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[scaledandtailed]

   Bit of a sad thread  sorry.
   Feeling a little down   because one of my bearded dragons sadly   past away very recently.
  She was a rescue who’d been starved by a previous owner. She’d been taken on  why a lady who got her back on track and then I took her as a permanent re-home and carried on building her up. She was exceptionally friendly even for a beardy.  I’ve  only ever kept mails before and  females do tend to be more outgoing  but she always used to sit at the frunt to be taken out and  would cling on  to your hands  if you tried to put her back as if she wanted to be out longer. 
. I only had for just over 7 months and she seemed to be doing so very well.  Her weight and shedding   was as it should be and she seemed very happy healthy and was eating well, there was   no odd behaviours or anything to sugest there might be anything wrong so it was a bit of a shock when I found that she’d passed away sometime during the night when I went to check on all   the reptiles in the morning
  Reptiles  are notorious for hiding illness but I thought I would have detected something  as you can usually pick up on very slight things  that other people might mist simply because  you’ve kept them  for  a while  but I never detected anything wrong in this case.  I hope that what ever it was it didn’t cause pain and was quick   
   Anyway  Alba  you where a very spesual little dragon   and will be sadley missed
Scaly

[RedwoodsMama]

 Oh, so sorry to hear about Alba she sounded very sweet, I have no idea about how long these types of creatures live and I know animals in general are very good at hiding illness part of the predator thing, having to not appear as a victim that can be picked out of the herd, etc. I am sure it sounds as if you did all you could for her and she had a good life while in your care. It allways hurts to lose a loved one, fin, feathers or fur. I know how you feel at the moment, I have never had any type of lizard, only Box turtles. I do think they are lovely and I am sure that Alba came to you to spend some quality time in her life so she could go on to her next life. ( I do believe in re-incarantion for animals and all living things.. ) Sending you hugs and love for both you and Alba's spirt, Are you having a service or anything special done for her or have you buried her yet? Sometimes doing somthing speical like planting a particular flower or plant an animal liked or in their memory helps move things along. I have even taken goldfish that passed and were 12 years old to drop them in a nearby stream so they could pass on to a local river, thinking it was more natural then putting them in my backyard.
                                   Thinking of you and Alba.  :hhug:One hug for each of you.
                                      RedwoodsMama

[Crewella]

I'm so sorry scaly, it's rotten when something like that happens.  Don't blame yourself - I've seen it happen like that before with rescued reptiles and they really do hide some problems incredibly well.  Sometimes it's just that their system has been so weakened by the ill treatment or bad nutrition, and it's only when they get better and start to behave more 'normally' that their system just fails.  Suddenly.  Just like that.  Nothing you can do about it.    

[saratogaspringer]

Hi Scaly. Believe it or not, I know exactly how you feel. I have been the owner of many bearded dragons over the years. My favorite was Patty. You can see a picture of her in my gallery. She is sitting on top of my head. She was fine. Ate very well in the early evening, and the next morning, she was laying motionless on the bottom of her enclosure. I rushed her to the vet, the one who treated reptiles, but no longer does,  but she didn't make it. I cried all day at work. Some of my patients cried with me. I had a private burial cremation for her and her ashes are on my mantle above my fireplace.  I know that is a selfish thing to do, but I had to keep her with me. Her ashes are a reminder of how precious life is.  We are only put on this earth for a short time. One day we are here, and gone the next, so I try my best to enjoy every day and to make the best of it. Take care. You and Alba are in my thoughts and prayers.

[kat]

So sorry to hear that Scaly.  I know you will miss her.  Thinking of you.
Kat

[Talon]

I'm sorry, Scaly. I know that sounds so hollow when you've lost someone who is dear to you even if that someone is an animal. My family aren't very long-lived on either side. I lost my mother at the age of forty five when I was thirteen, and my father at the age of fifty when I was twenty five. I've had lots ofanimals through the years. I think the hardest on me was my Lab Chocco. His registered name was actually the French word for chocolate. He was twelve or thirteen years old and had arthritus in his left front leg which made him hold it up off the ground. I'm thinking he was blind by then himself and was friendly to aeveryone who came to see us. I know my spelling is really bad right now but I don't want to stop and fix it to read this. Evidently the postman or someone left the gate open and he wandered off. I'm still hoping he found a quiet place to leave the world. Noone in my neighborhood reported seeing him again.
Talon

[latrine]

So sorry Scaled, Alba sounds wonderful.. I hadn't ever even realized what truly amazing animals they are until my brother got one as a rescue and then got some more to begin breeding them and finding them good homes.. they are so sweet and friendly. Like everyone else, I've lost a lot of pets as well and it's just as hard as losing family, to me it is losing family. 
Sorry to everyone about your beloved pets. It's very hard and.. feel better.


- Sarah

[LuckyPleo]

I'm so sorry Scaly, I know many people don't realize it is sometimes as bad as losing a distant relative when you loose a pet unexpectedly. I hope she gets along in the big terrarium in the sky well after her mistreatment that she had earlier in her life. So sad when animals are abused or neglected, it is pittiful, you said she was a rescue, if you are the kind of person who likes to take action, you might want to try theanimalrescuesite.com you can donate and sign online petitions to stop animals crulety. I hope you and your other lizards can cope ok with the loss, I remember being very sad when I was little and my pet hermit crab died, it's sad that we lose small animals without expecting it like this, many vets won't take the time or use the technology to bother with small animals, but like horton the elephant knew, a person is a person (or a lizard), no matter how small.

[scaledandtailed]

  Thank you everyone for all your kind words of support.
   It took me a few weeks     even to turn off the equipment and clean out the cage but I’m feeling much better now.
 I berried her in the back garden.  Sounds bad I know but I haven’t got a bush or plant for her yet.  I got a plant for my last beardy who   died and the gardeners strimmed it  away with in   2 weeks which made me upset all over again and I didn’t want to go through that again. Wouldn’t have minded so much except they left all the weeds alone so I’m thinking about maybe a small tree or a large established   bush that hopefully won’t get mistaken for something else.
     Scaly   
 
 
 
 
   

[Crewella]

It does take a while, Scaly. 

I lost one of my cats a week or so ago, and we buried her in the garden and planted a rock rose on the spot.  It does kind of help to feel we brought her home and she's still here.  Plant a nice bushy shrub there that will fend off over-eager strimmers.

Glad you're feeling a bit better about it - that's a good time to do it. 

[MegandArtemis]

I know it hurts. I lost my dog two days ago, but time really does heal.

Hoping your feeling better,

Meg and Artemis

[latrine]

I'm so sorry you just lost your dog, losing anyone hurts a lot.

I'm glad your doing better Scaly, and I'm so sorry the plant got destroyed.. maybe it was your little beardies way of telling you she didn't like that one and you need to plant something much bigger, better and more colorful   I think the garden is a wonderful place and I'm sure whatever you pick out will be great..
Just stand next to the plant with a chainsaw when the gardeners come by next, they'll take the hint.

- Sarah

[Lina]

I am so sorry to hear this 
At least she had her last time in a great home.

[kat]

If you can't find a tree or bush that you like you could always go for a statue.  Maybe of a dragon.   I'm glad your starting to feel better.  It is very hard when you lose your pets.