under her. My only solace is that I know this rescue is a GREAT place, and she'll doubtless learn to trust people again. But it's still a bit emotional. And well, considering all of the stress surrounding this move, I'm very emotional already.
Only compounding my upset and frustration is that Leon was also a victim of Steve's mom spilling water and got BADLY chilled. He was limp and cold when we checked on Lucy that morning, and while he seemed to have bounced back, I'm all paranoid that the episode will have health implications. Thankfully he passed about a truckload of good looking poop this morning, so I guess we needn't worry about stasis. And he seems back to his cranky, wayward self. But it was a bad scare.
Finally, my foster bunny leaves tomorrow. She's just starting to trust me - she binkies with excitement when I come downstairs to see her, and is getting very eager about petting. I feel bad that just as she's starting to think "people = ok," I'm pulling the floor out from under her. My only solace is that I know this rescue is a GREAT place, and she'll doubtless learn to trust people again. But it's still a bit emotional. And well, considering all of the stress surrounding this move, I'm very emotional already.
JadeIcing
Well-Known Member
*hugs* Thanks for your help last. Everythings good.
Hope she feels better real soon.
Hope she feels better real soon.
RandomWiktor
Critter Keeper
I have a happy update for you all: Lucy does NOT have bladder stones! As I'd expected, she had some very stubborn, hard poo's. We had a bit of a scare, because after her initial gut stimulus and hydration, she'd not passed these particular stubborn poos - which meant we DID wind up needing an x-ray. However, after another round of fluids and more gut stimulant, she finally passed them.
Our vet actually apologized for needing to give her the x-ray - they did it while she was under for her teeth at least - but that she was really concerned that it was bladder stones when they didn't pass after the first round of laxatives. And while we still disagree on the matter of greens, she did have very good info about stressing less pellets and more hay (something Steve & his mom needs to learn *cough*), and advised we check her molars every few months. She also had nothing but positive to say about Ms. Lucy, gave us a free bag of Oxbow Critical Care (though she's eating without syringing it - man she was hungry!).
We actually got offered a male flemmie with the added lure of a free neuter while we were there, but we couldn't accept with the move coming up and the five rabbits between us. It hurt to say "no" though, oye! Apparently it's a good thing they thought I was moving sooner, because she had wanted to see if I'd accept two sickly leopard geckos that had been abandoned there! Thankfully she got attached to them (one needed surgery), and they have a great home now
While Lucy was off getting her teeth ground down, I was busy bringing the foster bunny 'Monty' to Hop-A-Long-Hollow. It was SUCH a positive experience. We donated $$, all of the baskets from our wedding & a big dog crate, which Linda was thankful for; I hope the bunnies LOVE the baskets and the rest finds use. Monty had a beautiful cage set up while she's in QT and was so well behaved for Linda! She just scooped her right up and gave her a snuggle with no issue! While she seemed stressed by the new setting, I think she's going to adjust just fine.
I'll post pictures ASAP; I took one of Linda with her and one of her new digs.
Meanwhile, you probably won't get many blog updates for me. Things are rapidly accelerating towards the move, and we are probably leaving on the 27th. We *thought* it would be the 23rd - holy smokes, huh? - but there was one little tax things the accountants and lawyers had to come to an agreement on. I'm actually glad. I am practically having a panic attack trying to throw together my packing in this little bit of time!
One thing that helps is that my critter load is declining. All of my wildlife patients have been released (I'll post release photos soon if someone reminds me), several of my fosters have been placed, and the last few (three bettas, two corydoras, and one gecko) are being placed on mon/tues of this coming week. My mom is adopting Penny Dreadful & keeping Captain Paul Watson (hamsters) because they're both too old and frail to deal with the stress of a 16+ hour drive. And I'm probably not bringing the chicken (and definitely not bringing the goldfish) until Round #2.
Of course, being the raging bleeding heart that I am, I did wind up with one more "patient" right before the movie. Hewlet is a tiny baby bearded dragon who arrived in a shipment to one of my pet store contacts with his feet and tail CRUSHED in the lid. One foot was partially detached with broken bone sticking out all over the place, the other was broken, abraded, and swollen, and the tail was broken right off. They couldn't afford to bring him to a vet - they are barely keeping open in this economy - and had no idea how to treat him.
After consulting with my vet, who didn't feel it was safe even with iso to try and anesthetize a 6g animal, we settled on the someone brutish and old fashioned but effective method of restricting circulation to the badly damaged foot since it was a major infection risk with the degree of damage and inflammation. The exposed foot bones sticking out all over were drying up, and could have spread infection right up the leg. After a day of restriction, the foot fell off, and since then the stump has been healing nicely with topical and oral antibiotics, plus plenty of cleaning. The tail and other injured foot are responding in kind.
