Papa Smurf - pretty on the inside - full of sweetness

I'd like everyone to meet my new beardie, Papa Smurf. I met Papa Smurf at our local reptile shop last week. He was brought in by two pre-teen girls in a cookie tin, unable to walk, severely malnourished and destined for the freezer. They said they felt sorry for him and hoped he could be helped. He's has a severe case of MBD with jaw, limb and tail deformities. I was drawn to him and I wanted to take him so badly, but we already have our hands full and after the Holidays we were pretty broke.

But then PetCo had a $1/gallon sale and we got two 40-gallon breeders...and there was no excuse for not taking him. The shop owner said he would lend me an entire set-up if we took him saying he knew we would give him a good home, and even though we didn't take him up on the tank and lights loan, I just couldn't leave him there.

May I present the glorious Papa Smurf:

This was him the night I got him, December 28th. It took hours to set up the viv for him and the other new beardie we got that same day (yes we are insane LOL) so he got out of his pet carrier around 11:30pm. He looked so sad:

We gave him a midnight soak and he needed full support in the shallow tub water to keep him from drowning. I was worried I bit off more than I could handle with this sick boy, but after his bath he looked a little bit better. We noticed the blue sand in his eye and used a q-tip soaked in distilled water to gently remove it. Why do people house these poor guys on sand?!? His mouth had sand it in, it was caked on his vent, and his little arms and legs are stained blue. Now you see where he got the name Papa Smurf! He is little, grey-bearded and blue. :lol:

I hope this leg can straighten out. He has a really hard time walking because of it. I had some advice on here about vet wrap to protect his scales and I did buy some so we'll hopefully get him rehabilitated to be able to use this leg. I am kinda worried it may be broken or a prior break that healed wrong.

Here he is on December 30th, basking on his little low ladder in his jamming viv. He can't handle furniture right now because he is very crippled and can't really climb or get around, but he doesn't seem to mind. After mounting the UV inside the viv and raising the floor so he can be within about 6 inches, he really perked up. That UV is so important!

Here he is in his little bathtub with 1/2 Pedialyte and 1/2 water. Again he will drown if his head and neck aren't held above the water. He was drinking and drinking and all that thick saliva was running out into the water. After his bath he was swallowing and moving his neck as if we cleared out so much mucous. He looked much more comfortable.

And of course, after the bath we get a snuggle in the towel. He just lays wherever we put him and behaves so sweetly.

And here is how he slept. I was told here in my Beardie ER thread that he needed a night temp of at least 85 degrees since he is sick and it would help his immune system, and it really did make an improvement to the way he woke up the next day. He was much less stiff the next morning and ate breakfast right after waking up.

My husband, Otto, told me Papa Smurf may not survive and you just never know with a sick beardie. He is trying to make sure I have a realistic understanding of Papa Smurf's disease because he knows what a softie I am. I've cried over this little guy so much already. His poo is terrible and we know he has parasites. The medication to treat that is pretty harsh so he is worried the treatment may be too much for him. I've been giving him AcidolphiLiz daily hoping to boost that good gut flora in preparation for future veterinary intervention.

Papa Smurf is a sweet lover of a bearded dragon. He is tough and a fighter but gives the sweetest looks. He truly appreciates us and he knows we are trying to help him. He 100% allows us to do whatever we try to do with him and is a total doll. :love5:

Uh-oh I think I have fallen in love.....

 

[SachseFamily]

Congrats on his improvement. Papa is looking ALOT better, keep it up!!! I just rescued a BD of Craigslist on 1/1/12 from a guy who just didnt have the time or money anymore to take care of her. I am a lover of all animals and have the room and the knowledge and the drive to take care of them. It saddens/sickens me when people just let them go in the wild or watch them suffer but not care then toss it out like trash. Each reptile gets 45min to a hour or more out of there cages each day unless I see they are moody. Leela our BD loves to sit on the curtains next to me at the computer and bask in the light from outside, and is so spoiled she will only eat her greens out our hand. Crickets though she loves to hunt!!!! I also understand where you are coming from on posting pictures. I cant help but take a few each day of them all (from cats to snakes to lizards) catching them doing stupid funny things. Please keep the pictures coming We all seem to enjoy them.

Even though this is our first, I can tell that each tend to have there own personalitys like people. And only with interaction will we receive the knowledge and bond with our new friends.

