Lily the Panther: a "Rescue" Progress Thread!
- Thread starter GoodKarma19
- Start date
krikinit
Chameleon Enthusiast
Its like kids! No i dont wanna eat that, wait a minute. ThatsCan't hurt, might help! Apparently feeding ~1 pinky mouse per month has done wonders for a lot of chameleons, and is a popular practice for Euopean breeders especially! Since animal protein can be difficult to digest, I'd definitely limit consumption to no more than two per month in smaller species (I.e. Veileds, Panthers).
You can get frozen pinkies at just about any pet store that carries reptile supplies. I'd go for small pinky mice, though your girl is significantly bigger than mine and might be able to tackle larger. Just put the frozen pinky in a ziplock bag and float it in a warm water bath for ~10-15 minutes. I rolled it I'm my fingers a few times to make sure it was uniformly defrosted and at a comfortable temperature. I tried to convince Lily to handfeed by holding it up to her and wiggling it to simulate life, and while she was very interested she didnt go for it. So, while I was giving her her eye meds I opened her mouth and popped it in. She was perfectly happy to take it from there, haha!
I like this vid. Veiled vs feeder lizard!
GoodKarma19
Chameleon Enthusiast
Agreed, haha! Garters are snarky little things for sure. I've met one ball that had a bad attitude and pretty much required a hook to handle because she was so focused on striking, and the rest of the ones with 'tude were painful and/or sick and defensive. I've only met the grumpy ones due to my line of work - every other BP I've met has been a love!
Haha so true! Sometimes you just gotta force their hand a little.
JoXie411
Chameleon Enthusiast
She knows your watching always watchingSnake phobia is such a strange thing to me... especially since ball pythons are absolute marshmallows! I've only ever met one or two with disagreeable attitudes. The only (pet) snake I've ever been a little iffy about was a ~11ft red tailed boa, and that's only because she was scared and painful and just done with our nonsense, haha! The sheer strength of the big snakes is bananas.
Miss Lily has vanished into one of her hidey holes, and I haven't seen her properly yet today, haha! She's clearly busy doing important chameleon things.
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GoodKarma19
Chameleon Enthusiast
It's really tough not to some days! I was nearly tempted into bringing home a sickly 4 week old kitten last week (from an SPCA hoarding shutdown), and again earlier this week with the saddest looking chihuahua/terrier mutt from one of the local humane societies (little lady was in for her spay). But, I resisted. They'll have an easy time finding fosters/homes... I save what little space I have for the birds (and now reptiles, lol) that we get in. Baby bird season is upon us once again, and I occasionally bring home babies to monitor until I can get them to a rehab center.
I do have a strange fixation with the sick 'uns and the underdogs!
The ones I tend to love the most are the ones no one else wants. So I fix them up, and sometimes I keep them and sometimes a better permanent home comes along for them. I'd love to run a small scale exotic rescue some day, if I ever have the time/space/money/etc. Girl, you know I'll be singing that the next time I'm feeding someone a pinky!
JIFFYPOP
Avid Member
lol, gonna need a rescue pet intervention eh? Anyone that takes on a sick animal is a saint, takes a big heart to do something like that.
JoXie411
Chameleon Enthusiast
Yes I’m the same way. I want the deaf/blind animals. I would love to start a reptile rescue in my area but it’s not just money it’s the space needed as well. Have a little barn full of reptiles how need rehab and rehoming. Only keeping the ones that I zing with lolI do have a strange fixation with the sick 'uns and the underdogs!
GoodKarma19
Chameleon Enthusiast
That's pretty much the dream!! One day...
JIFFYPOP
Avid Member
I never really never thought about the fact that there isn't more reptile specific places to go for help, I think it would & will be great. Imagine a place to take your pet where they don't just wanna make an effing $ off of ya. Where people care, sign me up!
JoXie411
Chameleon Enthusiast
Big dreams for such small animals
yes I think ppl forget reptiles lives matter as well just because they are a little creepy doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a better life. I heard somewhere that Americans have the worst animal care. We have a D I think and Europe has a B. I think we can do better
JIFFYPOP
Avid Member
Ya, I never understood how someone could buy a pet & then just get bored of it, or whatever happens. I absolutely agree that people for some reason, don't think reptiles have feelings, or who cares if they die. It has eyes, lol it feels
GoodKarma19
Chameleon Enthusiast
Absolutely! There are all sorts of societies that advocate for the care or dogs and cats, but so few for birds and reptiles! The only dedicated reptile rescue I can think of in the area is directed at turtles (we have a huge turtle problem here with people releasing red eared sliders). I'm lucky enough to be in a position where I can directly interact with owners and guide them, but I want to do more. I've been considering talking to the hospital manager and seeing if I can host a couple educational meetings for reptile owners/interested parties at the clinic, make a presentation and hand out caresheets and stuff or something like that.
Also, Lily finally came out!
"Well? Where's my breakfast?"
JoXie411
Chameleon Enthusiast
That would be an amazing idea. Just need to spread the word more to get ppl to see how to properly care of these creatures. Without this forum. I’m sure I would have failed
GoodKarma19
Chameleon Enthusiast
I agree! I like to believe that the subpar care we frequently see with reptiles is largely due to people being misinformed (often by petstores), combined with a relative lack of readily accessible, reliable, and up-to-date resources. The best way to combat ignorance is with knowledge! For example, Monty is my ambassa-birdie. When we go out, people inevitably want to interact with her and hear more about her, so I take the opportunity to educate people on the reality of keeping birds (especially large parrots) as pets and appropriate care.
When I have the money and space, I'd like to get together some reptile ambassadors - partially because I just love them, and partially because it'd be an excellent opportunity to teach appropriate husbandry. A beardie, leo, and BP would be a good start!
Thank you! I love her pretty pinks.
Since she was fed yesterday, she'll be disappointed in the lack of feeders... guess she'll have to find that noisy cricket that she let escape! I really need to find a roach supplier... stupid Canadian laws. 
