I didn't think you were necissarily condoning it.. it was meant to be more of a humerous sarcastic comment with no intent to sound rude... re-reading it I can see how it might of sounded like I was being a little snarky. That's what I get for being hopped up on cold medicine.
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Responding to email notices you receive.
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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.
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IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed
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Posted 08/15/2025
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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.....
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Addendum: 01/10/2026
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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!
- Thread starter Aprylla
- Start date
Thanks also to all of you who have recently offered to send $$$ to me for Riley's vet bills. Your offers show what wonderful people there are on here that really do care about this hobby and the reptiles!
I am "ok" on the vet bills part, so your offers of monetary assistance appreciated, but no thank you.
HOWEVER, with that being said, if you *do* have extra $$$ to donate to a good animal-related cause, please donate to your local SPCA or humane society. The animals in those facilities can really use your donations if you have something to give (most can even use volunteers, which won't cost you a cent).
I apologize, I know that was a little off topic, but I received so many offers of help with $$$ that I felt as if I should say thank you publically to all of you.
I am "ok" on the vet bills part, so your offers of monetary assistance appreciated, but no thank you.
HOWEVER, with that being said, if you *do* have extra $$$ to donate to a good animal-related cause, please donate to your local SPCA or humane society. The animals in those facilities can really use your donations if you have something to give (most can even use volunteers, which won't cost you a cent).
I apologize, I know that was a little off topic, but I received so many offers of help with $$$ that I felt as if I should say thank you publically to all of you.
A note to anyone who has been contacting Sheila Topp via e-mail or any other means on my behalf, on Riley the Uros behalf, or due to this particular post:
Please cease doing this (contacting Sheila Topp). I have made contact with the Clay County Sheriff's Department regarding this matter and a deputy has visited Sheila and made certain that she will not contact me again. If you guys stop e-mailing her back, hopefully she will disappear from the radar and everyone can be back to thier normal lives. Also, for any of you who may have made threats towards Sheila, please know that I in no way support or condone your behavior and I do find such actions reprehensible and very wrong. Threatening people is a great way to get into trouble with the law, especially if you are doing so via e-mail.
That being said, I have nothing further after this message to say about Sheila Topp in a public forum. I have only posted this to encourage anyone who has had negative communication with her to cease contacting her at all. I can only hope that she has learned her lesson from this and will not again threaten or send vulgar e-mails to anyone else. I ask once again, if you are contacting Sheila Topp as a result of this thread, please stop.
This was never really about her in my eyes anyway until I was threatened. This was about the lizard I received from her and her business practices. With luck this will all turn out for the best, I have Riley the Uro and he will live as happily and healthy as possible from now on.
I will continue to update Riley's condition if there are any significant changes.
Thank you.
Please cease doing this (contacting Sheila Topp). I have made contact with the Clay County Sheriff's Department regarding this matter and a deputy has visited Sheila and made certain that she will not contact me again. If you guys stop e-mailing her back, hopefully she will disappear from the radar and everyone can be back to thier normal lives. Also, for any of you who may have made threats towards Sheila, please know that I in no way support or condone your behavior and I do find such actions reprehensible and very wrong. Threatening people is a great way to get into trouble with the law, especially if you are doing so via e-mail.
That being said, I have nothing further after this message to say about Sheila Topp in a public forum. I have only posted this to encourage anyone who has had negative communication with her to cease contacting her at all. I can only hope that she has learned her lesson from this and will not again threaten or send vulgar e-mails to anyone else. I ask once again, if you are contacting Sheila Topp as a result of this thread, please stop.
This was never really about her in my eyes anyway until I was threatened. This was about the lizard I received from her and her business practices. With luck this will all turn out for the best, I have Riley the Uro and he will live as happily and healthy as possible from now on.
I will continue to update Riley's condition if there are any significant changes.
