"Ready for winter! I got a new coat!" =]

[Allee Toler]

Ignore the mess. We clean every Friday. Lol. Busy busy lives.

And so. The explanation of this picture is as follows:

My little RAPTOR Lu is ready to be leash trained. GiGi was this size when I began her training (believe it or not, with a ton of patience anything's possible!). The main reason I do this is so when I take one of them, or both when the new baby's leashed, to a pet store or to run errands, I know they're safe. Also with the leash, you can teach them to stay close to you. GiGi was leashed any time she came out of her tank and out of our room for nearly two months. Now, when we call her, she peaks out where ever she is and waits for us to get her. She's become predictable, and well trained. I don't leash her anymore, she's well passed the learning stage. If I take her to a pet store, she'll sit on my head or my shoulder, whichever she chooses, and stays put. Lu, being just 10 weeks old today, is a wild child. He likes to be held, he's learning that we're not enemies (lol) and he can sit on my shoulder around the house without jumping spontaneously. But the moment I take him anywhere, he wants to explore. As in, jump off of me.

So, I don't buy leashes. I make them. I use a soft fabric, and rubber snaps to fasten them. I have a dog leash I took off the hook and attached a light weight thin plastic hook from a stuffed bear that used to hang in my room when I was young.

Anyways, back to how GiGi got on Lu's harness.

I set it on the floor, I had to go put up some dishes right quick, came back, and GiGi was laying on the harness with one arm under it. She had one just like it, only pink. I have it somewhere, but it's of no use to us anymore as Lu's a boy.

So I put it on her. Mind I tell you she walked around with it on for nearly FOUR hours until I took it off of her so I could go to bed. Which she squirmed and squealed the whole time and biting at me because I guess she wanted to keep it on.

I will never understand their little minds. But I enjoy having a very big personality in my little GiGi.

Oh and Lu's hating leash training. So I'm going to wait a couple more weeks, just get him used to seeing the harness.

And some more pictures!:

Just my desert tank..

Ignore the poo. She was sick and in isolation for her burns. Her antibiotic ointment made her get the runs. Lol. I called her from the bed and she started scratching. =]

More in her isolation. She was climbing at the side and fell asleep.

 

[Stitchex]

Vid of these tricks you've taught her? Cute Leos!

 

[Allee Toler]

I need a recording camera. All my pictures are off of my camera phone which as the WORST video quality known to man. I can't wait to buy my new camera!! =D Show off her skillzz. You'd be surprised how smart reptiles can be. She learned her name within a month of bringing her home. You say GiGi and she looks at you like "yesss?".

 

[Stitchex]

Cute

 

[Allee Toler]

She's my baby. And my favorite. I feel bad saying that, but it's true. There will never be another personality like her. I guess it's the dwarfism brain function or something, because Lu is NOTHING like her. He's dominant, stubborn, and won't budge. GiGi's more sociable. Every night I make a walmart run (not intended, I just happen to need to go there for something almost every night. Lol.) and she tags along. The greeters know her. =]

I wish Lu was more calm like her. But I guess not every gecko can be as trainable. I just hope one day he too can go to the pet store with me without me having to worry about him getting loose.

 

[gekko.gurl]

That's the weirdest thing I've seen. LOL...but good job on making something so small!

 

[cyndi0502]

i realize you live in california, and it's not exactly cold there, but aren't you worried that having her out so much / bringing her outside and in stores is very very bad for her because of the difference in temperatures and might be one of the reasons she is/was sick?

 

[Allee Toler]

When she travels, she has a heat pad. She keeps a pretty steady temp. When she does get cold, we warm her up.

For the most part, I do live in CA, it's pretty hot during the day. In the winter she only roams around the house when the heaters on. I'm not a dumb*ss.

As for your explanation as to why she's been sick. She has fatty liver disease, can't hold down food very well, rarely eats because of it, battles infections because she has a low white blood cell count, and has a developmental brain delay. Not to mention other numerous problems due to her genetics and being a hypochondroplasia dwarf. I am not making her sick, if I was, wouldn't all my other reptiles get sick too? I'm not an idiot when it comes to caring for my animals. I keep them warm. If I didn't care about her, then I wouldn't be carrying around pocket heat pads or have a big box of them that I bought in bulk just so she can enjoy being out, and on occasion she gets caught after dark outside, but that's what the heat pads are for.

