Hi, I rescued a beardie last November and have slowly rehabbed him and am learning about what is great for their husbandry. I started with calcium sand and the reptisun 10.0. Basking temp was about between 100-105 using digital thermometer. The weather changed and this is my first beardie so I am learning and it's been a little challenging. I set up his terrarium in an upstairs of a new house we moved into before getting him. The weather here as been fluctuating up and down i.e. yesterday is was 65 the day before that it was 92. This has been so common. As you can imagine the house has had difficulty getting the temperature regulated. Myrtle is his name. I came to wake him up one morning and he was hiding under his basking spot.
Here is his background. He came to me with an approximate age of 6 - 7 years. He was missing a back right leg from the knee down. His front left hand has no claws and his front right hand has 3 claws. He could not bask, his terrarium smelled like urine and dogs (??) They had a couple dogs so the calcium rocks they used could have picked up the smell. He was not misted, he received crickets that were not gut loaded and lettuce (don't know how often or what kind) Myrtle was originally owned by a woman who went into the military and left her to her brother and dad. The brother started working tons of hours and the dad was left to care for him. When I went to pick him up, he was so lifeless and tiny and shriveled up. He wouldn't eat crickets for me or lettuce, kale, carrots, pears, peas that I offered him. Now up to date.
He still could not bask at my house. The log they gave me was nothing Myrtle could climb on. I watched him try and he fell off since he didn't have strength or claws to grip and leg missing for balance. I felt so angry, sad and a strong sense of injustice inside for him so I started thinking about what I could do for a crippled beardie. I got half cut logs in various sizes and took some decorative bricks that were heated in the oven to disinfect and built a slow gradual incline for him to bask and it was wide enough he could turn around without falling. He had water now, a cooling area to hide in which was under the basking spot as he could climb through the bricks and under the wood logs. I also gave him a cooling spot on the other side of the terrarium. After he had a couple days basking and under the uvb light, he started eating some crickets. When he would go the bathroom, it was runny and smelly. I could not find a vet so I continued to research about what that meant. Still haven't found anything but knowing he was not cared for well for a good long time, could have been bad digestive system, parasite or worms. I started introducing red lettuce and he would take it sometimes. He refused all other vegetation. He seemed to be getting better. When the sun finally came out, I started taking him outside on hot sunny days. I would mist him daily and use a dropper to drop water on the end of his nose so he could lick it up.
Then one day about 3 weeks ago, I came to turn on his lights and wake him up and he was hiding under the logs in the darkest coolest spot of the terrarium. I thought maybe when I turned the lights on, he would come out. He didn't. I started researching online and thought maybe he was brumating. Not the case, he started loosing weight to I started calling vets to find out if they had exotic vets. Nothing came up online for searching, should have just called in the first place. I took in a fecal sample but they never tested it, the vet tech just looked at it with an "oh" I was told it looked like MBD and he was several dehydrated. They gave him shots to hydrate him and told me I could feed him 4 - 6 times a dog/cat a/d food as well as water through a dropper and see if he pulls out. They also gave me antibiotics for 14 days. I seriously feel like more is missing. I am looking at changing his terrarium. I ordered a megaray light for him. I am moving him to the middle floor of the house where the temperature is better controlled. I will be taking out the sand substrate in there and replacing with paper towels or tiles. Called vet about fecal test and they know nothing about it so I am going to take another one in.
Now I give him his antibiotics every day. Powder calcium every other day. Baby food green beans, squash. I juiced collard greens and give it to him in a dropper. I also give him the wet dog/cat food and pedialyte as well as water through a dropper. I do this 3 - 4 times a day. It's almost like having a baby. I don't know what else to do for Myrtle. Can anyone help me here? He still barely moves but he just had a bowel movement and tried to move away from it. He gets about a half inch and stops.
Here is his background. He came to me with an approximate age of 6 - 7 years. He was missing a back right leg from the knee down. His front left hand has no claws and his front right hand has 3 claws. He could not bask, his terrarium smelled like urine and dogs (??) They had a couple dogs so the calcium rocks they used could have picked up the smell. He was not misted, he received crickets that were not gut loaded and lettuce (don't know how often or what kind) Myrtle was originally owned by a woman who went into the military and left her to her brother and dad. The brother started working tons of hours and the dad was left to care for him. When I went to pick him up, he was so lifeless and tiny and shriveled up. He wouldn't eat crickets for me or lettuce, kale, carrots, pears, peas that I offered him. Now up to date.
He still could not bask at my house. The log they gave me was nothing Myrtle could climb on. I watched him try and he fell off since he didn't have strength or claws to grip and leg missing for balance. I felt so angry, sad and a strong sense of injustice inside for him so I started thinking about what I could do for a crippled beardie. I got half cut logs in various sizes and took some decorative bricks that were heated in the oven to disinfect and built a slow gradual incline for him to bask and it was wide enough he could turn around without falling. He had water now, a cooling area to hide in which was under the basking spot as he could climb through the bricks and under the wood logs. I also gave him a cooling spot on the other side of the terrarium. After he had a couple days basking and under the uvb light, he started eating some crickets. When he would go the bathroom, it was runny and smelly. I could not find a vet so I continued to research about what that meant. Still haven't found anything but knowing he was not cared for well for a good long time, could have been bad digestive system, parasite or worms. I started introducing red lettuce and he would take it sometimes. He refused all other vegetation. He seemed to be getting better. When the sun finally came out, I started taking him outside on hot sunny days. I would mist him daily and use a dropper to drop water on the end of his nose so he could lick it up.
Then one day about 3 weeks ago, I came to turn on his lights and wake him up and he was hiding under the logs in the darkest coolest spot of the terrarium. I thought maybe when I turned the lights on, he would come out. He didn't. I started researching online and thought maybe he was brumating. Not the case, he started loosing weight to I started calling vets to find out if they had exotic vets. Nothing came up online for searching, should have just called in the first place. I took in a fecal sample but they never tested it, the vet tech just looked at it with an "oh" I was told it looked like MBD and he was several dehydrated. They gave him shots to hydrate him and told me I could feed him 4 - 6 times a dog/cat a/d food as well as water through a dropper and see if he pulls out. They also gave me antibiotics for 14 days. I seriously feel like more is missing. I am looking at changing his terrarium. I ordered a megaray light for him. I am moving him to the middle floor of the house where the temperature is better controlled. I will be taking out the sand substrate in there and replacing with paper towels or tiles. Called vet about fecal test and they know nothing about it so I am going to take another one in.
Now I give him his antibiotics every day. Powder calcium every other day. Baby food green beans, squash. I juiced collard greens and give it to him in a dropper. I also give him the wet dog/cat food and pedialyte as well as water through a dropper. I do this 3 - 4 times a day. It's almost like having a baby. I don't know what else to do for Myrtle. Can anyone help me here? He still barely moves but he just had a bowel movement and tried to move away from it. He gets about a half inch and stops.
Hope he gets better