Thank you.
shelia stricks again
well im a member of the sheila club i bought a tegu from her last week off of reptibid price was ok for a perfect argentine black and white.well had a mix up thru holidays getting money back to her and so forth several email one said hold payment till after cause shipping couldnt be garrentied then wanted to know why i hadnt sent it.anyway she got money and i got mine, did come next day but it was a mean niped tail and a toe missing.i contacted her about it got a sob story and like a nice guy i bought the whole darn boat oh well hope it stops her.seems this is her scam selling sick and damaged animals,then is so sorry and sob story about it.well it works got my 110.00
well im a member of the sheila club i bought a tegu from her last week off of reptibid price was ok for a perfect argentine black and white.well had a mix up thru holidays getting money back to her and so forth several email one said hold payment till after cause shipping couldnt be garrentied then wanted to know why i hadnt sent it.anyway she got money and i got mine, did come next day but it was a mean niped tail and a toe missing.i contacted her about it got a sob story and like a nice guy i bought the whole darn boat oh well hope it stops her.seems this is her scam selling sick and damaged animals,then is so sorry and sob story about it.well it works got my 110.00
Karen Hulvey
New member
If someone is still getting email from her, just block it. I simply blocked her email address after the second one.
CheriS
No furry helpless bunny
Aprylla
I want to scream reading this and also seeing something we have dreaded for a few years.
I am the person who wrote the article on Yellow Fungus Disease in Bearded Dragons and have been collecting data and doing studies on this for 4 years, also working with a researcher at University of Wisconsin regarding it.
When I looked at the pictures several pages back, my first thought was this was YFD and after reading more and seeing more, I am fairly certain that is what this is.
YFD is not one thing, it is several types of fungus, one type (the worst and mostly highly contagious one) is a mold fungus called Chryosoporium anamorph of Nannizziopsis vriesii (CANV) for short. It has very distinct traits, including the waxy type build up, failing off, they animal will eat and appear fine as far as that goes for awhile.
It is not only the pictures and your description, that makes me feel it is this fungus........ we have traced the origin of this fungus for 4 years and know that the majority of cases trace back to a breeder that is CLOSELY associated with Reptibid and many of the infected animals have come from them.
I want to put you and your vet in touch with the researcher in Wisconsin that is the foremost knowledgeable expert on this fungus and others in Lizard species in North America. The only way to know for sure if it is, is through a biopsy and it being cultured and read by someone that has vast experience with mold fungi. I know he will work with you and your vet to determine that.
*If it is what I think, this is the first time we have known it to jump to a URO species, it is in many other lizard species, mostly bearded dragons and chameleons (who the breeder I think this one came from has both that are infected)
It is highly contagious to other reptiles and you can pass it from one to another by hands. Please for now, use stick quarantine with all your reptiles, if you do not have Nolvasan, get some it wash your hands with it.... that can also be sprayed right on the URO, left for 20 minutes and rinsed off....we know that is does debrief the dead tissue and also kills the underlying active fungus.
If you want to provide me your Vets name in private PM or email, I will contact him and go over what can be done to try and save this animal, its going to take a lot more than nolvasan or the meds you are using. Please get your email to me and I will respond back with more info, that I can not at this time put on a public board.
I am so sorry, we dreaded that this would show up in other lizard species that are popular as some of the breeders that have it in their colonies also have other species and we know how highly contagious it is. Chances are high also that Ms Shelia has it throughout her entire collection also now
I want to scream reading this and also seeing something we have dreaded for a few years.
I am the person who wrote the article on Yellow Fungus Disease in Bearded Dragons and have been collecting data and doing studies on this for 4 years, also working with a researcher at University of Wisconsin regarding it.
When I looked at the pictures several pages back, my first thought was this was YFD and after reading more and seeing more, I am fairly certain that is what this is.
YFD is not one thing, it is several types of fungus, one type (the worst and mostly highly contagious one) is a mold fungus called Chryosoporium anamorph of Nannizziopsis vriesii (CANV) for short. It has very distinct traits, including the waxy type build up, failing off, they animal will eat and appear fine as far as that goes for awhile.
