Cat brought me a dragon, got a few questions

Roxyrox · Jul 6, 2009

She came running in with it. I looked it up to find out what it is, then put it in a tank w/ veggies, water and some bush branches. It didnt look like she hurt it, but it sure is skinny. I dont know if its just young or what, but all the pictures i see of these lizards theyre all fat, even the small ones. If I let it go she'll catch it again, for sure. Shes brought the same stupid skink back 4 times. Considering how I found the dragon, it might need some care.

Any ideas? Ill post pics when I find the cable for the camera.

hockeyballz30 · Jul 6, 2009

hydrate it as soon as possible, get some chicken baby food if its not eating on its own and hope for the best. He should begin to get fatter, than you can start feeding crickets or roaches

pclyons · Jul 6, 2009

Seriously? I can just see the caption above your cat's head "Hey Mom...Look what I found in that glass cage over there" I had to giggle a little.. ..but let's see if anyone on the board is missing a beardie in your area. Can you tell if it was hurt at all? There's alot to do for it, if you want to keep it, but if you're close to Northern VA, maybe a rescue is in order?...

Forgot to ask, about how long is the little guy/gal? And definitely hydration...put it in a small tub/sink/container with warm water (baby warm - check with the inside of your wrist) up to it's armpits for about 20-30 min everyday to hydrate. Crickets and collard greens to start if it's eating.

Roxyrox · Jul 6, 2009

hockeyballz30":0235e said:
hydrate it as soon as possible, get some chicken baby food if its not eating on its own and hope for the best. He should begin to get fatter, than you can start feeding crickets or roaches

I read up a bit, a few people mentioned a warm bath, so i put warm water in a bath tub up to his chest and let him sit for 15 minutes then put it back in its tank. I'm keeping it on a table by a window.

Roxyrox · Jul 6, 2009

It doesnt look like this belonged to anyone, its not starved but it doesnt look to be fed well.

The cat is something else. As I typed this she brought in a hummingbird.

Im in california.

pclyons · Jul 6, 2009

Maybe we can train your cat to find other lost animals that need assistance

not JUST the stray beardie, skink, or hummingbird. That's awesome, at least they are alive when she brings them.

Anyway, if you want to keep it there's alot to get for it. Some you can find cheap, but the basics are, a cage (preferably glass), lights (must have UVB - ReptiSUN 10.0 florescent tube, Basking -bright white house bulb for heat) OR MVB (mercury vapor bulb - provides both UVA/UVB and heat), something for them to bask on - log/rock/hammock - they like to climb. And something to hide in. Loose substrate not required...paper towels will do - easier poo cleanup. Bugs (crickets/roaches/superworms) and greens (collard, dandelion, herbs, basil, dill, arugala...no spinach). There's alot of info on the Home page for a list of good food/bad food.

They are great pets, and amazing little animals. Some are full of personality (like your cat) and some are lazy (like my dogs)

A vet appointment is also needed to check for parasites.

pclyons · Jul 6, 2009

Oh yeah, one other thing...don't let the cage sit in direct sunlight - glass (windows/cage) block UVB and will heat up and the cage could get too hot. They need a temp gradient from 75-85 (cool side) to 95-110 (basking spot). Every dragon is different (at least our 3 are) and some like a little lower or a little higher temps....just gotta tweak to see what they like the best.

Roxyrox · Jul 6, 2009

pclyons":8bc1b said:
Maybe we can train your cat to find other lost animals that need assistance not JUST the stray beardie, skink, or hummingbird. That's awesome, at least they are alive when she brings them.

Anyway, if you want to keep it there's alot to get for it. Some you can find cheap, but the basics are, a cage (preferably glass), lights (must have UVB - ReptiSUN 10.0 florescent tube, Basking -bright white house bulb for heat) OR MVB (mercury vapor bulb - provides both UVA/UVB and heat), something for them to bask on - log/rock/hammock - they like to climb. And something to hide in. Loose substrate not required...paper towels will do - easier poo cleanup. Bugs (crickets/roaches/superworms) and greens (collard, dandelion, herbs, basil, dill, arugala...no spinach). There's alot of info on the Home page for a list of good food/bad food.

They are great pets, and amazing little animals. Some are full of personality (like your cat) and some are lazy (like my dogs)

A vet appointment is also needed to check for parasites.

