Our Lizard Story - Part 2

The day finally came when our daughter decided it was time. No more frogs for us because we were proudly on our way to becoming, "lizard people". It was decided according to my daughter that this time we were going to get a Bearded Dragon, or so she thought. Keep in mind that these spiky wonders are quite a few times bigger than our two inch frogs, they can grow up to 24 inches. Of course that didn’t matter since her heart was set on a Bearded Dragon. I won’t deny that they are very cool looking but we weren’t sure if we were ready for more pets, especially ones with dragon in their name.

We knew so little about these lizards and I had no choice but to put my foot down. So, instead we bought her an Eastern Collared Lizard that we named Bloo. Think of them as a smaller version of a bearded dragon with less spikes. Yes I know, we're such pushovers but wait it gets better or worse depending on who you ask. Remember what I said about being a pushover? Well soon afterwards we decided to get Bloo a companion.

Prior to purchasing Bloo at our local pet shop he had a tank mate and she was lovely but by the time we were ready for her it was too late. They sold her and we were heartbroken, or so we thought until we discovered that the poor thing stopped eating after we bought Bloo. Apparently one of the employees decided to care for her and didn’t do a very good job. We asked about her condition so much that they eventually gave her to us to revive. The poor thing was all skin and bones and on the brink of dying but after some very difficult few months we were able to nurse her back to health. We named her Bennie and not only was she Bloo’s special lady but my husband’s favorite.

My husband really bonded with her more than any of us, she could do no wrong in his eyes even though she did bite me a few times. Seems like a lizard fairy tale? It was and yes they did live happily ever after until they passed away last year. :( Bennie passed away first and Bloo a few weeks after. A broken heart was our diagnosis... We will miss you two very much...

Our Lizard Story - Part 1

So what started as a funny story kind of became our hobby and now a huge part of our life. <FLASHBACK> to 2010, not too long ago but long enough to insert a flashback sequence. J It’s a pretty straight forward story, we have kids, they want things, and we’re pushovers. Well that’s where the commonalities end since our kids are obsessed with reptiles!

Our daughter has always been intrigued by reptiles/amphibians and to be honest we could have cared less for pets of the cold blooded variety. That all changed when Marissa (our daughter) somehow convinced us to buy frogs (Fire Bellied Toads, they're actually frogs). Seems like a forgettable purchase but fortunately for us that’s when our story began. Buddy, Bobo, Baby, and Bettie were our first pet frogs and before we realized it we were buying special tanks and accessories to keep our frogs happy. We even built a terrarium, complete with plants and a waterfall. So to make a long story short, happy frogs seemed to add up to happy kids and then happy parents.

What started as a chore slowly but surely became a family hobby and in a way the rest is history. So we thought…