Posted 9 years ago
SpiritBear
(813 items)
It is customary of those who count their posts to celebrate a hundredth, two-hundredth, or similar post with something special. So here is my two-hundredth post:
The first something--someone, rather-- special, in photos 1 and 3, is currently laying on my chest under my jean-jacket. His name is Valentino, and he is "my baby."
He is about two years old now, having been with me since on Valentine's Day of 2015, at the place I've for 10 years volunteered at, I was told to pick a lizard.
I dipped my hand in, and he jumped on. I took him, put him in my hat, and went home with my best buddy.
He is a Rankin's-Bearded Dragon mix.
----
The other buddy, pic 2 and 4, we rescued. He is Augustus-- Gus, for short.
He was abandoned in a sunless basement and never had a good diet.
I took him home because I knew what to do to bring him back to health.
He is missing one foot, several toes, and much of his tail due to neglect and injury. He is pretty much colourless due to early, long-term poor diet and I have permanent concerns about his bones.
Currently he has grown, eats a lot, and is quite happy in a large, hot tank with a view-- just how he wants it.
He is a standard Bearded Dragon.
I don't know anything about lizards,...please tell me, does Valintino have a "personality",....does he know you?....what unique behaviors does Valintino exhibit?,...can you share with me,...does he have emotions?,....likes/dislikes that Gus does not exhibit?
I often catch Valentino watching me-- when in his cage, he seems to look at me with longing. He likes to nuzzle into me to stay warm. He chooses me over everyone else, so he certainly likes and recognises me. He also rarely, when free, moves more than 5 feet away from me. When I go further, he finds something to hide under cuz he's scared.
The winter was pretty bad on him. He couldn't go outside, so he stopped eating, stopped being active, stopped basking and went to hide under his dark house. It took lots of warm bathes, snuggling, and hand-feeding to get him to be more normal. It's still too cold outside for him, so he often just stares out the window or lays looking quite dead when in his cage. This suggests depression. I also have depression. When I get bad, he also does.
Augustus prefers my mom, but his tank is in the living room where my mom spends much more time than I. So she usually takes him out so I can take Valentino out (they don't get along). Gus used to be fairly fearful of everything, and in being so he'd display much aggression. He's mellowed out to only panic when handled suddenly (such as when he's about to jump off the couch), instead of biting. He doesn't move much (no surprise, missing a foot and being fat.) He just lays on you and basks under his day lamp. He handled winter much better, but he'd spent most of his life indoors anyway.
Valentino likes to climb and likes water unlike Gus, likes some foods Gus doesn't, and is more friendly. But he's the one who asserts aggressiveness towards other lizards. Gus didn't start it-- he just took it further.
I've spent all my life with animals. I've been a volunteer for 11 years-- over half my life-- and 10 years at the place I'm currently at. I volunteer with wolves. They used to also have bears. I've seen a wolf cry when she realised her mate wasn't coming back from the vet. She went from happy and lovey to constantly panicked, always digging her way out, running circles all day and shying from even me. Eventually she had to be brought inside to be watched and kept in check.
In the end, many animals have emotions and personalities. I know one wolf-dog who I want to be friends with, but if you turn your back on him he'll try to pee on you, and he is constantly harassing us and other animals.
It can be quite fascinating.
You can see them both more here:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/100225533871478139608
Thank you for sharing that,...I enjoyed every word of it !!!
Thanks for reading. :)
You have a heart of pure gold. Thank you for what you do for these animals.
Thank you for the kind comment.
They are to be loved,....and you are the True Steward!!!
God, with much love, created the world and all living things. I love because God created love, shows it, and puts it in me. 1 John 4:19. (And because this verse was brought to mind, I chose it for tonight's Bible Reading I do on a site.)
You would luv it here ! Everything from "Wood slaves" (geckos), chameleons, Monitors, iguanas & everything in between. I enjoy having them & leave them alone except the ugly monitors when they get big & start digging up my plants. OMG! Have I shown a weak side ?
For years I wanted a lizard but was never allowed. Now that we have two, my mom wants a Chinese Water Dragon and an Iguana. We've handled both as we sought some out.
I used to have a friend, and he had geckos and a chameleon.
Anyone saying "OMG" has a weak, or soft and human, side. ;)
SpiritBear,....nice scripture,...I'm reading the book of Job this week. :)
Its your fault the verse came to mind, so thank you. LOL.
I'm not religious .
