abused neglected beardie please help

[ShannyBeard]

I also wouldn't feed pinkie mice because of what Amanda said about the bone and cartilage and how their digestion works. You will get people that swear by it, but then again people swear by a lot of things. I just don't think it's a good idea. I've always wondered how they chew those?!

Definitely take it slowly with him, as others have advised. I think he will do better in the long run. The rescue I took in is slowly improving and I make very subtle additions and changes to his diet. Slow and steady wins the race! :mrgreen:

 

[mistygirl]

I used repti-aid for a while when my girl had the egg bound issue and stopped eating. I believe it is now called repti-boost. She did quite well on it but then she seemed to just want her repti-aid and wouldn't eat all that well, so I stopped the repti-aid and started hand feeding worms and greens. She still is not great with greens and I have tried them all. She likes beardie bites but I think they either love them or hate them and they are treats not a staple, but I do give her a little bit every day or she hangs out staring at me, like HEY, where are my bites? They have such personality and are just so lovable. I pet the top of her head and she closes her eyes and just relaxes. She even likes when I pet her under her chin (the beard part). She rarely beards out or hisses (usually when we are going to the vet which is so funny because when we go to the reptile store, she is fine in the car HOW DO THEY KNOW?) I also used baby food squash and chicken which she liked OK. Good Luck and keep us updated to the progress. Has he been vet checked for parasites, etc;? yet.

 

[dragonlover3]

Hi,
How is your little one doing, any improvement? I'm thinking about him...and you!
Amanda

 

[ashlee1638]

sorry guys I didn't realize there was a second page to see your guys comments lol. I took the advice on pinky mice. he wont be getting any more of those! he's doing quite well as far as I can tell, considering you can still see his bones a little. you can really see improvement in his weight I've been turning on lights at 8am and off 9pm. feeding him baby food and repta boost at 9am and again around 7pm. he's doing well eating his greens I bought him turnip greens and carrots and I chop them up really fine and dust with calcium. I've been feeding 4 crickets in the morning before baby food& repta boost, every other day. sound good? he gets soo excited for them lol. also I am using a 100 watt household bulb for his basking light. I was misting him thru the screen the other day and accidentally spritzed his new bulb ):< is the household one ok? I have a thermometer probe on his rock (which he sits on to bask) and it reads around 95 degrees. should I go to a 150 watt? I'm just scared it will make it too hot.. as I said he looks alot better to me and all my family ))still soaking him daily too, he's starting to like it! again thank you guys for the advice and support dino and I greatly appreciate it

 

[Esther19]

Can you raise the rock a little to help with the temp? Maybe a tile or two from the Lowe's? Are you checking temps with a round thermometer or digital with a probe? I'm sorry, I tried to read back and couldn't find that info. The round ones can be very inaccurate. You really don't need to spritz. Not only does it break light bulbs, but it raises the humidity in the tank, which may cause upper respiratory problems. Regular bathing is enough. Keep up the good work! Your beardie is very lucky to have you.

 

[frostyfriend]

sorry guys I didn't realize there was a second page to see your guys comments lol. I took the advice on pinky mice. he wont be getting any more of those! he's doing quite well as far as I can tell, considering you can still see his bones a little. you can really see improvement in his weight I've been turning on lights at 8am and off 9pm. feeding him baby food and repta boost at 9am and again around 7pm. he's doing well eating his greens I bought him turnip greens and carrots and I chop them up really fine and dust with calcium. I've been feeding 4 crickets in the morning before baby food& repta boost, every other day. sound good? he gets soo excited for them lol. also I am using a 100 watt household bulb for his basking light. I was misting him thru the screen the other day and accidentally spritzed his new bulb ):< is the household one ok? I have a thermometer probe on his rock (which he sits on to bask) and it reads around 95 degrees. should I go to a 150 watt? I'm just scared it will make it too hot.. as I said he looks alot better to me and all my family ))still soaking him daily too, he's starting to like it! again thank you guys for the advice and support dino and I greatly appreciate it

Hey Ashlee,

Glad to hear that your little friend is doing better Be careful with the amount of carrots you feed him-- he can get too much vitamin A and wind up with Vitamin A toxicity. You can feed him carrots occasionally. The turnip greens are a great staple! My dragons love mustard greens A really great resource for fruits & veggies and feeder information is the Beautiful Dragons rescue site- they have a whole list of different foods with nutrition content on them. Here's the link: http://www.beautifuldragons.com

They also have supplies like oral syringes and supplements, and all of the profits go to fund their rescue. I've found that site to be a great resource!

