I now have 3 ADV positive Dragons

It's been a while since my last post,but I have been busy with all my animals and training my Dutch Shepherd to be my next guide dog. Training a guide dog is very time consuming but I enjoy the training and the dog seems to also. Well, back to Smaug. He tested positive also, so now I have 3 positive dragons to care for. All are healthy at this point. Smaug and Tatsu are such good eaters and dive into their greens and eat every leaf. Ryuu is off greens for now,but she is eating super worms and crickets on her own with out me having to open her mouth and put the food in. She is very happy living next to Tatsu and they are constantly interacting with each other through the "window of love",which is the walls of their glass tanks,end to end. They are very entertaining to watch. Smaug is growing like a weed. He is not so little any more. He likes to be petted but is still no to comfortable with me picking him up. I am taking it slow and he is getting better about it. He likes to sit in his hide and watch the worms come out and eat during the day. I keep the worm container next to the end of his tank for convenience and he loves watching them. He is such a good eater and has been healthy so that is good. I hope I can keep him healthy,because he is so young.But all of my Dragons are healthy at this time and I will do all I can to keep them healthy and happy. I love my Dragons,Ryuu, Tatsu and Smaug, to be continued...............

Smaug has arrived

I picked out a beautiful 5 month old Dragon.He will not be a solid Citrus color but will be a patterned Citrus. He is also a leatherback like Tatsu. He is so CUTE!!! His spikes are already yellow and he has circular spots on his back which at this time are tan,but they are surrounded by a yellow outer circle. Also he has an intermittent yellow stripe down his back. He was shipped from Connecticut,but got stuck in Tennessee,because of an ice storm. I was so worried for him. He did arrive a day late but was OK. When I unpacked the shipping box and opened the bag he was in, he looked up at me as if to say, "Hi There". Poor little thing was so cold. I held him close to me while I got his warm bath ready for him. He soaked for about 20 minuets and was warm when I put him in his 60 gal  tank. About an hour or so later,I fed him and he ate well. I did not handle him the first 4 days,but I am picking him up and letting him just sit in my hand in the tank. He does allow me to pet him and seems to enjoy it. I am taking it slow with him so he does not get frightened. He is responding to his name now and does not seem to be bothered by the dogs when they bark. He watches every thing intently. He likes it when I talk to him or when I sing to him. He listens intently ,even though I know he doesn't understand what I am saying.When I look at Ryuu and Tatsu now, they look huge to me as he is so small. He has grown since I got him. I just love him. I can see his personality already blooming. He is going to be quite the clown.   I love my beautiful Dragons! To be continued..........

I have named my new Dragon Tatsu

It has been some time since I last posted. I have named my new Dragon Tatsu which means Dragon in Japanese. He is now out of quarantine and living in the tank next to Ryuu. I did have him tested and and he is positive for ADV. I would have never guessed it because he is so active and is a good eater, but his test came back positive. He did get sick with an esophageal infection,which was attributed to the stress of shipping and new environment, by Dr. J.  He was treated and has recovered from that. I had to give him injections of antibiotic. He was very good for me and did not object at all. Tatsu is a very sweet Dragon and he is a very pretty orange color. He is in love with Ryuu and she is in love with him. She is back to eating on her own now. I have cut back on her supplements as she is doing so well.  Since Tatsu got sick while under warranty, the vet bill will be taken care of by his breeder. I am also thinking of getting another Citrus Dragon and the breeder said he would give me a good deal on one if that is what I want. Since most Breeders do not test for ADV,I could get another positive Dragon from any of them. I have decided to just stick with this breeder as he has been honest and is willing to reimburse Tatsu's vet bill or give me a deal on another Dragon. I like his Dragons as the are beautiful and have wonderful personalities. Even though Tatsu is Positive for ADV, he is healthy. He is a carrier as is Ryuu. I really want another citrus Dragon so, I think I will go with the deal. The new one will be tested also and if he is not positive, He will remain in the quarantine room,rather than be in the living room with Ryuu and Tatsu. I truly hope this one will be negative but if he is positive, I will just continue to keep each Dragon separate and all their equipment and supplements,food and any thing else will also be kept separate. I have a name for him already. His name will be Smaug after the Dragon in the Hobbit. Smaug will be a very young Dragon as the breeder does not have any adult citrus dragons. This will be my first real baby dragon so I must keep him separate from the others as his immune system will not be as good as an adult's immune system. I will not be getting him until after Christmas some time. I am going to make an appointment with Dr. J  for Ryuu as I want to get her checked. She is doing very well now but I want to make sure that she is OK.   I love my Dragons Ryuu and Tatsu.  The Golden Dragons, to be continued...........

I have a new Dragon!

I have been looking for a new male Dragon for Ryuu for months now. I tried craig's list but was not successful there. I tried several breeders in and out of state but they only had babies for sale.(Most breeders don't test for ADV) Then I found a breeder in Connecticut, Here be Dragons. They had several adult males for sale. I picked one and he is a deep orange. He is a Leatherback. I would have prefered to get a normal spiked Dragon ,but they only had leatherback  adults so I made the decision to get this one. I was lucky enough to find some one who would sell me an adult male. He is quite beautiful. He does have one row of spikes on his sides but none on his body. I am sure Ryuu will fall in love with him. She will be happy again. She will not get to see him until his quarantine is over and he is cleared by Dr. J. Of course he will be tested for ADV. If he is positive, He will be given the same supplements that Ryuu is getting to support her immune system and he would also get the colloidal silver. If he is negative, all precautions will be taken to see that he does not get the virus Ryuu is eating a little better now. Eiko's tank has been moved out and another tank in it's place for the new male.She can not see into this tank as I have it blocked off with cardboard. The new male will go into a tank in the back room for quarantine.Each Dragon will have their own food, food utensils,bowls, towels, ect. Nothing will be shared.No chance to spread the virus.My hands will be washed and disinfected before and after handling each Dragon. Towels and aprons will be washed after each use. I am determined that both Dragons will live long, healthy and happy lives.Now I just have to find a name for the new male. The Japanese have many words meaning Dragon and Dragon related words. Since Ryuu means Dragon Spirit and is the name of my female, I will choose another Japanese name meaning Dragon for him.I just have to pick one I like. I can't wait to get him. He will be shipped over night from Connecticut to Arizona.   Ryuu, soon you will have a new love and you will be happy again.   The Golden Dragons, to be continued............