You know I was thinking this thing coulda been sitting under the washer for a week or two and the cat may have just found him again. It happens from time to time. Before I go buying all this stuff I need to see if he's even going to survive. I have a light, but the 40 gallon tank and different temp sides is going to have to wait. For those who asked its almost exactly 8 inches long from tail to nose. It really is skinny, it needs to start eating bad, but i just put him in the tank a few hours ago so we'll see.

Roxyrox · Jul 6, 2009

Update: I put it in another bath, left, then snuck up on it. I found it drinking. If it sees me it stops everything so hopefully drinking is a good sign. Or maybe its trying to drown itself, who knows :mrgreen:

pclyons · Jul 6, 2009

Aww just a little guy....well he's probably been basking on his own so a few days without UVB won't kill him. But as little as he is, he'll need protein. Babies can eat up to 100 crickets a day. The crickets should be any bigger than the space between their eyes. Sometimes they don't eat greens at all. But you can try. I'd go buy about 25 crickets just to see if you can get him to eat them. Also the chicken baby food is a great idea to, just put a little on the tip of the spoon, and dab a little on his mouth, see if he licks it off.

Dragons will drink although one of mine NEVER does, the other two will, but only in the bathtub and when they see the water rippling. I don't think they recognize standing water..if Ping (my oldest male) runs through it..he stops...stares, runs through it again...stares, then drinks...he's funny

BadCon · Jul 6, 2009

Where in cali are you located? If your in southern cali, PM me, as I have some feeders I could spare for the little guy. I'll be going out of town tomorrow morning, but I should be back Thursday.
Sounds like the dragon is a juvinile...most likely someones escaped pet, as there are no wild beardies in southern cali. It wouldn't have made it far, so if possible, ask around your neighborhood. Otherwise, if your around the LA area and need some assistance with this little guy, let me know.
Go pick up some Repti-Aid at petco/petsmart if possible. Its powdered formula that you mix with water...it'll do wonders for this little guy. Mixed veggie organic baby food can be mixed with the repti-aid...for some added nutrition.

Cheers, and good luck!

spurlee01 · Jul 6, 2009

You may want to stick with babyfood for a week or two before introducing live food. If the dragon hasn't eaten much lately, live feeders may be too hard to process. You need to at least have a way to get the temps mentioned above or your dragon will not be able to digest. I understand your reluctance to spend money until you know the little one will survive, but a dragon in a weakened state really does need the best possible. You'll need to decide within a couple of days if you want to keep him or find him another home. Please don't just let him go. These guys are not suited to be in the wild. He was somebody's pet at some point- dragons aren't native to the US. Not to mention it's illegal in most places to let non-native species go in the wild. I'm not trying to be mean at all so please don't take it as that, but this guy may need a lot of help if he is malnourished. If you could get pictures that would definitely help us tell you what he/she needs.
Sara

Roxyrox · Jul 6, 2009

I went to petco, girl there has some of dragons and said keep it near a window until i can get the appropriate lights. I bought 10 tiny crickets and one larger one. It ate em one after another, all of them starting with the biggest. So I bought more for later.

FYI I saw one in the store the same length as the one i found. Mine was probably trapped somewhere in the house and about to die, I didnt realize how small it is.

Im assuming this is good, Im not sure what else to do for it at the moment.

Edit: Someone wanted pics, I still cant find the cord for the camera but heres a pic it looks almost exactly like this: http://i44.tinypic.com/24y06bs.jpg

BadCon · Jul 6, 2009

From your posts, I gather you have every intention of nursing this guy/gal back to health. However, if you think you don't want to bother, please PM me...because even if your remotely close I'll come pick the dragon up (I am in LA, can easily drive 100+ miles).
Also, placing the dragon next to a window in a glass tank can create an oven like environment. Make sure to provide some shade, perhaps placing only a portion of the tank in front of a window, leaving the other part shaded behind a wall.

Repta-aid is the product I was talking about, and its pictured in the link you posted.

spurlee01 · Jul 7, 2009

UVB actually cannot go through glass. You do need to have a thermometer to monitor temps in the tank. The digital kind with a probe is what you want. Walmart has a great one for $12 made by accurite. The dragon in the pic is definitely very skinny. What are you feeding right now if you don't mind me asking?
Sara

Cat brought me a dragon, got a few questions

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