She's a special needs reptile. So she gets treated special. GiGi, if put in any given room, will walk to a window or sliding door and stare outside. She is truly a unique reptile. And I feel you have no privilege to tell me how to take care of my special needs, when I'm the one who spent her WHOLE life fighting for her survival. Pouring out money for surgeries to keep her throat open, giving her shots twice a month because she can't absorb vitamins and calcium like any other reptile, researching all about why she is the way she is and why no other person knows what I've gone through with her. The nights I've stayed up to make sure she's held down her medication and dinner, the endless nights I've stayed up just because of being after a surgery, I'm afraid she won't make it through the night. So how dare you cross that line with me. She DESERVES to live a life that she wants to. If she wants to sleep in the bed with me after a surgery, damnit she will! When she's sad, she gives you this look, and sets her head down on you and doesn't move. When you go to put her back in her tank and she's not ready to go back, she'll hold onto the side of the tank and not let go. If I had the slightest feeling that she didn't want to go outside, I wouldn't take her. When I leave for school or work in the morning, she clings to my clothes like you wouldn't believe. The moment I open my door, she's on her hammock clawing at the glass.

My others are average every day reptiles. They sleep all day, eat all night, poo. If they get handled, it's not for more than half an hour because that's when they start to jump and run away. So I am not an unfit parent. So don't even open that can of worms.

Might I add she was my FIRST leo. I didn't get my second until EIGHT WEEKS AGO. Going through hell hasn't stopped me from loving the leopard gecko. That says something. The bills add up to over ten grand on her. It's roughly $600 a month in medical for her, plus her corrective surgery. I only pay a $20 deductible because I was smart and got her insurance the first week I got her.

Yeah, let me tell you. I'm endangering her health.

If I got offensive, you can't blame me. From the time I started posting on her, I've been nailed about how I care for her. No one goes through what she goes through. She can't die from hypochondroplasia, but she can die from any of the defects it causes. I'm giving her the best life she could have, and I get nailed about it. I'm on a friendship basis with my vet, he does free house calls, he'll not charge me sometimes, he's given me a free surgery to remove an abscess even if he knows we can afford it because of the insurance, but he does it because he wants GiGi to survive as long as any other leo.

1 year 2 months and 12 days old. I count each day she's in my life as a blessing. I don't share with people what she really means to me. It's none of their business to know what goes on with her health, why I rarely sleep when she's sick, and how I'm terrified every day after she has an episode that I won't have her for another day. When I see that clock go to 12am, I know I've made another day, and I know I'm doing all I can do to keep this amazing, outrageous, unique personality alive to share with those who are close to me.

So have a good night. And think about how what you may say can hurt someone. Even if it wasn't meant to.

 

[bubblez825]

Hey, no need to get mad she was just wondering if you were worried that she might get sick because of the walking around with her and all the bacteria floating around in stores, and/or the temperature outside. and asking if that was why she got sick. she wasn't making any judgmental remarks or anything mean, just simple questions its nothing to get irritated over, although I can see where you're coming from. It was just a simple statement though, nothing to get mad over

That's a very cute idea though, training the geckos like that. can't wait to see a video! :main_thumbsup:

 

[cyndi0502]

I don't believe I ever told you how to take care of your reptile. I just asked a simple question that every other person was probably wondering. I never called you an idiot or a dumbass, why put words in my mouth?

I don't go around watching what I say just because it might "offend" someone. Me asking a question that is probably a concern to a lot of people does not make me a bad person, and you really need to calm down. Everyone here is for the health and wellness of the geckos. I'm not sorry for being concerned about a gecko's life, and what you said to me was completely out of line.

 

[rawson5084]

Very pretty

 

[JohnJohn]

Leash training. That's awesome! I might just have to try that myself some day.

Very cute.

 

[Allee Toler]

I don't believe I ever told you how to take care of your reptile. I just asked a simple question that every other person was probably wondering. I never called you an idiot or a dumbass, why put words in my mouth?