Cant wait for the next update

Tim

 

[ShannyBeard]

Congrats on his improvement. Papa is looking ALOT better, keep it up!!! I just rescued a BD of Craigslist on 1/1/12 from a guy who just didnt have the time or money anymore to take care of her. I am a lover of all animals and have the room and the knowledge and the drive to take care of them. It saddens/sickens me when people just let them go in the wild or watch them suffer but not care then toss it out like trash. Each reptile gets 45min to a hour or more out of there cages each day unless I see they are moody. Leela our BD loves to sit on the curtains next to me at the computer and bask in the light from outside, and is so spoiled she will only eat her greens out our hand. Crickets though she loves to hunt!!!! I also understand where you are coming from on posting pictures. I cant help but take a few each day of them all (from cats to snakes to lizards) catching them doing stupid funny things. Please keep the pictures coming We all seem to enjoy them.

Even though this is our first, I can tell that each tend to have there own personalitys like people. And only with interaction will we receive the knowledge and bond with our new friends.

Cant wait for the next update

Tim

Hi! Welcome to bd.org - I saw your other thread and I love to hear of people who care enough to take in animals that need homes, but only take in as many as you can spoil! Isn't spoiling them fun? They are sensitive, loving and inquisitive creatures who deserve to be a part of the family. They want that, honestly. My anoles want to invent an invisibility cloaking device so they can be left alone :lol: and I don't doubt they will one day achieve that. They are crafty girls! But the beardies! OMG we pay any attention to one and the others are looking at us like they can't believe we didn't pick them! :lol:

I used to take in unwanted and problem cats. I had 5 acres with an old farmhouse on it that I left open for the animals to get out of the cold or rain. I had over 40 cats on my land at one time :shock: :shock: and the first year I started rescuing I spent over $500 in spay/neuter efforts. We have a charity program through our local Humane Society that was $25 spay/neuter, but we would take the post-op pain meds and over night stay option so it was more like $80 all said. There were about 6 vets that participated and I would rotate the cats through different vets if I had feral cats. :lol: I know that is terrible....but they needed to be neutered. I remember once picking up a cat I called Pistol and the vet tech said they had to chase her around the place for hours and wondered how I was able to handle her. Oops well, I was young and didn't think of that at the time. I just wanted to help animals.

We only have the reptiles now and I plan to keep it that way. There are less people who know how to take care of herps properly and they are harder to keep than cats and dogs in captivity, so I know we would be doing the right thing taking them in.

My main worry is bringing disease into my house. When I rescued cats I had them all outside and did not cross-contaminate to my own indoor pets. It's harder here. Everything is all indoors and parasites, fungus and the AV virus are serious problems that I don't want to spread to my pets. So I am not certain about becoming a reptile rescue person. I took in Papa Smurf because I had a tug in my heart that told me I couldn't pass him by. I am sure I will have that 'tug' again, but I have a direct and serious responsibility to the lizards that I already have, and I have to think of them first. I have a small home and not enough room to have any kind of a rescue operation.

As much as it breaks my heart to say this, I can't consider myself a herp rescue service. I think my role may be educating others and donating feeders to people who take in rescues. I recently got a HovaBator and I have 200 silkworm eggs in there 'brewing' :lol: If this project is successful, then I will try to hatch more silkworms and network to help people and donate some. I honestly want to help neglected reptiles/beardies and this is probably the most logical thing I can think of.

 

[ShannyBeard]

Since it's been said that there are never too many pictures, I just have to share our new grey tree frog, Phrog. She had been at our local herp shop, Pangaea Pets, for 6 months and she's beautiful. She was a research frog and as far as I can remember the details they were studying them to determine whether they were indigenous an if so if there were any differences between them and the ones in our area. She is from Kansas. I am in Florida.

Phrog must have looked yummy to Papa Smurf. We had to laugh at his excitement. :lol:

We put Phrog in with our anoles along with some crickets, because that is what she eats. I haven't fed my anoles crickets in months because my big anole, Sativa, would rather have them as friends than eat them. Jade, our new anole, felt differently. She looks like she is going to pop she ate so many:

So, that's the most recent excitement in our house. :lol:

 

[lauraj1055]

Papa Smurf looks soooo good! He wants to eat that frog Pictures pictures pictures!

 

[ChiefsDaddy]

Papa Smurf looks soooo good! He wants to eat that frog Pictures pictures pictures!

He is doing GREAT! You should have seen him jump!

 

[ShannyBeard]

Papa Smurf looks soooo good! He wants to eat that frog Pictures pictures pictures!

