• Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

    =====================
    Posted 08/15/2025
    =====================


    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

    =====================
    Addendum: 01/10/2026
    =====================


    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

Sheila Topp/Shelialovesanimals BAD! BAD! VERY BAD!

Thanks Joe,
That is exactly what I've been trying to say.
I can't defend ANYONE who has resorted to personal attacks or nasty language.
This whole thing started as a plea to be more civil that's all.
I felt I needed to add my own transaction and point out that SOME people got really nasty.
That's not to say that people don't have a right to voice their anger at Sheila or anyone else.
I hope by now that no one still believes I am defending the nasty E-Mails I have seen posted here. I am not.
I hope that at least those of you who know me never believed that was my purpose.
As John Lennon used to say: "All I am saying is give peace a chance."
OK so that was lame. Sue me.

Take Care,
Gino
 
Truth be told, I can't remember exactly what I emailed back to Sheila. However I do remember one thing. That is I used no foul language at all. I believe I made some comment about her being a dental hygenist and that I hope her patient's are not harmed. Then I blocked her email so I wouldn't get any more.
 
My vet was totally floored at the condition of the Uro. I took him pics of what the Uro looked like last Wednesday and he seemed to cringe.

I told him everything I have done to/for the Uro at this point. He told me that "whatever you're doing, it seems to be working". He told me to be certain to keep the Uro hydrated, but keep the humidity as low as possible (I already was doing that) and told me to keep feeding him and supplementing him with the vitamins and make sure he gets lots of greens. He also looked at all the area where the "bumps" had been and assured me that yellow fungus would not have gone away so quickly. He also told me that things like the bumps could arise out of "being kept in extremely unsanitary conditions and/or improper diet and/or lack of proper UV lighting/heat" (a combination of all of the above is very possible form what he said).

He recommended that I bring the Uro back if *any* other symptoms arose, became lethargic, stopped eating, or had another break out of these bumps (basically if anything out of the ordinary happens). He also said that the 2 grams of weight gained is certainly a great sign and that the Uro appears to have no worms of any sort (did a fecal) and there should be no reason why he shouldn't gain weight pretty rapidly.

Everything is looking good for Riley the Uro thusfar. :)
 
What a diference a few days makes. I just went ahead and took a couple more pics of Riley the Uro for the peopel who requested to see what he's looking like.

I will post the BEFORE pic first, then the 2 "AFTER" pics taken today so that you can see the difference side by side. He has even already begun to get back some of the characteristic Mali's "yellow" color to him.
 

Attachments

  • UroBelly.jpg
    UroBelly.jpg
    65.5 KB · Views: 445
  • UroBelly01102005.jpg
    UroBelly01102005.jpg
    54.3 KB · Views: 443
  • UroSide01102005.jpg
    UroSide01102005.jpg
    40.2 KB · Views: 454
Sorry, one of the "AFTER" pics showed up first,

Followed by the "BEFORE" pic,

Then another "AFTER" pic.
 
Aprylla said:
He also told me that things like the bumps could arise out of "being kept in extremely unsanitary conditions and/or improper diet and/or lack of proper UV lighting/heat" (a combination of all of the above is very possible form what he said).
Click to expand...

Ugh.. I am glad however, it's not something worse!
 
wow, what a improvement..

Aprylla has my vote for member of the month..great job with him!!
 
Nich is correct !

that is one lucky lizard, to have fallen into your hands, Aprylla !!! I am glad he is doing so much better...that "before" shot is truly staggering...I can't imagine...yikes...

You have my vote, that is for sure!

greg
 
Aprylla, well done. I've followed this thread since arrival at your place.... my first thought was that this guy "had a chance" with good care because you stated nice activity level.

Sometimes the clouds are very dark, usually I try to look for the silver lining, while still holding people responsible for their actions. It did seem that she was "honest" about the condition of this guy, and that he had something wrong.... so it wasn't unexpected to receive it in poor shape. Luckily for the lizard, it wasn't in as "poor" condition as thought. So.... all her poor behaviour aside, she actually did succeed in providing a "safe ride" to her new rescue mom. Aprylla, you have still bottom line put all this BS aside and given this guy the TLC that it needed to get back on the right track in life. What a lucky lizard to find you I would say.... I might not have had the grace to take it into my home under the same circumstances. I really like the example you have set by acting with class under pressure with this animals best needs at heart.
 