I'm not gonna try to convert you, but religion is just an institution of man. It's supposed to be a relationship with God.
Happy 200th post!
Thank you. :)
My mom and I even went out to a place I've not been to eat at in over a decade (not at all related to celebrating this post.) LOL.
So sweet you have a pet dragon. I don't know how. They are fast movers!! Color changing lizards whatever they are called are everywhere in Alabama, USA. Always in the window seals and on the front door. A couple huge ones got in somehow and they sure looked like small dragons. The little see thru baby ones always attached to my metal door. Crazy cat awaiting. Two red bearded ones lived in my shrubs for years. They were huge. They never bothered me but the cat is a whole other story.
Gus, missing a foot, is not very fast. Valentino, lithe as he is, is like an arrow on the ground.
I'm not familiar with reptiles in Alabama, but my younger cat we must keep at bay from the lizards at times.
The Bearded and Rankins Dragons cannot live in high-humidity environments. They risk getting lung diseases and dying. It s difficult to keep humidity low and temps desert-hot up here in Michigan, but we must as these are Australian animals.
Most lizards are quite docile and can be safely handled (in my experiences). Even more are quite nice when you stay 3 feet away or more. LOL.
Iguanas tail-whip, though. Komodos... eat you.
Our bearded dragon Ulisse was released to our back yard this summer after two years as an indoor pet. She is happily staying alive , finding her own food and quite affectionately coming to say hello to us when she sees us. Why did we let her go? Our backyard is her native habitat (she is an Eastern Bearded Dragon) and seemed to constantly pine for the outdoors. Note: we are in Aus.
I'm over in Michigan, USA, so that wouldn't work here. LOL.
I may have mis-spoke about the ones in the bushes but they were huge to me about a foot long and were a greyish greenish color and had red under their "chins" for lack of a better word. Alabama is extremely humid. So IDK what they were. I enjoyed seeing them sun themselves. :)
I wish we had lizards up here. Just salamanders, skinks, and newts, One Good Find.
Valentino, Steve is my profile picture pretty much everywhere, and he's been dead for 5 years come May 2nd. They just make such a great impact on us.
But all love is special. Love, and what is loved is special to you.
Had to look up "skink". You have them up there ? Racer4 . I understand that Aussie zoos list the zoological names, common names & a recipe on the cages. I call iguanas, "West Indian Turkey". Does anybody have a recipe for sugar bird pie ? I'm just having fun with you SB, although I am overrun with sugar birds ! Feeding about 80-100 ! LOL !
We have many skinks. Not sure what a sugar bird is.
SB, I never questioned what our sugarbirds are . I tried to google them & couldn't seem to find our exact species without signing up for CIA's facebook. I'll keep looking, but, they are a basic grey with a bright yellow breast & white waves over their eyes, like kind of eyebrows & a straight pointed beak. Kind of built like a canary but smaller. One stage over a hummingbird & feed off of nectar, except when I feed them ! I planted a soursop tree that is now about 3 metres tall & I have renamed it a sugarbird tree. because it is covered with them when waiting for me to feed the little buggers. Would show pix, but that's not in the CW guidelines.
Not in the guidelines, then surely not against. :P
YIKES!............ Actually, when I was a kid my friends and I used to catch lizards along the banks of the Guadalupe River in San Jose, CA. My friends kept their catch, I let mine go ~ my mother was like, "Don't you dare bring those things into my house!" [;>)
SB, these birds don't fall under collecting. If I poste something & have only 3 pix, I might toss in a pic of them as a filler. CW is not fb as they have pointed out several times.
Nevada, LOL. I took Valentino out (before we got Gus) at my Graduation Party. A lot of people shied from him.
Blunderbuss, what of the section on Animals or Birds? They let me get away with these dragons (if they delete them, I will re-post) and butterflies.
Love your dragons. Thanks you for posting this. All the best with the depression. God bless.
Agree with Bonnie, you have a heart of pure gold, SpiritBear, God bless and keep you all your days.
Great post! I love you are volunteering at animal rescue centres and chose an animal which isn't in good health as your pet.
Gillian, thank you. We're all blessed in many ways.
Katherine, thank you also. He does.
Martika, sometimes they choose you; sometimes you choose them. It is interesting like that.
MotorHead, my one dog is terrified. The other wants to eat them.
A buddy of mine had a huge one!!! It was always escaping and exploring his apartment:) The first time I met him he was on top of the refrigerator !!
LOL. I love 'em.