He really does...it is so encouraging to see him with so much energy. He went at Phrog for a while, even when the frog got down off the glass. Papa had his mouth open practically drooling. :lol:

We did have a friend whose 5 year old daughter caught a frog and put it in his beardies tank so she could show her Dad later, and the beardie died from eating the frog. I hate to be a downer but it did occur to me we have kids on this forum and I don't want them to get the bright idea to put a frog in with any of their bearded dragons. :shock:

That being said, we put Phrog into the tank with the anoles and she proceeded to bury herself in the soil, so I haven't seen her since. Bummer. :lol:

 

[dragonlover3]

Today my 2 neglected, sickly, underweight, infected dying Beardies Talon and Moya are mostly healthy, happy and spoiled rotten! They give me such love back! The whole hell of an experience was worth it every time I look into their eyes!
Amanda

I re-read this for moral support and reassurance and I just read the names of your beardies....!!! Are their names from a Sci-fi TV show that came out a few years ago with Claudia Black? I can't remember the name of the show but I watched it all the time and those strike me as the names of living spaceships..? Have I lost my mind? :lol: :lol:

ShannyBeard,
Nope, you haven't lost your mind It was on SciFi, called "Farscape". Moya was of the race Leviathan which are living space ships. Talon is her son. Claudia Black played Peacekeeper Aeryn Sun. My husband and I were huge fans. Our 2 new rescues are named Dargo and Zhaan after 2 other characters in that show.........
I was just re-reading thru your thread. I love reading about rescues, they are so special and touch my heart! Papa Smurf is one very special guy! He is beautiful and such a fighter. What a comeback he is making with you leading him out of the wilderness of neglect and illness. You are doing an extraordinary job with him! I know from experience how much time, energy and love it takes to care for neglected, sick Beardies. Of course there are the tears too! I read his story and look at your first pics of him and still get a lump in my throat.... "How can anyone treat another living being....."?
Shannon, He looks just AMAZING....thanks to all of your dedication and good work and it doesn't happen without the love. Papa Smurf knows how much you love him and he's sending it back at ya! What a great photo of him and Phrog!
Amanda

 

[ShannyBeard]

Awwww, Amanda, I don't know what to say! So true - how can anyone mistreat a living creature to this point or to any point..? Especially in Papa's case where two pre-teens turned him into the shop and their mother called the shop raising heck and demanding that he pay her for Papa! OR give him back! :shock: She wouldn't even meet his basic needs, and she expected to be PAID for his rescue! Her kids had more sense than her. The guy at the shop said it is usually a parent that will give up a reptile because the KIDS won't care for it, not the other way around. Insanity!

OOF my face just turned red and my ears are on fire!

Oh, and I remembered it was Farscape when I read your beardie thread and saw you had a Dargo. Now THAT name hit it immediately because the character was so interesting and was probably my favorite. There were 2 shows that the guy in Farscape was in (the guy that got 'lost' - the American) - and I was mushing them together in my head. (Not Stargate, although they were both in there, too....hmmm...LOL - memory failure). Haven't watched it in so long but I thought that show had some spunk and imagination.

Papa Smurf won't admit he's sick or crippled. He thinks he is a lady's man, he thinks he can challenge and fight any other reptile he sees, and he can run across the room as fast as anyone. And he lays on my chest and sleeps with me. He is super patient and loving. What's crazy is all these fancy supplements that we have been giving him are so cheap. When my silks hatch it will take the feeder expense way down, since he is eating very expensive feeders. I pray they hatch. It's been 5 full days in the HovaBator, so maybe 2-4 more days....?!?

 

[Irwinshealth]

I have to say I have been following many stories on here but some how you and Papa
have really gained my heart. He is so cute and strong! I have already seen many posts
assuring you and giving you thumbs up on your wonderful care but, I just have to say it too
Great job!!! And please keep the photos coming I love them

 

[petri]

What an amazing story, I just read all 4 pages of this post and am so proud of you and PapaSmurf!! So inspirational. I really like your idea of doing some community outreach and education about proper beardie care and MBD. I hope you follow through with that. Your knowledge and experience can benefit many owners and pets!! When I first got my beardie Petri, I was seeking advise and found allot of help on this forum. But, it would have been nice to have someone local that I could go to also. I got my beardie from a friend who could no longer care for her. She bought Petri for her kids, and didn't realize the amount of care, proper habitat and proper diet that these reptiles require. I wish there was an across-the-board education class Before owners get thier animals. I hate to read stories about neglected animals, I hate to feel like I take better care of my House Plants, than some people take of thier living animal pets. Your and PapaSmurf story has been wonderful to read. Thank you.