It is not only the pictures and your description, that makes me feel it is this fungus........ we have traced the origin of this fungus for 4 years and know that the majority of cases trace back to a breeder that is CLOSELY associated with Reptibid and many of the infected animals have come from them.
I want to put you and your vet in touch with the researcher in Wisconsin that is the foremost knowledgeable expert on this fungus and others in Lizard species in North America. The only way to know for sure if it is, is through a biopsy and it being cultured and read by someone that has vast experience with mold fungi. I know he will work with you and your vet to determine that.
*If it is what I think, this is the first time we have known it to jump to a URO species, it is in many other lizard species, mostly bearded dragons and chameleons (who the breeder I think this one came from has both that are infected)
It is highly contagious to other reptiles and you can pass it from one to another by hands. Please for now, use stick quarantine with all your reptiles, if you do not have Nolvasan, get some it wash your hands with it.... that can also be sprayed right on the URO, left for 20 minutes and rinsed off....we know that is does debrief the dead tissue and also kills the underlying active fungus.
If you want to provide me your Vets name in private PM or email, I will contact him and go over what can be done to try and save this animal, its going to take a lot more than nolvasan or the meds you are using. Please get your email to me and I will respond back with more info, that I can not at this time put on a public board.
I am so sorry, we dreaded that this would show up in other lizard species that are popular as some of the breeders that have it in their colonies also have other species and we know how highly contagious it is. Chances are high also that Ms Shelia has it throughout her entire collection also now
CheriS
No furry helpless bunny
To clarify for everyone,
Shelia sold on Reptibid, she bought the Uro on ReptiMax, both are closely involved with the same breeder who many of the infected lizards trace too, and have traced to for a few years.
Shelia sold on Reptibid, she bought the Uro on ReptiMax, both are closely involved with the same breeder who many of the infected lizards trace too, and have traced to for a few years.
Bringerofdoom
New member
She may have passed it from her animals to the uro.
she admits to owning 2 beardies, in another post there
Notice how she said her friends beardies, but ended it with me and right after that she post saying she had 2 beardies...... from the sounds of it they are also uncaged as well. which would make me wonder was the uro also free roaming and is she supplying them with any uv light?
http://www.reptilerooms.com/forumtopic-5785.html
she admits to owning 2 beardies, in another post there
http://www.reptilerooms.com/forumtopic-5784.html
Notice how she said her friends beardies, but ended it with me and right after that she post saying she had 2 beardies...... from the sounds of it they are also uncaged as well. which would make me wonder was the uro also free roaming and is she supplying them with any uv light?
Bringerofdoom
New member
nevermind i read that last post of hers wrong. did notice she said fruit flys.
Rockford
New member
Aprylla-
I know you have heard this before but great job! Not only bringing back the Uro to health but handling the situation with Sheila in the manner that you did. Have a great New Year!!!!
Bthacker
I know you have heard this before but great job! Not only bringing back the Uro to health but handling the situation with Sheila in the manner that you did. Have a great New Year!!!!
Bthacker
Also for all you Reptibidders, the member with Reptibid user ID: "Ajsartwork" IS in fact admittedly the best friend of the person I stared this thread about. One who ran her bidding WAYYY up on a tegu recently that was sold to the man who posted a page or so back about the terribel tegu he received from "Sheilalovesanimals". Just wanted to warn you guys about this user as well and her unscrupulous business practices.
This user, "Ajsartwork" contacted me last night via Yahoo IMs and tried to play like she was another person who had received a bad reptile from "Sheilalovesanimals". However, it took me all of 90 seconds to figure out that she was related to, or friends with her. She was trying to goad me into saying something bad about, or in refernce to, her friend. She was also attemtping to get me to admit that I was "after" her friend. I think these people must really want to have the police involved in this again, since they have been *warned* by the police to not contact me.
Craziness. Birds of a feather...you know the rest.
This user, "Ajsartwork" contacted me last night via Yahoo IMs and tried to play like she was another person who had received a bad reptile from "Sheilalovesanimals". However, it took me all of 90 seconds to figure out that she was related to, or friends with her. She was trying to goad me into saying something bad about, or in refernce to, her friend. She was also attemtping to get me to admit that I was "after" her friend. I think these people must really want to have the police involved in this again, since they have been *warned* by the police to not contact me.
