AnoriaFae
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Hi there, it brings me great sadness to re-visit the passing of my mac-snow bell leucistic leo, Leuna. I've had her for over a year and we imprinted on each other gradually and once she was comfortable and felt safe and cared for we had such a special bond. I bought her in Virginia and we recently moved to Co briefly and permanently to Ut. The cross country ride was hard on her and the climate change noticeably made her stressed and she lost a bit of weight. Eventually after feeding her with repta-boost she got her appetite back and filled out again. She was as stressed as I was, but she maintained her spirits and affection. It's hard to tell what time of the month it was, perhaps the end of June, I let Leuna out of her cage and roam the living room. Being unfamiliar with the layout of the apartment I could not find her in the cushions, under the couch or her normal hiding spots. Tragically, I found a couple of holes in the floor boards where she easily could fit through. After a couple days and a week went by I accepted she was lost and there's was nothing I could do.Last Thursday, my neighbor called me that there was a lizard on the second floor! I went down the hall and saw Leuna curled up at the base of the stairs. I was literally in disbelief, she was alive and it had been maybe over two weeks. I scooped her up and immediately gave her a warm bath to calm her down and bush off all the dirt and toxins she could have been exposed too.
I wish I stopped there... I was incredibly panicked she could die at any moment unless I gave her formula to hydrate and supply nutrients. I gently opened her mouth, she struggled and locked onto my finger. I fed her a whole syringe of repta-boost and she regurgitated briefly and kept opening her mouth.
It was such a traumatic experience, I put her in her enclosure to settle in now that she was clean and hydrated. She was so small and emaciated though. She recognized her cage and went right to her favorite moist hide. The next night I found her hollowed and dead outside the warm hide. After researching I realize she probably had aspiration or cardiac arrest. She had formula down her mouth and regurgitated on a rock. I was distraught and blame myself for her unsuccessful rehabilitation. When I turned her over she had very clear internal bleeding and black spots.
I have her preserved and plan to bury her in a very special place. She was my little friend and I wish I had done more re-search how to rehabilitate a sick leo. I hope anyone who reads this does their due diligence before rushing to re-feed.