-Petri's Mom

 

[ShannyBeard]

I have to say I have been following many stories on here but some how you and Papa
have really gained my heart. He is so cute and strong! I have already seen many posts
assuring you and giving you thumbs up on your wonderful care but, I just have to say it too
Great job!!! And please keep the photos coming I love them

What an amazing story, I just read all 4 pages of this post and am so proud of you and PapaSmurf!! So inspirational. I really like your idea of doing some community outreach and education about proper beardie care and MBD. I hope you follow through with that. Your knowledge and experience can benefit many owners and pets!! When I first got my beardie Petri, I was seeking advise and found allot of help on this forum. But, it would have been nice to have someone local that I could go to also. I got my beardie from a friend who could no longer care for her. She bought Petri for her kids, and didn't realize the amount of care, proper habitat and proper diet that these reptiles require. I wish there was an across-the-board education class Before owners get thier animals. I hate to read stories about neglected animals, I hate to feel like I take better care of my House Plants, than some people take of thier living animal pets. Your and PapaSmurf story has been wonderful to read. Thank you.

-Petri's Mom

Both of you - thank you for the kind words and encouragement. That means a lot to me, really and truly. I'm not a seasoned reptile owner, and I had a lot of uncertainty when I decided to take this dragon. I went to the store several times over a few days looking at him and trying to figure out what could be done for him. Honestly, I just wanted to get him off the blue sand and within 6 inches of the lights. I didn't know a single other thing that I could do for him....except....soak him? Ummm....get online and ask for help...read...???!!??? :lol: ... Luckily my husband has been a member on this forum since we got our first dragon in June. The advice here has been spot on.

Beardeddragon.org is like having a bunch of beardie reptile specialists at your fingertips. All you have to do is ask and BAM all this amazing advice. What you don't have to ask for is LOVE. You get advice, and you get caring people, too.

It's like we are never alone as beardie parents. I may be alone here in my town with no one as beardie crazy as we are, but here online I'm one of many people trying to have a good time with our beardies and give them a good life. The people here are AMAZING.

 

[CoppersMomma]

I couldn't agree more with everyone on here. Your story is so inspirational, and his progress is awe inspiring. He's made such an improvement, I just love seeing all the pics and reading of his milestones.

 

[ShannyBeard]

I really like your idea of doing some community outreach and education about proper beardie care and MBD. I hope you follow through with that.

Oh, I got sidetracked and meant to say, YES we are going to educate and help people. I want to approach the reptile shop about having a monthly bearded dragon seminar. I could use Papa for education to show what a bearded dragon will look like without proper care, and bring one of my 'healthy' dragons to show what they look like if you take care of them correctly. I'm already dreaming that in my head, I just need to talk to the man at the shop and have a plan down. I don't see why he would say no. I would advertise it with flyers and get the word out and he would have customers in his store once a month ready to buy some beardies. I would think he would be okay with that, but I need to work out the whole program first.

I want to do a website with care instructions and videos. I've got all these ideas, I just need to get started and work out a plan. I would have LOVED to attend a seminar at the herp shop before buying our first beardie. Heck, I would even go to people's houses for free and check their set-up. I love people - I get a kick out of them - why not meet some new folks along the way? Maybe we can form a strong network of good beardie owners and I can get some help shouldering that education program, or someone else willing to take rescues. My head spins with all these thoughts. :lol:

 

[petri]

ShannyBeard,

Those all sound like Great ideas!! If you need any help putting together presentations/power point/educational, let me know I would be gald to help with content, fact checking, QA etc. But, your commitment to your animals and great ideas for future education are great! I am a newbie in this forum and I am continualy suprised by people rescuing beardies from "local pet stores". I have 1 dog and 1 beardie and I buy supplies at PetSmart and at my local pet store. My local pet store does Not sell animals. I live in a small town (Los Alamos, NM) which is a very pet friendly town. They sell all the amenities for reptile keeping at my local pet shop but they dont sell animals. It just makes me wonder what accreditation these local pet shops have to trade in animals? I have a swirl of thoughts going through my mind regarding these "local pet stores".

 

[ShannyBeard]

Petri, thanks for the offer on help. The offer of time is so much more valuable than anything material, as our time is often our most precious resource. We have so little of it, especially since we are all beardie-slaves. :lol:

Drives me crazy to go into the pet stores that have their reptiles under the wrong lights, improper basking distances, too many to the tank. UGH - I try just to not go in there unless they have something I just can't get anywhere else.

What if all of us made a pact to educate PETSMART? I jokingly call it PetStupid... :lol: But what if we could develop a training program for their employees? I bet that's the biggest pipe dream in the world. :silent: