01/14/2022
For those who know me well, my passion for animals has been the one thing that has remained consistent throughout my life. They center me in a way I have never been able to on my own. That being said it is not always rainbows and butterflies being responsible for another life, big or small. I’ve been in the reptile hobby since 2017 and with all the joy and excitement it brings me every day, I’ve had my fair share of heartbreak as well. Anyone in the hobby and or who is responsible for multiple animals has. This little one in particular has put my heart through the ringer over the past several months. We as Breeders, keepers,hobbyists often show off striking, captivating photos of our animals, and rightfully so. I believe it’s just as important to show the ugly as well.
H***h is the 3rd gecko I added to my collection. Right behind Sonny and my Beloved Tequila who passed suddenly with no warning or real reason. Tequila and H***h had very similar personalities and H***h helped me through Tequila’s passing very much. Unfortunately around spring of last year H***h became egg bound. She has never been paired but still ended up laying infirtile eggs. This is not typical for female geckos but does happen on occasion. H***h passed two eggs normally, and struggled severely with 3 more. She was practically reduced to a skeleton at one point. For months (literally) I gave her warm soaks to help her pass the remaining eggs, mixed her calcium with water in syringes to make sure she was getting the supplementation she needed since she was refusing food, added drops of Pedialyte to her water, and even force fed her whenever she would allow me to. I was so afraid she wouldn’t make it on my move across the country to Louisiana. H***h has always been a fighter however, and she not only survived but started improving quite a bit a couple months into my move! She now eats on her own and is putting on weight again. 4th photo was her struggling through being egg bound, last 2 phots were from tonight. She’s not quite back to where she was, but she is well on her way.
Big or small your pet relies on you fully. Wether it be a tiny baby gecko or a Saint Bernard. Pet ownership comes with as much responsibility as it does Joy! Just something I hope we can all be mindful of going into 2022!🦎🐌🦜🕷🐈⬛🐕🐀🦔🐖🐄🐎🦋