Welcome :wave:
That poor little one. You are wonderful to have rescued Dino.
Taking care of him will be intensive for a while.
I don't have any experience with the Repta Boost but I'm sure someone will pop in who knows that product.
First his set up needs to be optimum to provide a healing environment for him.
You will need a Reptisun 10.0 tube
UVB light. {not coil bulb} mounted inside his enclosure with nothing blocking full exposure.
He needs a basking spot to be able to get 6" to 10 " from the UVB, most say 6 to 8" from it.
He needs a bright white basking light, don't need a fancy expensive one, a regular household bulb is good.
No light at night, not even colored, they need dark to rest properly.
You will need a probe type thermometer or a temp gun to accurately measure temps at the basking spot, warm end and cool end.
{the round thermometers from the pet shops can be 20* off}
As you already know he needs good heat to digest his food and absorb any nutrition from it.
Adult basking temps usually are 95*F to 100*F...give or take a few degrees but
I would slowly adjust his basking temp up to be about 102*F to 103*F, some will say even up to 105*F, for a while. A few weeks and see how he does.
That temp will ensure good digestion and the warmer temp will help boost his immune system. It can also contribute to dehydration so be aware.
If he shows any weakness I'd remove high climbs so he can't fall and you can adjust the lights to a lower basking area if needed.
Give him something soft to lay on for comfort. Many of us have small blankets for our dragons to lay on and burrow under and to get snuggie-wrapped in for cuddles.
Of course no loose substrate.
This is only basic housing to start him on a recovery.
Here is a link to a color coded, easy to follow nutritional list of vegetation for your Dino. Most here recommend and follow it.
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
I would stop feeding the Kale and Broccoli. It's not so good.
Kale has oxalates that bind with calcium preventing it from being absorbed and utilized by your dragon, it should only be given occasionally and
Broccoli should be given only rarely. You will see on the list.
Better choices for staple diet are collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, turnip greens and most squash.
He obviously hasn't been fed so he may not be able to process protein very well right now, certainly can give him a few feeder insects but be reserved with them for a little while. I would concentrate on the veggies and
hydration now.
If he isn't eating well, you can get the chicken, turkey and squash babyfood to feed him as supplement. He may like it and lick it from the end of his snout or even a infant coated spoon. {you want the spoon coated to protect his mouth in case he bites the spoon}. If he isn't eating well or stops eating, you may have to syringe feed him 2 or 3 times a day. You can use diluted Pedialyte to mix with the baby food to thin it a bit. Gently pull down on the side of his lip and squirt a bit of food into the pocket between his gum and lip. Never squirt in the front of his mouth, he can aspirate the food.
You will need to give him calcium and vitamin supplements. If he shows signs of MBD he may need liquid calcium. Drache613....Tracie can help you dose him. She will help you a lot. She is very knowledgeable and you can PM her.
Vitamins are only needed 2 times a week as they process vits slow or not well so risk toxicity.
He is most probably is dehydrated, giving him a daily soak/
bath to
hydrate him will help, also he may drink from the moving
bath water. Most dragons will not drink from standing water in a water dish so offering him drops of water from your finger tip or plastic dropper frequently will help
hydrate him also. You will know if he is dehydrated by checking the urate, the white part with the poo. If it is very dense to being hard as chalk, he is dehydrated.
He will snooze. He is under weight and feeling sick so he may snooze a bit. Not excessive sleeping thru the day, that would indicate a problem, just short snoozes. When I took my 2 dragons thru recovery they both snoozed. Some times an hour or so, 2 or three times a day for a while.
If you can, find a great vet willing to work with you and teach you at every office visit for your dragons.
Hold and Hug Your Beardie Everyday!
Welcome to the group of Bearded Dragon Rescuers. It's so horrible what some of these precious little Dragons have endured. It's a frightening unknown as to how sick they are as you start bringing them thru recovery and learn the subsequent illnesses and damage and how to care for them for the rest of their lives . It is hours lurking on this site reading everything you can to help your little guy. It's stress because you really care! And it is most wonderful to watch their recovery. Sadly some can't be saved, for those at least they were loved and comforted in their life.
I've probably included information you already know, not meant to insult at all. And I've forgotten lots things too. Others will pop in to help!
This community is just amazing! So much experience at our finger tips! So many caring people.
Amanda