I don't go around watching what I say just because it might "offend" someone. Me asking a question that is probably a concern to a lot of people does not make me a bad person, and you really need to calm down. Everyone here is for the health and wellness of the geckos. I'm not sorry for being concerned about a gecko's life, and what you said to me was completely out of line.

I'm sorry. Every time I come on here and post about her I get yelled at. They all go "don't do this" and "don't do that" or "that can cause.." Like I'm new to caring for reptiles. They don't have a "retarded" gecko. My others are by the book leopard geckos.

If you have a kid, are you going to keep it locked up because there's germs at the grocery store? I wouldn't think so. So worrying about bacteria and germs isn't on my mind. My cat eats just about anything he finds outside, he has yet to have issues. He probably has a stronger immune system because of it. That's how humans build immune systems.
Anyways,
Her daily outings are to stimulate her mind because of her delayed brain function. The more stimulation she gets, the more I teach her, the more active her mind is. Making her better functioning over all. What I teach her may not be relevant to being a gecko, but any brain function is a good one. We have brightly colored flowers we use to stimulate her, she'll lift her head when you hold one in front of her and stare at it for a good 20 minutes, licking it, rubbing it with her nose, and just being curious about it. We also have numerous baby toys that are brightly colored that we put in her tank every now and then for her to explore. If we don't stimulate her for a few days, it shows greatly in her function. We used to not do this until about nine months ago. She now will look around the house, clearly thinking, and walk to an object. Her aim when she hunts has improved greatly, and she's drinking water on her own now. She will also associate words with objects, it's fairly simple and any animal can do it with patience. She knows the difference between Hand, Head, Shoulder, and Foot. Six months ago she wasn't eating because she couldn't catch even a worm crawling slowly on the floor. Her stimulation is that crucial in her survival. We have a huge bin full of brightly colored blocks, hides, flowers, tunnels, paper, etc all for her to get her mind in motion. Right now she has a neon orange flower, a lime green paper ball, and a glittery tube on the floor with her. She goes to each object, looks at it, licks it, examines it. Takes about 20 minutes per object, but you can see her mind going. Her head will tilt, look down, look up, walk around it a few times, lick it a few times, try to climb it, etc. Then she'll move on to a new object. If there's an object she's particularly interested in, we'll keep it in her tank until she bores of it. She has a strawberry hide. It's made for hamsters, but she loves it. She's been attached to it since we got it nearly 8 months ago. It's now a permanent resident in her desert tank, sticks out like a sore thumb, but it makes her happy.

So I know what I'm doing when it comes to her care. I feel like I'm neglecting my other reptiles because she takes so much time, and my others just sleep all day. But then again, they're leopard geckos. It's all they pretty much do.

I don't share what I go through with her because of the criticism. As far as anyone knew, she was a little odd and very tiny. We knew she had brain delays within the first month of bringing her home, we didn't know what caused her delays until recently when we took her to a geneticist. Our vet introduced us to a developmental specialist who taught us how to care for her.

Seems like a lot for one little gecko. If she wasn't so accepting of her shots and her medicine when she gets sick, we would put her down. Nothing deserves to go through hell. But she's so happy all the time. When we take her to the vet she'll try to jump from my shoulder to the vet tech's. When it comes to shots, she stands still and doesn't even resist. She'll lick the oral antibiotics when she's sick on her own. Nothing's been forced on her. The moment she starts to resist, that's it. She can have a needle in her arm, and she'll still lick you and set her head on your hand and show you that precious gecko smile.

Spoiled little girl's been to Hawaii, skiing in Utah (of coarse kept inside where it's warm. Lol.), the beaches in Florida (where we used to live), Michigan, Canada, and Mexico. Every vacation I go on she comes with. The traveling gecko. I wonder how I'm going to get her on the plane for when we go to Italy next summer. Lol. I swear her suitcase is bigger than mine.