Unfortunately, he had to be given oral Baytril and at an overdose, because he's so little that it's nearly impossible to dose meds for him! He is getting a slight OD as a result. To combat the effects of this, I am keeping him very well hydrated - which is easy since I need to feed him a slurry as Baytril kills apetite. The slurry must be doing his job, as in a week's time he's gone from 6.0g to 8.3g! I didn't think he'd make it through this, but every day I see improvements that tell me he will
I took pics of all of my reptiles, btw, and will put them up soon.
Our vet actually apologized for needing to give her the x-ray - they did it while she was under for her teeth at least - but that she was really concerned that it was bladder stones when they didn't pass after the first round of laxatives. And while we still disagree on the matter of greens, she did have very good info about stressing less pellets and more hay (something Steve & his mom needs to learn *cough*), and advised we check her molars every few months. She also had nothing but positive to say about Ms. Lucy, gave us a free bag of Oxbow Critical Care (though she's eating without syringing it - man she was hungry!).
We actually got offered a male flemmie with the added lure of a free neuter while we were there, but we couldn't accept with the move coming up and the five rabbits between us. It hurt to say "no" though, oye! Apparently it's a good thing they thought I was moving sooner, because she had wanted to see if I'd accept two sickly leopard geckos that had been abandoned there! Thankfully she got attached to them (one needed surgery), and they have a great home now
While Lucy was off getting her teeth ground down, I was busy bringing the foster bunny 'Monty' to Hop-A-Long-Hollow. It was SUCH a positive experience. We donated $$, all of the baskets from our wedding & a big dog crate, which Linda was thankful for; I hope the bunnies LOVE the baskets and the rest finds use. Monty had a beautiful cage set up while she's in QT and was so well behaved for Linda! She just scooped her right up and gave her a snuggle with no issue! While she seemed stressed by the new setting, I think she's going to adjust just fine.
I'll post pictures ASAP; I took one of Linda with her and one of her new digs.
Meanwhile, you probably won't get many blog updates for me. Things are rapidly accelerating towards the move, and we are probably leaving on the 27th. We *thought* it would be the 23rd - holy smokes, huh? - but there was one little tax things the accountants and lawyers had to come to an agreement on. I'm actually glad. I am practically having a panic attack trying to throw together my packing in this little bit of time!
One thing that helps is that my critter load is declining. All of my wildlife patients have been released (I'll post release photos soon if someone reminds me), several of my fosters have been placed, and the last few (three bettas, two corydoras, and one gecko) are being placed on mon/tues of this coming week. My mom is adopting Penny Dreadful & keeping Captain Paul Watson (hamsters) because they're both too old and frail to deal with the stress of a 16+ hour drive. And I'm probably not bringing the chicken (and definitely not bringing the goldfish) until Round #2.
Of course, being the raging bleeding heart that I am, I did wind up with one more "patient" right before the movie. Hewlet is a tiny baby bearded dragon who arrived in a shipment to one of my pet store contacts with his feet and tail CRUSHED in the lid. One foot was partially detached with broken bone sticking out all over the place, the other was broken, abraded, and swollen, and the tail was broken right off. They couldn't afford to bring him to a vet - they are barely keeping open in this economy - and had no idea how to treat him.
After consulting with my vet, who didn't feel it was safe even with iso to try and anesthetize a 6g animal, we settled on the someone brutish and old fashioned but effective method of restricting circulation to the badly damaged foot since it was a major infection risk with the degree of damage and inflammation. The exposed foot bones sticking out all over were drying up, and could have spread infection right up the leg. After a day of restriction, the foot fell off, and since then the stump has been healing nicely with topical and oral antibiotics, plus plenty of cleaning. The tail and other injured foot are responding in kind.
Unfortunately, he had to be given oral Baytril and at an overdose, because he's so little that it's nearly impossible to dose meds for him! He is getting a slight OD as a result. To combat the effects of this, I am keeping him very well hydrated - which is easy since I need to feed him a slurry as Baytril kills apetite. The slurry must be doing his job, as in a week's time he's gone from 6.0g to 8.3g! I didn't think he'd make it through this, but every day I see improvements that tell me he will
I took pics of all of my reptiles, btw, and will put them up soon.
fuzz16
Well-Known Member
wow thats great about the little beardie. i dont know how you afford all of this lol
JadeIcing
Well-Known Member
Oh my I wish I could help you pack up. Get everything geared towards the move but have the feeling I would be in the way. Let me know if I can help.
JadeIcing
Well-Known Member
Was wondering how Bones is?
RandomWiktor
Critter Keeper
I think it came into mention somewhere on the board, but sadly Bones (the little skinny foster gecko) was claimed by cryptosporidium He fought very boldly and I did everything in my power, but something with no real treatment or cure on an animal too weak and thin to fight it on his own, he was sadly beyond repair. I'm really frustrated about the whole thing, because leopard geckos often carry crypto without major complications, but the stress of being starved by his previous owners probably allowed it to really take him over.
