I spend my birthday working

Date: February 25th, 2019

Time: 3:10pm

It's my birthday today. I am not one bit sad that I am working on my birthday. I excitedly run downstairs into the animal room. I seek the companionship of my favorite tegu, Mercedes. I take a picture with her to commemorate this day. I gave her a boiled egg in addition to half an apple cut into slices. Eggs are her favorite.

The iguanas are hungry today. I can hear the thrashing of the cages next door. I proceed to unlatch the doors of their cages. I am promptly greeted with the older iguana latching onto my torso. He was excited to see me, I guess. I put him down along with the juvenile iguana. They are both walking on the floor, licking it every so often. Probably looking for any morsels that may be lying around. I make them their daily green salads and bring them their respective bowls. The older iguana, Pumpkin, eats some food. Green bean, the juvenile, wolfs his down.

Kellogg the corn snake is having problems shedding again. I prepare a warm water bath in a tub with a tight lid. Snakes do not like to be in wet, enclosed spaces. He fights to get out, but I am quick and secure the lid. The tub quickly becomes humid. His skin softens. After fifteen minutes I take him out and begin to help him with his sheds. It's coming off with some difficulty, but nevertheless, I persist. I pull down from the head to the tail in one motion. Eventually, the old skin clumps together and comes off in a long noodle. Slimy yet satisfying.