Craziness. Birds of a feather...you know the rest.
ShannanD25
Leo Groupie
Aprylla,
You've certainly done a great job in uncovering the nuts in this hobby.
Great job with the Uro!
You've certainly done a great job in uncovering the nuts in this hobby.
Great job with the Uro!
Neverland Dragons
New member
Aprylla,
You don't know me, but I have been following this post and you have gained my respect. I hope your uro makes a full recovery. It was ensured a death sentence where it was. At least now he has a chance for a good life.
Wendy Thomas
You don't know me, but I have been following this post and you have gained my respect. I hope your uro makes a full recovery. It was ensured a death sentence where it was. At least now he has a chance for a good life.
Wendy Thomasromad119
Member
Great Job
Now if you can expose more of these types. Form a little Fauna "Your Busted" detective group.
Now if you can expose more of these types. Form a little Fauna "Your Busted" detective group.
Gemma
New member
I just wanted to chime in, and say what a great job you're doing, Aprylla.
Saving that poor Uro was a very good deed, but I'm partcularly grateful that you also followed through with your complaints using legal channels. Too often people do not take that step, resulting in bad sellers still being active within the herp business.
At least this way she received a proper slap on the wrist, and is now known to the authorities.
Please keep us updated if this goes any further.
Saving that poor Uro was a very good deed, but I'm partcularly grateful that you also followed through with your complaints using legal channels. Too often people do not take that step, resulting in bad sellers still being active within the herp business.
At least this way she received a proper slap on the wrist, and is now known to the authorities.
Please keep us updated if this goes any further.
hunterjackson
New member
Great Job...Aprylla is great
Great job on the uro...
I just got a male RTB from Aprylla in perfect condition. he is active and happy....boxed great and marked and sent correctly. What a deal.
Just wanted to add my two cents.....
Hunter Jackson
Great job on the uro...
I just got a male RTB from Aprylla in perfect condition. he is active and happy....boxed great and marked and sent correctly. What a deal.
Just wanted to add my two cents.....
Hunter Jackson
A very sad day...
I wasn't sure how else to contact everyone who had wanted me to keep in contact with them about Riley, the little Mali Uro this thread was started about.
I am sorry I have not kept everyone better informed.
This has been a very sad day for me. Riley the Uro passed away this morning (he was humanely euthanized). The decision to do this was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do.
A necropsy has already been done. His kidneys we totally shot. He also began to have problems with his nervous system about 2 weeks ago (afetr several weeks of eating and doing very well with no probelms visable). Between the vet and I, we did the best we could. The vet ran tests and did all he could do to help. A few days ago Riley totally broke out in those awful "bunps" again and stopped eating and began to be lethargic. Within 24 hours of that he couldn't even hold his head up. He was taken to the vet when the bumps first came up so that one could be looked at more closely (that is when the real issue was discovered). There was no help for him, and really as the vet said, his time was "limited at best" when I got him in the first place. He was suffering this past week, it was easy enough to see, which is why I decided to have him put to sleep rather than to let totally kidney failure (or worse) slowly kill him over the next few days.
In fact, Yellow Fungus IS what Riley had. The vet had done many tests and this and that, and finally sought the advice of other herp vets, and concluded it was indeed yellow fungus. Luckily for my other herps, there was never any contact with him directly or indirectly. He was quarantined the moment he arrived here and was kept isolated the entire time. No one ever touched him but me, and after touching him, his enclosure or anything around him, I took proper hand washing/cleansing precautions always.
This afternoon I carefully took his enclosure outside and burned it in a burn can whcih was later taken to the local dump (just in case). The room he was kept in has been cleared and throughly disinfected. I have taken all possible precautions.