On a less bleak note, the other foster leppie is doing better now that her issues have been sorted out. She needs distilled water and plenty of it, can't have a self-feeding calcium source, and needs little meals spaced out through the day instead of big meals all at once. But, she has been passing healthier looking urates unassisted and hasn't thrown up in over a week, so that's a bonus.
I have uploaded the Hop A Long Hollow photos but I didn't have time to edit them yet.
He fought very boldly and I did everything in my power, but something with no real treatment or cure on an animal too weak and thin to fight it on his own, he was sadly beyond repair. I'm really frustrated about the whole thing, because leopard geckos often carry crypto without major complications, but the stress of being starved by his previous owners probably allowed it to really take him over. On a less bleak note, the other foster leppie is doing better now that her issues have been sorted out. She needs distilled water and plenty of it, can't have a self-feeding calcium source, and needs little meals spaced out through the day instead of big meals all at once. But, she has been passing healthier looking urates unassisted and hasn't thrown up in over a week, so that's a bonus.
I have uploaded the Hop A Long Hollow photos but I didn't have time to edit them yet.
Myia09
Well-Known Member
Congrats on the wedding! I am so happy for you!
The bearded dragon sound so horrible! It makes me so sad!
I am glad to hear the foster is doing well..and I bet your excited for the move! I won't push you for pictures then
Lol!
And I feel so bad for bones! Poor little guy
The bearded dragon sound so horrible!
It makes me so sad!I am glad to hear the foster is doing well..and I bet your excited for the move! I won't push you for pictures then
Lol!
And I feel so bad for bones! Poor little guy
JadeIcing
Well-Known Member
You did the best you could.
Isadora is finally eating like a normal gecko. She is digging in when fed. She also weighed 38 grams yesterday.
Isadora is finally eating like a normal gecko. She is digging in when fed. She also weighed 38 grams yesterday.
RandomWiktor
Critter Keeper
Just wanted to pop in for a quick update.
On July 27th, Steven and I moved to Alabama and closed on the purchase of Agama International. It took at least 18 hours to drive our menagerie down, and we needed an entire box truck just for their enclosures and belongings - our actual personal belongings are not arriving until tomorrow! Everyone survived the transport, which is pretty amazing IMO, right down some the sickly critters like the baby beardie.
Our rabbits are currently set up downstairs in our basement. Rabbit care here has been... really challenging so far. It's far too hot for them upstairs; temps are over 100 most days with very high humidity, and we have no AC. However, the basement (which is still close to 80 deg) is VERY damp, and the first week we had a terrible problem with mildew. I've found that putting shavings under the hay AND giving everyone a litter box that can be cleaned dailyis managing this problem so far.
Ultimately, we are moving Leon, Thanator, and Wendy into large predator-proofed outdoor enclosures with plenty of shade and flagstone-bottomed underground hides to keep cool. They are our three most active and least tame rabbits, and I think they'll benefit from a lot of space to roam and graze.
Lucy and Brindam will become house rabbits; Lucy will in no way be able to handle the heat outdoors even with the cold underground hides (she needs cold bottles and a fan even in the basement!), and we need to monitor her teeth closely since we've found her molars don't align quite right. Brindam is geriatric and prone to "mud butt," which is just asking for flies in this area. We are litter training both and hope to make coroplast bottoms for their playpens - speaking of which, where do you guys buy the stuff??
The house is still in disarray, but when the critter enclosures and rooms are set up properly, I'll have to take some photos. In the mean time, I thought you all might enjoy some photos of some of the animals at AI.
This is an Australian water dragon hatchling, the first we had born here under the new management. We've had plenty more since then and hope to find more clutches soon.
Here is one of the monkey tailed skinks. I believe Agama has the largest of colonies of these in the US, if not in the world.
This is a Morrocan Uromastyx. They're very beautiful but sadly, haven't handled the humidity here well since the business imported them many years ago. We have five left; four are being traded to a breeder in California that has had great luck with them in the drier climate. The fifth suffered a fungal infection that made it sterile. I am hoping to tame her up a bit and use her for education.
This is a chinese crocodile lizard. These guys are super cool, quite rare, and we have a large number of them. They are all TOTALLY unique looking as well; the ammount of color variety in the species is impressive.
This is a crag lizard. Another species with a ton of color variety, though I think this is our prettiest. Sadly we almost never see them; they are SO fast. But, they've been having plenty of babies so I guess they are doing fine.
This is one of the newest additions to the breeding program - Steve got an excellent deal on a trio of yellow ackies. We're going to see how they do here, and if they do well, we'll be breeding them.
