After my HUGE loss & Heartbreak,how long should I wait to st

I lost all 4 of my beardies in a little over a month....Sammy first in the middle of Oct ( a rescue who just didn't make it) ....Merlin at the end of Oct. then Gwennie and Lizzy in November (all 3 to the yellow fungus disease) so now I'm all alone even though I still have my leapord geeko and uromastyx,they're just not the same....I miss my babies TERRIBLLY!!! Beardies are the BEST and I want to have more,but I don't know how long I should wait before I start over again,especailly after such a BIG loss in such a small amount of time and I'm torn on weather or not to go back to the reptile show as that's where I bought Gwennie and suspect she might have brought the fungus from.....ANY suggestion's would be GREATLLY appericated!!!
THANX SO MUCH in advance!!!
Tonya

 

Hey there Blessedbe.

The most important thing you need to do is make sure that anything the dragons came into contact with has been cleaned thoroughly. Remove all substrates, leave all rocks n' stuff to soak in a 1:10 bleach solution overnight, then leave 'em in clean water for 24hrs.

I know it's been a coulple of months since you lost them, but just double check everything, make sure you didn't miss cleaning anything. The last thing you want is to get another only to have it reinfected.

I wouldn't give up going to shows. A few days before we lost Mickey, our vet put us in touch with one of his clients who'd just had a clutch of beardies, and that's where we got Myst. We've had one or two problems with Myst since we got her. She prolapsed, and had to be treated for gram negative bacteria (which can be fatal), but now she's bounced right back, in the past 3 months she's multiplied her weight by SIX times.

She's a very happy & healthy beardy, and don't regret getting her for a second. While we miss Elliott & Mickey, what we learned from them has helped us, and is therefore helping our dragons now.

We do often see some of Mickey & Elliott's personality traits in the dragons we have today, and thought it used to make us a little sad, now it makes us feel like a part of them is still with us.

So, I wouldn't let it stop you from getting another. Just find yourself a nice cute lil baby, then spoil & pamper it like crazy

Just remember, if you get more than one, regardless of sex & age, make sure you quarantine them for a couple of months, get a fecal done first thing, and wash your hands thoroughly between handling the them. Well, even if you only get one, still do this so as your Uro & Leo don't risk becoming carriers for anything.

If your new beardy is carrying something, even if it doesn't harm Uros & Leos, they could still become carriers for it, and reinfect the beardy after he's gone through any treatment he may need.

As long as you follow a quarantine, and wash your hands between handling for a couple of months, everything should go well

Good luck, I wish you all the best, and hope you get yourself a nice cute lil beardy

 

Blessedbe,

I know how devastating it was to lose Mickey and Elliot, I cannot imagine what it would be like to lose 4, especially the ones you have so long and lovingly tried to save in the face of the awful problem that takes far more than live.

I know you have so much to offer a baby out there, it would be a shame not to share all you know and have with a little one... when we knew we were losing the 2nd dragon, my vet almost forced me to go pick up a baby from this lady he knew... he knew it would never replace Mickey, but it did help having her and not seem so empty in the house.

I am a pilot and I know that when you have a crash or near crash, the first thing you need to do is get back up in a plane soon, it helps you cope with the problem, you can't let the fear of loss keep you from something that is your passion.

When your ready, please let me know