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Life has been crazy!
#1
Between getting 2 new dogs in August bringing the dog count up to 5, thankfully my roommate and her dog moved out in October (she still owes us money), then I found out my stepmom (42) and dad (56) are expecting a baby in July, then at Christmas we kept a friends dog, Ruby (doberman) for 2 weeks, in the middle of that my mind just stopped working properly and I started having anxiety attacks every other day sometimes twice a day.  Also in September I had to go back full time to a previous job because my dog business slowed to a crawl and with the 2 extra dogs and my roommate not contributing it made money tight.  So the Anxiety was just building to a point.  At the end of November I went off birth control to twitch to another.  I'll spare the specific details but it threw my body and brain chemistry out of wack.  I'm now medicated and I feel better than I have in years!  Nearly lost my job because of an anxiety attack caused me to run from work one day.  But it really worked out for me.  I was able to move departments and change my schedule so I would works part time and have more time to get back to working with dogs.  So it's been a crazy 6 months but it's slowly getting better and better.  I even have a few dog kennels and doggie daycare places that I'm going to apply.

If it wasn't for my husband and my pets I don't know what I would do.  I'm just taking one day at a time.  The crazy isn't over yet but that's a whole other thread post.  I'll post the whole story in detail when it gets settled which I should find out in the next week, I hope!  Otherwise we might be in for a fight.
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#2
You  really have had it crazy these last months. No wonder you have been having anxiety attacks. Everything has just overloaded for you.  I really hope it settles down now. Once your job situation sorts itself out it will help. I know you will feel better if you can work with dogs more. It is what you do best.

You are better off without the roommate. Even if she had paid her way, it still would have been tiresome to have someone around. Now you just have your own dogs you can work with them and have them all happy together. 
How are the dogs?
How are the snakes?

That is scary to have your body chemistry out of wack. It is good they have been able to sort it out. 
Let us know how you are doing. I am sure things will improve and life will be more normal. It is just a matter of time. 
It is our  pets and loved ones that carry us though isn't it.  The dogs must worry about you. I hope every day things get a little better, until one day things are going very well again.
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Catherine

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#3
The snakes, leopard geckos, and Bearded dragon are all doing really well. Now that we have no roommate we ripped up the carpet in our second bedroom to expose the hardwood. Then we moved all the reptiles in there and put a heater and humidifier to bump up the temp to 80 degrees F and the humidity still needs work but it stays at a little over 40% in the room while the encloses stay what they need to be.
here is the room before we moved them in. I still need to post pictures of the finished product. https://www.instagram.com/p/BtWHAX4Bvyr/
Edit: here's the finish product https://www.instagram.com/p/BuKOIdHBf_z/

Leia our last rat has developed a couple tumors but she's past 3 now so we aren't sure how much longer we will have her. I'm surprised she's made it as long as she has.

As for the dogs I posted about them under dogs as you know.
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#4
The room is great. The floors look good. Did you clean them yet? Why would anyone hide that beautiful wood with carpet? 

It is going to be amazing to have an actual reptile room. You can store all your supplies right there with your reptiles and you can control the temperature. Every reptile person dreams of a proper reptile room. You can even get a little reptile freezer so their frozen food isn't mixed with your frozen food.

Leia is really a strong rat. I can't believe she has lasted this long. She must be very old looking. I hope she has a few more good months left. She deserves it.

I am impressed with how your animal situation is shaping up. I can't wait to see more pictures of your set-ups.
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Catherine

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#5
There’s a small freezer in the closet actually.  In the last picture of the link I edited in.  On the left  I’m already speaking the same language.

I thought the same thing about covering up the floor.  It’s in all the rooms upstairs so I want to rip all the carpet up but it will take some convincing my husband to actually make it happen.  There’s some scratches, and we scuffed the desk on the floor moving it into the room. I’d like to get it sanded down but not right now.

I’ve been really paying attention to reptile advice and researching best techniques.  I’ve never really stopped. I’m always looking to improve.
Lots of trial and error but I think this is the best step yet.  All the animals are benefiting from the move and it’s still early.  I’ve finally been able to get the humidity to 55% which is perfect for the lizards and their bedding bumps up the rest if needed.  I can’t wait to see how well they start shedding. We shouldn’t have any more drops in humidity so hopefully no more shedding problems.  I’ll probably post a full thread with individual enclosure shots once I clean the ball pythons and geckos this next week. And I’ll detail where things came from and how much.  I’ve been gathering a lot of this stuff over the past 10 years a little at a time.
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#6
I look forward to more pictures and more descriptions. You have really been working at learning about reptiles. I am sure your reptile room will be the best room you can possibly create with the space you have and the animals you have.

It is hard to believe that someone would cover up good hardwood floors. I hope you eventually  get them all uncovered and even sanded down. They will look like brand new and your whole place will look great.

Good luck with the humidity. That is the hardest part of keeping reptiles. My Golden skinks would be happy with 80% humidity if I can achieve it.
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Catherine

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#7
As of now I've got the humidity for the room up to 60%! I added a tub of water with a mister. I use the tub for Popeye's soaks and it works great with the the addition of the mister to add more humidity paired with the humidifier. I also put a towel under the door to keep the room more insulated and it really hiked up the humidity when I did that. It's my favorite room because it's so warm.

I love the wood floors because if something spills in there it's a lot easier to clean up.
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#8
You are doing very well with the humidity. I never thought of a towel under the door, but my rooms are open so it wouldn't work for me. The tub of the water with the mister is a good idea. Your reptile room must feel really good. With all the lighting, heat and humidity it would be like a trip to a tropical country. Your snakes should have no trouble shedding.

Quote:I love the wood floors because if something spills in there it's a lot easier to clean up.
I agree. Carpet is such a mess. If anything spills on it (like a little snake poop), it is hard to clean up. I have tiles and they are not bad, but wood is nicer. You are lucky to have wood floors.

Enjoy your tropical room.
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Catherine

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#9
Oh Libby, it's nice to hear from you. You certainly have had a lot on your plate over the past few months.
I am sorry you were getting anxiety attacks. They are not pleasant. I had a few of them just after my husband died in 1999....then my dog, then my father all in quick succession.
It was all hugely overwhelming. So I do understand how unpleasant those attacks are.
But they can disappear given time, and resolution of major stresses. Mine did.

Yes the animals help us all so much don't they?

All the best to you and wishing you ALL a much more relaxing Spring and 2019 (hopefully)
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