As I said, this has been a very sad day here for Damien and I. I had hoped upon hope that I could "save" little Riley and bring him though this. I have felt like I failed, but the vet has told me 10 times or so that all that could be done was done and I did all I could do in this situation. I felt a little better when my mother reminded me of why I named him "Riley" (as posted earlier in this thread). I hope that in his short life with me Riley had as much enjoyment out of his life as a sick, wild-caught captive reptile can. I know he seemed to enjoy being held and never seemed to mind his daily mediciations being applied. He also ate like a king for the weeks preceeding the time he stopped eating.
I hope if anyone learns anything from this (including myself) it is that we should enjoy and keep the captive bred reptiles available, and promote captive breeding and dealing only in CB reptiles, and do our best to not bring wild-caught specimens into our collections. You never know what illnesses could lurk inside your next wild caught reptile.
Thank you to everyone for all of your support, advice and encouragement through this experience. Your kindness and thoughts are sincerely appreciated and will not be forgotten.
R.I.P. Riley
I wasn't sure how else to contact everyone who had wanted me to keep in contact with them about Riley, the little Mali Uro this thread was started about.
I am sorry I have not kept everyone better informed.
This has been a very sad day for me. Riley the Uro passed away this morning (he was humanely euthanized). The decision to do this was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do.
A necropsy has already been done. His kidneys we totally shot. He also began to have problems with his nervous system about 2 weeks ago (afetr several weeks of eating and doing very well with no probelms visable). Between the vet and I, we did the best we could. The vet ran tests and did all he could do to help. A few days ago Riley totally broke out in those awful "bunps" again and stopped eating and began to be lethargic. Within 24 hours of that he couldn't even hold his head up. He was taken to the vet when the bumps first came up so that one could be looked at more closely (that is when the real issue was discovered). There was no help for him, and really as the vet said, his time was "limited at best" when I got him in the first place. He was suffering this past week, it was easy enough to see, which is why I decided to have him put to sleep rather than to let totally kidney failure (or worse) slowly kill him over the next few days.
In fact, Yellow Fungus IS what Riley had. The vet had done many tests and this and that, and finally sought the advice of other herp vets, and concluded it was indeed yellow fungus. Luckily for my other herps, there was never any contact with him directly or indirectly. He was quarantined the moment he arrived here and was kept isolated the entire time. No one ever touched him but me, and after touching him, his enclosure or anything around him, I took proper hand washing/cleansing precautions always.
This afternoon I carefully took his enclosure outside and burned it in a burn can whcih was later taken to the local dump (just in case). The room he was kept in has been cleared and throughly disinfected. I have taken all possible precautions.
As I said, this has been a very sad day here for Damien and I. I had hoped upon hope that I could "save" little Riley and bring him though this. I have felt like I failed, but the vet has told me 10 times or so that all that could be done was done and I did all I could do in this situation. I felt a little better when my mother reminded me of why I named him "Riley" (as posted earlier in this thread). I hope that in his short life with me Riley had as much enjoyment out of his life as a sick, wild-caught captive reptile can. I know he seemed to enjoy being held and never seemed to mind his daily mediciations being applied. He also ate like a king for the weeks preceeding the time he stopped eating.
I hope if anyone learns anything from this (including myself) it is that we should enjoy and keep the captive bred reptiles available, and promote captive breeding and dealing only in CB reptiles, and do our best to not bring wild-caught specimens into our collections. You never know what illnesses could lurk inside your next wild caught reptile.
Thank you to everyone for all of your support, advice and encouragement through this experience. Your kindness and thoughts are sincerely appreciated and will not be forgotten.
R.I.P. Riley
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Sorry to hear of your loss Aprylla.
Mike Greathouse
Reptilian Dreams
Thank you
Aprylla,
All I can say is Thank You.
I have no doubt that Riley benefited from your love and care.
Feel glad for him that his life ended in a caring home and not in a place where he was simply alone and neglected. I'm certain that he thanks you as well.
Aprylla,
All I can say is Thank You.
I have no doubt that Riley benefited from your love and care.
Feel glad for him that his life ended in a caring home and not in a place where he was simply alone and neglected. I'm certain that he thanks you as well.