Goodbye Muddie!

The boys have been wanting a dog for the longest time. I have told them there is no way as long as we have two guinea pigs and a bearded dragon to care for, feed, clean up after, etc. Todd has a friend from work who showed some interest in Muddie and Todd asked Evan last week if he would be willing to give him away in with the possibility of us getting a dog down the road. Evan jumped at the chance and even though he will miss Muddie, he knows that he went to a good home and is ready to move on to a pet that he can interact with. Bye, Muddie. You were a great pet and we loved watching you grow!

Muddie Gets a New Habitat

As you can tell from my updates on Muddie, she is growing like crazy. Since the day that Evan brought her home, he knew that she would one day outgrow the original habitat that he bought for her. He has been saving his money and finally got enough to buy a larger tank for her.

Yesterday after school, he, Chad and I headed off to the pet store to see what we could find. We got the largest reptile tank that they had and it should be the last one that she needs. Evan was so proud opening up his wallet and giving his hard earned (and saved) money to the cashier.

We decided since the tank is heavy and glass, that it would be best to wait until Todd got home from work to help us get it in and set it up. Evan and Todd used a cart from my office and between the two of them, were able to get the tank in without any mishaps. Now, with all the room that Muddie has, she almost looks small. I am proud of Evan and the great job that he is doing taking care of his pet.

Be careful, we don't want it to fall off!

Getting this thing in takes teamwork.

Evan can't wait to get the new habitat set up.

Now she has lots of room!

Evan's photo of me and Muddie.

Have you ever seen a happier lizard?

What's Up With the Boys?

Chad's basketball team won 3rd place in their end of the season tournament. Here is Chad posing with his winning medal.

Evan is enjoying the spring weather and took Muddie out for a few minutes to see how she would like it. She loved the sunshine and we can't wait for more!

Muddie Update

We have had Muddie (Evan's bearded dragon) for about three months now. It has been incredible to watch her grow. I looked back at one of my first posts and video about her and can't believe the changes.

Yesterday we got in a shipment of crickets and superworms to feed her. This is the first time we got the worms. She loves them, but I have to be honest and admit that they creep me out a little. When did I get so squeamish? Here are some new pics and a new video of Evan's baby eating some greens:

Muddie is Growing

We continue to have a lot of fun watching our pets grow and change. This week Muddie was shedding, which Evan tells me is a sign that she is healthy and growing. Here are some photos of what she looked like:

 

 

Uncle Stefan Meets Muddie

Todd's brother, Stefan, was in town last weekend so he came by the house to spend some time with the boys and check up on all of their critters. He was amazed at how much the guinea pigs have grown. They eat a lot of fruit and vegetable, so I don't know how they are putting on so much weight.

This was Stefan's first time meeting Muddie. He liked looking at her, but wasn't sure that he wanted to pet or hold her. Evan didn't mind holding her and Stefan got his courage up and gave her a quick pet.

Thanks for stopping by...we enjoyed the visit!

 

Uncle Stefan is a little squeamish about petting a lizard.

  

Uncle Stefan gets his courage up and pets Muddie.

  

Evan loves that lizard!

Crickets in Bulk

Now that we have gotten into a routine for feeding Muddie, we were finding that we had to go to the pet store every three days to maintain a supply of live crickets for her. Thus, as a lover of Internet shopping, I found some cricket farms that sell live crickets and deliver.

This morning the FedEx truck pulled up and we got our first shipment of 500 crickets (from Fluker Farms). I carefully peeled the tape off the package, opened one side of the box and quickly closed it again when I realized that the crickets were loose in the box.

I went and got the plastic bin that we are going to keep the crickets in, opened the box with the crickets and quickly dumped everything in. I am proud to say that no crickets escaped. I was also impressed that there were only about three dead crickets in the bottom of the box. Not bad!

After getting everything back inside and settled, I even picked up a few crickets for Muddie to sample. I am okay as long as I pick the cricket up by it's leg, I just hate to feel it moving in my closed hand.




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Muddie & Evan

Evan is still loving his bearded dragon. She has been eating crickets and meal worms, but hasn't really taken to fruits or veggies, yet.

The worker at the pet store told me to mash up some banana and put it on the lizard's lips. The theory is that she will lick it off and get accustomed to the taste. I tried that yesterday and today and she did lick it, but then turned her head and refused to take another bite. Who knew lizards were picky eaters?

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Feeding Muddie

One of the exciting things about having a pet lizard is feeding him. So far, we have fed him live crickets and mealworms. He has a good appetite and loves to munch down at feeding time. Here is a sample of what it looks like:

Welcome Mudd (aka Muddie)!

For several months now, Evan has been begging for a bearded dragon. I didn't know what kind of animal that was when I first heard about it, but have learned that it is a lizard that is native to Australia. After doing lots of reading, research, begging and saving up, we finally gave Evan permission to add a new pet to our family.


The bearded dragon needs a desert habitat, so our first step was to get a reptile terrarium and all of the special lights that the lizard would need. Todd helped Evan set it up and get it ready for his pet. We then bought some live crickets, because that is the primary food that the baby beardies eat. After that was done, we were ready to get the lizard. I don't think that I have ever seen Evan so excited. It is an understatement to say that he is thrilled with his new pet.


On the way home from the pet store, Evan decided that he would name the bearded dragon "Mudd," because he is brown. A few hours later he started wondering whether "Mudd" was a girl or a boy. He then looked closer at the lizard and determined that it is a girl (though I think it is too young to tell, but what do I know?), so he is now calling her "Muddie."

Evan is so happy to finally have his bearded dragon.

Evan's new baby.

How cute!

Evan loves his new pet.

Evan handing Muddie off to Chad.

Chad holding Muddie.