Scaly Tails RVA

03/21/2025

🦎UPDATE🦎

Sorry I am just getting a chance to post this. It has been a day & Sam has only been home an hour and a half. According to the doctor everything went well with surgery. However, the infection did appear to be super aggressive which I suspected was the case given how his tail was perfect days ago & then looked awful / stunk to the high heavens all so quickly. His tail has been sent for biopsy and we should have results in 5-7 business days in which I will update you all then as well! She wouldn’t be surprised if it is cancerous given how it looked😔 (but we won’t spiral yet.. we won’t spiral yet)🥺

He is home and resting now & will have a recheck next week. Until we know more from the biopsy all we can do is continue antibiotics, pain meds, & hope for good news & a speedy recovery🖤

Thank you again to every one of you that has so generously donated! I cannot express how much it means to me🫶🏻 As you can imagine, every little bit has helped as this was all so sudden and unexpected. Thank you all for the texts & messages I’ve been receiving checking in on me and our best boy, Sam! Y’all are all too kind & I apologize if I haven’t yet gotten back to you💕

03/19/2025

A different type of post tonight & I’m going to try to keep it as short as possible so here we go—

Most of you know Sam, our Argentine black & white tegu. He has been with us a year now & we absolutely adore him (& I think it’s safe to say he wins the hearts of many with his chubby cheeks).🖤

Yesterday morning started like any other & I put Sam in the tub for his routine soak. All was well until later on I noticed an odd smell coming from him. It was at this time I also noticed the end of his tail looked limp & indented which hadn’t been like that just 24 hours beforehand. As soon as I noticed this, I got him into the vet where they did X-rays & noted his tail was broken in 3 places & the awful stench was coming from the decaying tissue around those bones. Now, no one is sure if the bone broke first (as I can’t figure out how or when this could’ve even happened), or if the tissue started to wither away causing the bone to become less protected. The most shocking thing to me was how quickly his tail has gone downhill.

Anyways, after some consultations we have decided to move forward with tail amputation. My fear is this is some sort of infection causing this or possibly even the dreaded “C” word. In this case; because I do want to know what is happening, his tail may be sent off for further testing to rule out said word. So tomorrow morning, this sweet scaly “dog” of ours will be headed into surgery & obviously will not be attending any shows for quite some time. We know how much he is loved but all we can do for him right now is let him rest & recover🫶🏻 I just hope he does so well during surgery and they are able to take care of whatever is going on😥

I hate to do this and have gone back and forth all day on how to approach this but if you feel so inclined, we will be accepting donations to put towards his vet bill. (Estimate on last page). I knew working with animals that these things would happen & we’ve had our good share of vet visits, but this one hits hard. So if you wish, donations can be made to our Venmo at 🩷 As always, you all are appreciated more than you could ever know.

03/14/2025

It was lizard week this week at HH club!🦎 The kids were SO excited to hold Sam (the tegu), see Doug’s blue tongue, & make their eyes go in two different directions like a chameleon🤪

03/12/2025

We had so much fun visiting the students of this year-round school that ended their winter intersession with a reptile experience🐍🦎🐢

Thank you for having us!! 🫶🏻

Please remember we book out weeks (sometimes months) in advance so reach out today if interested in having us come out to your school, daycare, summer camp, birthday party, nursing home, or scout troops!! 🤩

scalytailsrva.com

03/10/2025

**SMALL BUSINESS SHOUTOUT**

This weekend we celebrated my son’s birthday with none other than .creekfarm!! Everyone had the best time! If you are looking for a petting zoo experience with cute & friendly farm animals, look no further!! We cannot recommend them enough🫶🏻

03/07/2025

Sometimes it takes a parent, teacher, or known adult to go first in touching or holding the animals for children to be more comfortable with them. I love when adults (especially those that are nervous), put on their brave face for the child(ren) around them🩷 My friend here is comfortable with them if you can’t tell😍 But not everyone is, & that’s okay. If you want to get over a fear, help your child(ren) overcome a fear, or just want to hold some really amazing creatures be sure to reach out today!!🫶🏻

Scalytailsrva.com🐍🦎🐢

03/02/2025

Kids (& adults) reactions to the reptiles they encounter is one of the best things I get to witness😍 Whether it’s someone overcoming a fear or just taking in these fascinating creatures.

Are you ready for an adventure unlike any other?🤩
Visit us today at scalytailsrva.com 🐢🦎🐍

02/28/2025

Loving our new shirts🤩

02/27/2025

Kicked off the Spring session of Herpetology Hobbyists last night & we had so much fun🤩

Can’t wait for the next 5 sessions🫶🏻

02/20/2025

Our buddy Montgomery (once known as Julius) has been staying with us this past week! His owner even brought his favorite stuffy & would you just look at him?🥹 I can’t get over the cuteness!

Did you know we offer reptile boarding? If you have travel plans, but also have a scaly pet in need of somewhere to stay; we have enclosures set up, cleaned, & with adequate lighting. We also provide the food! Want more details? Reach out today or visit our website at scalytailsrva.com🐢🐍🦎

02/19/2025

ONE MORE WEEK til Spring Herpetology Hobbyists begins!!🤩 I am so excited and can’t believe we still have a couple spots left! Interested in snagging one? Message me today!!

•Games
•Friendships
•Crafts
•Story time
•Engaging education
•& HANDLING OF REPTILES of course

🐍🦎🐢

02/13/2025

So much is happening lately!! We are taking reservations for our Herpetology Hobbyists class (Wednesday evenings only beginning 2/26), our summer camp with .creekfarm is live (all info can be found on our page), AND our summer is quickly filling up!! Be sure to check it all out & reach out if you have any questions at all💗

02/13/2025

📣📣LAST CALL📣📣

For those interested in Spring Herpetology Hobbyists: 🚨PLEASE READ🚨

As those of you may know, Herpetology Hobbyists is a fun and engaging club for kids ages 5-10. Evening group meets every other week for 6 weeks. Day time / homeschool group meets every other week for 5 weeks. We read books, complete crafts, play games, and of course learn and hold ALL the scaly tails🐍🦎🐢 There are only 8 limited spots that are filled on a first come, first serve basis.

If you have already let me know of your interest, please reach out one more time and if you’d like to know more details, please comment below with your email address & what time of day you’d be interested in (morning or evening) so I send the email with the correct information / corresponding dates!

02/10/2025

‼️CORRECTION‼️ — see below

🤩🤩HERE IT IS!!🤩🤩

To sign up: please message the email address on the flyer with the date you wish to sign your child up, their name, & if you’d like half day or full day! If you have any questions at all feel free to message either of us!🫶🏻

**Please disregard our previous post with a typo — please note the price is reflected based upon this once in a life time experience where children will not only learn about all these amazing mammals and reptiles, but will also get to handle/hold & feed them. You’re getting not one BUT TWO adventures combined, plus an allergy-free snack, crafts, & so much more! Don’t HISS-ITATE, it’s going to be UDDERLY amazing**

Flat Creek Farm

02/07/2025

We are very excited to collaborate with Flat Creek Farm this summer!! Stay tuned for more info coming soon!

🐷🐢🐴🦎🐓🐍🐰