 

[dragonlover3]

ashlee1638,
There are several of us who have rescued abused neglected dragons and had to "learn as you go" from this forum!
Thank God for everyone's advice and genuine caring in this community! My 2 very sick rescue dragons survived
thanks to the help I got and information I learned here. Rescuing a sick little dragon is quite a responsibility with a lot
of learning and lots of work. Of course to do all that's required to rehab your sick little dragon you obviously care about
your new little guy! You are doing an excellent job with him! He's a blessed little dragon to have you as his new keeper!
It's just amazing to watch them get better! Welcome to the rescue club!
Amanda

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How is Dino doing this evening? He is a lucky little boy indeed that you have him in a great home now.
It sounds like he is starting to come around more now & basking. I don't know, a 150watt bulb sounds like a lot though. How close do you have the basking light to him & where is the digital probe placed to measure the temperatures?

Keep us posted on him. I hope he continues to improve for you.

Tracie

 

[AtlasStrike]

Hi,
I am glad he seems to be doing better. I would also try to raise the height of the basking rock to get a slightly higher temperature. You could probably just fold up an old towel or something, but stacked tiles would work too. I actually use bricks for my basking area, but they are kinda hard to clean if they get pooped on.

Have you gotten the UVB light yet? UVB is absolutely critical to metabolizing calcium, and without it beardies can get very very sick. Being as your little one is already underweight and was not fed and supplemented properly, he is very much at risk for metabolic bone disease. The reptiSUN 10.0 or the Arcadia D3 12% fluorescent tubes are the best bulbs on the market.

I hope he continues to get better and charm everyone he meets. Post some pictures when you get a chance.

 

[ashlee1638]

Hi everyone,
I have been very busy so I haven't had the chance to post on here. I know you guys are worried about my little guy! He still seems to be improving He's shedding alot now too, is that good? His temp has still been around 95-96 degrees. I have a digital thermometer with a probe. The probe is on his rock at the same level he is. I taped it there last week and he hasn't messed with it at all so I'm going to keep it there to get the most accurate reading Still haven't got the uvb yet due to a financial strut. I'm going to get it asap though. I didn't realize the bulb itself was going to be around 30$, plus the fixture I have to buy to put the bulb in lol. I'm adding a couple picture links from about 4 days ago

Also, I think after he sheds on his back he will be yellow. His head and down the back of his neck is yellow. Maybe maybe not Tell me what you guys think of the pics, you can see his pelvis in some ): He is getting bigger gradually though so I'm thinking he's gonna pull through


http://thumbp13-ne1.thumb.mail.yaho...rtid=2&f=1127&fid=Inbox&w=361&h=480&httperr=1

http://thumbp13-ne1.thumb.mail.yaho...rtid=2&f=1127&fid=Inbox&w=361&h=480&httperr=1

 

[Irwinshealth]

I can't see the pics? When I click it sends me to another page telling me authorization is forbidden????
Did u try to put them on photo bucket? I'm looking very forward to see them. Your beardie is so lucky to
have found u!

 

[ashlee1638]

Here see if this works

http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q604/ashlee1638/2012-02-07184116_Greenfield_Indiana_US.jpg

http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q604/ashlee1638/2012-02-07184205_Greenfield_Indiana_US.jpg

 

[Irwinshealth]

Sure did!!! Wow, looks like the love/care is working Seems pretty happy basking away

 

[ashlee1638]

Thanks! I'm trying as hard as I can. I dont start my new job for a couple weeks so my full attention/care is on him. He loves to bask btw lol. Me and my boyfriend are going to build him a custome tank here soon I think he's going to love it!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Great work, he looks wonderfully happy now!
How is his appetite now, is he eating more too? It looks like he is going to be just fine now & appears to have gained some weight also. What a happy boy he is now. He is yellow & his colors look great, too.
The shedding is a great sign, definitely! You can probably safely increase the temperatures to 100 to 105 to give him a better range now in case he wants a little more heat.
Definitely when you get a chance he will need that UVB soon. It will really help him out.

Thanks for the updates!
Tracie