Hello from Dallas!

[Daigga]

Hi there I've been browsing this forum since around March shortly after I got my first ball python, and finally decided to join. These forums have been really helpful to me and I'm hoping to one day be able to return the favor.

A little bit about myself! My very first reptile was a male iguana , a sweetheart named Rex. Shortly before he passed away I was given another iguana, a demon girl we named Louie. Rex lived to a good age, but an unfortunate freeze accompanied by an almost city-wide blackout that lasted for 4 days was the end of Lou. We tried all we could to keep her warm, but a giant tropical lizard with no actual heat source was doomed. (The pet stores wouldn't take her even temporarily, and the nearest reptile vet was actually a bird vet, and my mom wasn't willing to pay high really high boarding fee. Otherwise her custom tank couldn't travel and none of my nearby friends and family were willing to let her run free, which I can understand). I don't really plan on getting back into iguanas, as their general temperaments are a little too erratic for me to handle.

Currently I have moved out on my own with my fantastic husband, and gave him the gift of a bearded dragon for our three year anniversary (He had been wanting one for a very long time and actually still had the entire set up from one he had when he was younger, it was not a "here, have a responsibility" type gift). Thora is an absolute beauty, with plenty of spunk that I don't usually see in bearded dragons. She hasn't ever bitten or hurt anything, but she's a little flighty and no longer allowed outside without a special harness. We've had her for over a year and a half, and I enjoy having her around. I actually have a fairly cool project with her where I had a picture of her taken every month on the same day to see how fast she grew (It took this girl about 8 months to hit full size, with explosive growth in the last 4 months).

In February when the NARBC came into Arlington, I got my very first ball python from BHB. Her name is Kirby, and even though she's just a normal girl, I've absolutely fallen in love with her. Just this last Sunday I finally brought home a second ball, a bigger girl name Chelsea by my husband. Her story was a little more interesting/sad, since she came from someone who doesn't know anything about snakes or reptiles at all. She belonged to a good friend's brother, who had her and another snake (a black kingsnake, I believe) in a room that never got above 68 degrees with no heat pads or lights at all. I say he had a second snake, which is only half true since that particular snake had been very dead since the first time I saw it 3 months ago. This guy just didn't ever believe it was dead, despite it having never moved from the same uncovered position in the center of the tank, being crispier than a deep fried chicken wing, and the fact that it's face seemed to have kind of caved it on itself. Very sad, very gross, this guy was very dumb. Well finally his dad decided to just give me Chelsea, who seems much happier with some heat, a hide she can actually fit herself into, and some food in her (my friend had told me that she'd never seen her brother feed her, and when she tried Chelsea didn't react).

So that's my story so far! I'm hoping to expand and possibly even get into breeding sometime in the near future. Sorry for the wall of text, so here's some pictures of my lovelies as a thank you!



Did I mention I have a dog? his name is Odin, and I love him to death.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Hi and to the forum, hope you enjoy your stay.

Nice group of critters you have there, scaly and fury