Bad News

I took Ryuu to see Dr. J for a checkup and to get her tested for the Adenovirus . So far she seems to be OK. Well, the other morning I got the call from Dr. J. The news was not good. Ryuu is positive for the virus. That means I can not bring in a new male for her. Dr. J said I could bring in another positive male, but if it got sick and died, I just don't want to go through all that again. It is so hard when you fall in love with them and you loose them. I did some research on the internet and found a lot of good information. There are actually some supplements and remedies that can be given to ADV positive dragons. One woman has a positive male that was tested positive at 2 years old and is now 10 years old. So there is hope for Ryuu. These are the things I have to get for Ryuu. Bee pollen, Coloidal silver, Serrapeptase, and probiotics. Hopefully, this will help keep her symptom free. The woman who has this positive male has tested all the dragons in her breeding program and they are all negative for ADV. She keeps her positive male separated from the other dragons. She is a Canadian breeder. Northern Dragons.I wish more breeders would test their breeding stock. Their would be less heart break for the people who bought dragons and had them die. This virus could be eradicated, if every breeder would test.  If breeders continue to breed without testing, this virus could wipe out all the Bearded Dragons in this country. (This virus has also been found in Bearded Dragons in their native country, Australia )  I think it should be mandatory to test. There is a breeder that advertizes on the internet to sell their Bearded Dragons and there is a disclaimer on their web page that says they do not test for the Adenovirus. That makes me think that they have had problems with the virus in the past and have chosen not to test the rest of their breeding stock. How can they in good consience, sell their Dragons to unsuspecting people? I will never buy from them, now that I know about this virus. I will ask any breeder that I would consider buying a Dragon from, if they test. If they do not test, I will not buy from them. Dog and cat breeders often spend thousands of dollars to test their dogs and cats for various diseases and conditions. They are the reputable breeders. When I bred my show cats, I always tested for Herpes, feline Leukiemia, Feline Imunosuficency Disease ( Feline Aids) and several eye diseases. Some of these big breeders that have so many breeding Dragons that they keep them in ware houses, can certainly afford to test.The ones that have farms and keep their Dragons in out side enclosures, like the one in Arizona,well they could certainly afford to test. If any of these breeders do test, they need to say so on their web pages so people know that it is safe to buy from them. Well, I will get off my soap box for now, but I won't stop trying to get breeders to test.  Ryuu, my precsious Dragon, I love you and I hope I can keep you healthy for a long time.  The Golden Dragon, to be continued..............

Tragedy

Tragedy has struck my Dragons. It has been a while since I last posted but I just could not bring myself to write about this tragedy. Eiko came down with another bout of Hepatitis again. I took him to see Dr. J and it was very clear that Eiko did have the Adenovirus. I took him home with medications and special food, but he died the next day. He just couldn't fight it off this time. Eiko would have been 2 years old,this coming January.A week later, I found Lilo dead when I went to feed her. Dr.J said he was not sure if it was the same virus that killed Eiko or if it was her age. She was 12 years old.I have had them both cremated and have their ashes. This is such a sad time. Ryuu is the only Dragon I have left now. I hope she does not die. I am going to get her tested so I will know for sure if she has the Adenovirus or not. Ryuu is so lonely. She just sits on her log all day and looks into Eiko's empty tank,waiting for him to return.She looks so sad. It will be quite a while before I can bring in another Dragon. I have to disinfect the empty tanks and all the tank decorations with Clorox and then let them sit out in the sun for a while. I don't know if Eiko's tank will ever get properly disinfected because it has permanent rocks and lots of crevasses  that the Clorox can not reach.  I just hope that Ryuu will be spared this tragedy and I will have her for many years more,happy and healthy. Ryuu, I love you my precious Dragon. Rest in peace Puff and Eiko and Lilo.You were all very precious to me.  I hope this blog will continue...................

Eiko has fully recovered!

Eiko has fully recovered from his bout with Hepatitis. He is eating on his own and he is ravenous! At first, I only gave him 3-5 worms as he was not used to having more than 1 or 2 forced fed worms.Now he is eating 6-10 worms a day. He would eat more if I let him but I don't want him to get too fat which could cause more health issues for him. About twice a month, I don't feed the Dragons as they don't eat every day in the wild. Also, I don't feed them the same amount all the time. They don't get to eat the same amount of bugs in the wild either so I feed less on some days and more on other days.They don't seem to mind that system. I have also noticed that they are actually drinking more water since I just leave the water sit out for a few days and let the chemicals dissipate from it. I have stopped using the blue stuff that I used to put in the water to get rid of the chemicals. Dr. J said that this would be better for them and I guess he is right as they are drinking more. All my Dragons seem to be doing well and they seem to be happy. I love my Dragons,Lilo,Ryuu, and Eiko.   To be continued............