There are other species we plan on dabbling in, including a species from the grand canary islands that looks just like a mini Tegu - pics coming ASAP! There is also one species I couldn't get a picture of (a type of Agama) that we are going to stop breeding here (we have two males left and basically no one is interested in the species).
I personally still don't love that we're breeding for the pet trade, but I AM loving all of the wildlife here. Expect a lot of photos of that! I'm also loving my two new doggies, the ones who came with the property. They've adjusted to us and are total sweeties. Sadly, however, they live mostly outdoors (they always have but we'd hoped to change that) as they are very committed killers of mammals and birds. We are going to try to train them well enough that they can be in the same room as caged animals when supervised, but right now it is an impossibility. Here's pictures of them though! They're both being put on a little diet and being switched to a higher quality food, so forgive how sheddy and chunky they are.
This is Boris, the real guard dog of the two.
And Sophie, who is 12 but still an expert ratter.
On July 27th, Steven and I moved to Alabama and closed on the purchase of Agama International. It took at least 18 hours to drive our menagerie down, and we needed an entire box truck just for their enclosures and belongings - our actual personal belongings are not arriving until tomorrow! Everyone survived the transport, which is pretty amazing IMO, right down some the sickly critters like the baby beardie.
Our rabbits are currently set up downstairs in our basement. Rabbit care here has been... really challenging so far. It's far too hot for them upstairs; temps are over 100 most days with very high humidity, and we have no AC. However, the basement (which is still close to 80 deg) is VERY damp, and the first week we had a terrible problem with mildew. I've found that putting shavings under the hay AND giving everyone a litter box that can be cleaned dailyis managing this problem so far.
Ultimately, we are moving Leon, Thanator, and Wendy into large predator-proofed outdoor enclosures with plenty of shade and flagstone-bottomed underground hides to keep cool. They are our three most active and least tame rabbits, and I think they'll benefit from a lot of space to roam and graze.
Lucy and Brindam will become house rabbits; Lucy will in no way be able to handle the heat outdoors even with the cold underground hides (she needs cold bottles and a fan even in the basement!), and we need to monitor her teeth closely since we've found her molars don't align quite right. Brindam is geriatric and prone to "mud butt," which is just asking for flies in this area. We are litter training both and hope to make coroplast bottoms for their playpens - speaking of which, where do you guys buy the stuff??
The house is still in disarray, but when the critter enclosures and rooms are set up properly, I'll have to take some photos. In the mean time, I thought you all might enjoy some photos of some of the animals at AI.
This is an Australian water dragon hatchling, the first we had born here under the new management. We've had plenty more since then and hope to find more clutches soon.
Here is one of the monkey tailed skinks. I believe Agama has the largest of colonies of these in the US, if not in the world.
This is a Morrocan Uromastyx. They're very beautiful but sadly, haven't handled the humidity here well since the business imported them many years ago. We have five left; four are being traded to a breeder in California that has had great luck with them in the drier climate. The fifth suffered a fungal infection that made it sterile. I am hoping to tame her up a bit and use her for education.
This is a chinese crocodile lizard. These guys are super cool, quite rare, and we have a large number of them. They are all TOTALLY unique looking as well; the ammount of color variety in the species is impressive.
This is a crag lizard. Another species with a ton of color variety, though I think this is our prettiest. Sadly we almost never see them; they are SO fast. But, they've been having plenty of babies so I guess they are doing fine.
This is one of the newest additions to the breeding program - Steve got an excellent deal on a trio of yellow ackies. We're going to see how they do here, and if they do well, we'll be breeding them.
There are other species we plan on dabbling in, including a species from the grand canary islands that looks just like a mini Tegu - pics coming ASAP! There is also one species I couldn't get a picture of (a type of Agama) that we are going to stop breeding here (we have two males left and basically no one is interested in the species).
I personally still don't love that we're breeding for the pet trade, but I AM loving all of the wildlife here. Expect a lot of photos of that! I'm also loving my two new doggies, the ones who came with the property. They've adjusted to us and are total sweeties. Sadly, however, they live mostly outdoors (they always have but we'd hoped to change that) as they are very committed killers of mammals and birds. We are going to try to train them well enough that they can be in the same room as caged animals when supervised, but right now it is an impossibility. Here's pictures of them though! They're both being put on a little diet and being switched to a higher quality food, so forgive how sheddy and chunky they are.
This is Boris, the real guard dog of the two.
And Sophie, who is 12 but still an expert ratter.
JadeIcing
Well-Known Member
Awesome! You guys will do an awesome job there. I will hate not having you near.
luvthempigs
Well-Known Member
You can find it at a sign shop. It's the same stuff they use to make election signs and stuff like that
Congratulations on the move
Looking forward to pictures
JadeIcing
Well-Known Member
Hope all is well thinking of you.