I don't see how she provided a safe ride, it was shear luck and the fighting spirit of the little uro that helped it survive. Sheilas method of transport was the equivilent of getting in a car with a drunk blind driver and hoping for the best.
 
Thank you guys very much for all the kind words both here and through the private messages and e-mails. I appreciate the support and kind words. However, I didn't post the before and after pics and updates of the Uro's condition for any sort of thanks or commendations, although your thanks are appreciated and accepted, with my thanks to all of you for your compassion for the lizard and advice through this entire ordeal. I only posted to let you guys know he was doing better and so you could "see for yourself" through photos (a lot of people have showed very genuine concern for his condition and asked to be updated, instead of sending 25 different e-mails I decided to update everyone here on this thread).

I think any one of you would have done the same thing I did by at least *trying* to save a reptile that looked bad upon arrival like this. When I saw this little guy, when I initially opened the box, I could only imagine the horror he has gone through in his short life (being that he is only about 1 and a hlaf years old). He is obviously wild-caught, probably brought in to the USA in the Summer of 2004, crated up with hundreds of others like him, taken out of his enviornment and placed into an overcrowded container and shipped into the USA. Probably sat at a wholesaler's place for a little while then sold to someone else who sold him to Sheila. I shudder to think the stories this little guy could tell if he could talk. I know that reptiles don't "think" like humans do, but they do feel things like fear. I won't go into a whole rant about importing wild-caught reptiles, that is not a discussion for this thread. Let's just say though that I am a BIG supporter of the captive breeding of reptiles.

All reptiles, no matter how "bad off" or ill they are, deserve at least a chance to live a healthy life where they are cared for as best as us humans can care for them in captivity.
 
Thank you guys very much for all the kind words both here and through the private messages and e-mails. I appreciate the support and kind words. However, I didn't post the before and after pics and updates of the Uro's condition for any sort of thanks or commendations, although your thanks are appreciated and accepted, with my thanks to all of you for your compassion for the lizard and advice through this entire ordeal. I only posted to let you guys know he was doing better and so you could "see for yourself" through photos (a lot of people have showed very genuine concern for his condition and asked to be updated, instead of sending 25 different e-mails I decided to update everyone here on this thread).

I think any one of you would have done the same thing I did by at least *trying* to save a reptile that looked bad upon arrival like this. When I saw this little guy, when I initially opened the box, I could only imagine the horror he has gone through in his short life (being that he is only about 1 and a hlaf years old). He is obviously wild-caught, probably brought in to the USA in the Summer of 2004, crated up with hundreds of others like him, taken out of his enviornment and placed into an overcrowded container and shipped into the USA. Probably sat at a wholesaler's place for a little while then sold to someone else who sold him to Sheila. I shudder to think the stories this little guy could tell if he could talk. I know that reptiles don't "think" like humans do, but they do feel things like fear. I won't go into a whole rant about importing wild-caught reptiles, that is not a discussion for this thread. Let's just say though that I am a BIG supporter of the captive breeding of reptiles.

All reptiles, no matter how "bad off" or ill they are, deserve at least a chance to live a healthy life where they are cared for as best as us humans can care for them in captivity.
 
Sorry that posted twice!!! I hit "submit" twice and couldn't delete the multiple post! Sorry.... :>poke2<:
 
nat_r said:
I don't see how she provided a safe ride, it was shear luck and the fighting spirit of the little uro that helped it survive. Sheilas method of transport was the equivilent of getting in a car with a drunk blind driver and hoping for the best.
Click to expand...

Natalie, I only based that on "live arrival". It could have been worse... so, definitely can't recommend, but it worked and got it to Aprylla. Analogy is perfect, sometimes drunk drivers do get home safe... I wouldn't ever recommend it though!

Aprylla, I think sharing the before/after pix is way cool. I know I read many threads without posting, but still wonder "what ever happened to"..... from time to time. Thanks for sharing!
 
Aprylla,
You have done an outstanding job with this, start to finish. It's obvious to me that your first concern is for the animals. I'm glad there are people like you in the business. It renews my faith to read a thread like this after reading some of the other horror shows in here. Some people treat the business of selling reptiles just like they were selling pencils or plumbing supplies or anything else, disregarding the fact that they are dealing in living, breathing creatures. Thanks for not being that way.
 
Back
Top