absolutbill
Chameleon Enthusiast
I'm so glad that Phoenix is doing well, and I'm sure that Tuscon will thrive in no time at all! Glad to hear they are out of the clutches of a bad owner and in your more than capable hands 
Gecko in really bad shape...
- Thread starter ferretinmyshoes
- Start date
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
Back when beardies were still unusual in the US, I was shopping at a herp place when someone brought in a partly grown beardie in a similar horrible condition. Their complaint was that "it cost them a lot of money but now just laid around and was boring". The shop owner was furious, lectured them, and when that didn't seem to make a dent he just about threw them out the door physically. We gave her Pedialyte and a bit of fruit baby food, a soak to get the old skin off, and I ended up taking her home. For 2 weeks she lay in a laundry basket under a new ReptiSun, hand fed by syringe, hardly able to move. Her gut was full of some sort of sand and she couldn't chew at all. Still, she kept going and ended up a pretty normal if small adult. A friend adopted her and designed her a custom open desert themed pen built on a twin bed frame. A totally spoiled and opinionated little lady for years after.
Lucky beardie!! From bad situations come the best sometimes!
My gecko girls are making a nice turnaround too.
Phoenix was the first one I adopted and she is a whole new little lizard! She is spunky and fiesty and nice and round like she should be. Her mangled leg is finally starting to straighten out on its own and her jaw is finally moving synchronously instead of at the false joint where it was so weak. She still can't seem to catch any crickets on her own but she is happily hand feeding well. You hold them in front of her and she gets super still and starts breathing really fast and then pounces on it! She just kind of opens her mouth and closes her eyes and lunges forward hoping she'll get it but usually just kind of slobbers all over my finger trying to get it. I end up pushing it in her mouth and then she's happy.
Tucson was the second and she is still in the early stages but stronger and getting around better. She also hand feeds really well. You touch her nose with a cricket and she just opens her mouth and wants me to stuff it in there!
I made them a new house. I carved some styrofoam and pressed sand into the acrylic paint while it was still wet and made a nice little habitat for them that uses more of the space of their 20g tank. It was so much wasted space since they don't really climb. I was worried they wouldn't use the ramp but there was a little poop up there when I got home today! Success.
I still need to cover their humid hide with sand cover so excuse the foil cover for now.
My gecko girls are making a nice turnaround too.
Phoenix was the first one I adopted and she is a whole new little lizard! She is spunky and fiesty and nice and round like she should be. Her mangled leg is finally starting to straighten out on its own and her jaw is finally moving synchronously instead of at the false joint where it was so weak. She still can't seem to catch any crickets on her own but she is happily hand feeding well. You hold them in front of her and she gets super still and starts breathing really fast and then pounces on it! She just kind of opens her mouth and closes her eyes and lunges forward hoping she'll get it but usually just kind of slobbers all over my finger trying to get it. I end up pushing it in her mouth and then she's happy. Tucson was the second and she is still in the early stages but stronger and getting around better. She also hand feeds really well. You touch her nose with a cricket and she just opens her mouth and wants me to stuff it in there!
I made them a new house.
I carved some styrofoam and pressed sand into the acrylic paint while it was still wet and made a nice little habitat for them that uses more of the space of their 20g tank. It was so much wasted space since they don't really climb. I was worried they wouldn't use the ramp but there was a little poop up there when I got home today! Success. 
I still need to cover their humid hide with sand cover so excuse the foil cover for now.
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ThatDigitalChameleon
New Member
you are an amazing person and i think the names are brilliant.
djfishygillz
Avid Member
Very cool setup!
FlChamMom
Avid Member
I really like your setup! I have been looking for ideas for mine- I have 2 gecko girls also ( mine are a little more voluptuous. ..) I love the 2nd story with the ramp- will be stealing it! I have been following this thread and commend you on saving those girls. I find geckos to be lower maintenance than my cham, for them to get into that bad of shape showed disregard for their life, which is very sad...
They are doing so well!
Phoenix can finally hold up her body and sit and walk like a normal gecko! Tucson is still working on that part. They're a little funny looking compared to normal geckos because of what they've been through...I didn't realize it until I saw a very normal young gecko the other day. But I love them anyway. And they're starting to be able to catch some crickets on their own! Pheonix just gets too excited and can't be patient but she's getting better. I'm still hand feeding them every few days to make sure they get enough.
Phoenix can finally hold up her body and sit and walk like a normal gecko! Tucson is still working on that part. They're a little funny looking compared to normal geckos because of what they've been through...I didn't realize it until I saw a very normal young gecko the other day. But I love them anyway.
And they're starting to be able to catch some crickets on their own! Pheonix just gets too excited and can't be patient but she's getting better. I'm still hand feeding them every few days to make sure they get enough.
They're kind of ridiculous sometimes! They both use the second story of their cage now, mostly for pooping. Easy to reach for cleaning at least. They go up the ramp and around the corner like they're supposed to going up. But to come back down they go toward the ramp and then kind of just slowly plop off the ledge. Near the ramp, just not on it! Silly girls.
SaintJimmy
Avid Member
Wow, that really is amazing. I'm SO glad to hear they're doing better now. This makes me happy.
This makes me happy.