 

[gekko.gurl]

Umm I dunno...On "GiGi's" defense, kinda, I guess...Or just generally speaking...I live in Canada, and during the summer I see probably a good 100-200+ people walking around with Leo's outside, in parks, at beaches, malls, pet stores etc. And honestly, those gecko's are some of the most well behaved and social gecko's I've met to date. I understand that this may not be for every gecko and can "possibly" be harmful...But, I think if you start them young, some seem to enjoy it! I'm not saying they are like a dog going for a car ride, but these gecko's seem to me, be healthier looking, more alert and again attitude differences. I say if your gecko seems to enjoy it and stays warm why not? I think it's more "shocking" on a bearded dragon to take them out because they require a bit more warmer temperatures then leo's, but I see probably a few 100+ more people with dragons out. And no one seems to say a damn word.

I met a lady, who is now actually a friend, who is a long time gecko fan, who has a 18year old gecko. Which is healthy as a horse, and everytime she goes out she takes her gecko along. It's never had any health problems, will go to sleep in her shirt, will eat mealies while out/drink water from a bottle cap. And even, when they do some of their "routine" trips, the gecko will already be waiting to come out and go. It's actually pretty amazing. Again, this may not be for every gecko and I'm sure some people will be crapping their pants at this, but the gecko is treated like her baby. When that gecko passes on, she will be a very sad lady. On top of it regardless of what people have "told/recommended/suggested" etc to her, she's done what she felt was good for her and her gecko, and things have worked out nicely. Which in the long run I believe if someone loves a animal this much, how can that be bad? I see so many gecko's tossed from home to home I think it's refreshing to see someone who is so inlove/devoted to their pet. I'm not giving a "OK GREAT TAKE YOUR GECKO OUT AND PLAY IN THE SNOW" approval. I barely handle my gecko's due to stress, but I thought I'd share.

 

[Allee Toler]

Thanks for sharing. =]

GiGi is indeed my baby. Not a pet. If she's on the floor she'll follow me into the bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, etc. She clearly enjoys being out of her tank, and many times I've set up a bed for her on our bed so she can sleep with us (usually after a surgery when she gets clingy and bites when you try to put her in her tank alone). This gecko hates to be alone. When we go to Wal-mart, people come up to us and always say "is it fake?!?" after the initial reaction, they hold her, and realize what a great reptile she is. Then we explain what she is, they usually ask a ton of questions on her diet, what she needs to live, etc. So we take the opportunity to educate them.

We carry around chicken baby food, container of phoenixworms, bottle of distilled water, and a heat pad. If she's hungry, she crawls into my bag, knowing that's where her food and water is kept. People really enjoy seeing her eat out of our fingers. She's out of her tank about 80% of the time that I'm home. We have "warm spots" in the house where we've set up an area on the floor with a heated blanket, heat pad, and a heat lamp. All in various corners set on thermostats to regulate them. When she gets cold, we'll find her napping in one. We never worry about her location in our whole condo. We've gecko-proofed the kitchen, laundry room, and everything else.

The only bad thing about her is she steals people food. We really need to keep an eye on her when it's time to eat. Many times I've found a foot print in my mashed potatoes with a piece in the corner missing and GiGi licking her mouth and doing that "boy that was good!" yawn. She's quite the sneaky one when she wants to be. She will always be my favorite of all my other reptiles.

Anyone else ever seen there gecko eat cooked ground beef off the floor when you're cooking and drop some? She makes a b-line for it when she see's me cooking. She's got a great sense of smell. Lol.

Her diet is very strict. Rarely does she in fact eat people food (except peaches. She does love her peaches. About a whole peach a month). When she does eat it, it's not on purpose (except the peaches). I don't think animals should eat people food, unless if it's made into a complete balanced diet, like for cats and dogs. My cat eats ground turkey, corn, carrots, green beans, and a powdered multi-vit/protein mixed in. But I wouldn't let my reptiles eat it.

 

[Chewbecca]

Whoa.
My mind is COMPLETELY blown right now.

Hey, as long as your gecko is happy, healthy, and not stressed, good for you!

I guess I cannot really say too much. If it were up to me, I'd take my redfoot tortoise with me everywhere I went, and that little guy would be set up to roam my house.
But I cannot do that.

I have a dog and children. And I'm not the most graceful thing on my feet, and I know I'd end up stepping on him. Either me or my dog or my children.