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.....

 

[petri]

I don't think it's a pipe dream. I think it would be a grass-roots, ground based initiative. I think it would be great, if this forum came together to develope a definivite, comprehensive guide for would-be beardie owners, and a guide for existing beardie owners. The guide could be distributed to local and national petstores, there could be volunteers to give seminars....there is something here that can be great.

 

[ShannyBeard]

So true. All they can do is say No, and that's their choice. Our local PetSmart allows our local pet rescue group to be there with dog and cat adoptions every Saturday. They seem very open to being involved in the community. They really aren't evil, and the people who work there are nice and truly do love the animals. When I go there they are helpful and they greet me with a smile. But they sold me that dang coil/compact ReptiGlo UV when I first got my beardie and they had no excuse for it. There was a ReptiSun 10.0 tube light right next to it. They could have sold me that. But then again, it's business and they are sales people. It is what it is. I can't really criticize them. At least they sold me UV lights, you know?

 

[Kalyn876]

Hey Shannon just checkin in on all of you!

As for pet stores don't get me started...I've been kicked out of too many for trying to educate employees/ customers LOL Oh well I have to try every time! :wink:

Now instead of telling employees, I printed up a paper with a bunch of www.beardeddragon.org on it cut them out and give them to anyone I catch buying a beardie. They may think I'm a little creepy..I just want them to be educated. I like to pretend I run into my referrals all the time on bd.org! :lol:

Kalyn

 

[Kratoskeeper]

To the person who named her dragons after farscape, you are AWESOME. That's one of my favorite shows, such a shame it was canceled.

Anyway, Papa smurf is adorable! He is lucky that you took him in from that pet store, i love the pic of him trying to eat the frog. Even though he has MBD (i think thats what you said?) He still looks very happy

 

[ShannyBeard]

HAHA Kalyn! It's so hard not to stick my face in people's business...I was at the local reptile shop this past weekend and there were 2 'kids' (as in college aged boys) who brought in 2 beardies maybe 2-3 months old and they wanted to put them in a tank together and were asking if that was OK. Of course, me and another guy there and the manager said NO and explained why and the kids just kept whining that was their only option. The smaller of the 2 beardies already had a recent til nip AND hadn't eaten in the 3 days that they were together in a 10 gallon. My face turned bright red while trying to talk to these *****s. OMG

But on another note - I did a bad thing. That grey tree frog...I asked the manager of the reptile shop if he could go in with my anoles and he said yes and he explained the habitat that they needed. I put her in with the anoles and added a water bowl and my husband did some research that night and found that wasn't the ideal habitat for her. So I got in trouble with my husband for the impulse buy of the frog and that I didn't do my research. So this goes to show that even a good reptile shop can give bad advice and it is up to us to do our research in order to give the best possible home for our pets. It's just too hot in there for her. I mean, it isn't too hot down at soil level, but she's a tree frog and likes to be on the glass and in the branches, so she can't have 90+ degree heat up there. I was pretty upset with myself and I still am.

Luckily I have my old 15-gallon that was the original tank for the anoles and I had everything I needed to set her up in that comfortably. But still, had Otto not researched that she would have been uncomfortable and unhappy and she deserves to be a Happy Phrog.

Papa Smurf is getting stronger and stronger and has been showing his butt a little bit the last few days. He has discovered that he can run away now :lol: :roll: and he's got a little attitude. He's still a sweetie and will lay with me for a long time and be a buddy, but when he doesn't want something he lets me know. Grrrr. :lol: I am glad he is feeling better.

 

[dragonlover3]

To the person who named her dragons after farscape, you are AWESOME. That's one of my favorite shows, such a shame it was canceled.

Anyway, Papa smurf is adorable! He is lucky that you took him in from that pet store, i love the pic of him trying to eat the frog. Even though he has MBD (i think thats what you said?) He still looks very happy

That would be me with Talon, Moya, Dargo and Zhaan....lol...My husband and I loved the show, was not happy when it got canceled. We weren't aware it originated in Australia until recently. Makes it even cooler names for the Australian Bearded Dragons.
Just a note to those who don't know, the character Zhaan was a blue priestess, about the same color blue as Papa Smurf 's feet and tootsies.
How's that for bring the thread back to Shannon?


Hi Shannon,
Sorry to high jack your thread! How is Papa Smurf doing tonight? I was sitting here and my husband came to the computer room wondering what I was doing tonight. I showed him Papa Smurf. My husband loves...LOVES our dragons. He first got angry and disgusted anyone could let any living being get like that, then sad for Papa Smurf, then he was so happy you rescued him, said to tell ya you are one special lady and you've done a great job with him. Papa Smurf has a new fan!

 

[ShannyBeard]

HAHAHA Amanda, no thread hijacking is ever a bad thing with me. Ever the Sci-Fi buff, I was a member of the Dr. Who fan club in 1983. 8) Been to a convention, too. /geek

Papa Smurf is feeling better and getting stronger. He can hold himself up in the bath almost the whole time before getting tired. He fights with his reflection in his viv every morning on and off for a few hours, too. He is very willful and wants things his way or he has little tantrums. I think he gets frustrated with his handicap, I really do. He wants to climb and he can't. He is actually able to climb the dirty clothes pile and since I was lazy this last week it is pretty large and he had a very proud look after climbing it on Saturday. :lol:

Today he got irritated with the critical care syringe feeding, so I dipped his silkworms in it and fed that to him one at a time. I dipped all but their heads so they wouldn't suffocate and would wiggle, and he seemed to enjoy eating them. I'm trying to think of creative ways to get him his nutrients without constantly trying to shove it down his throat or in his mouth. I want him to feel loved, not force-fed. He really likes chicken baby food, so he gets a teaspoon of that every day. Also he likes squash baby food, so that's something new for him. :mrgreen:

 

[Haylien]

Such a big well done! This is a lovely story and you are doing so well with him, you can really see the difference in the pictures!

 

[ShannyBeard]

Such a big well done! This is a lovely story and you are doing so well with him, you can really see the difference in the pictures!

Thank you. It's good to hear that other people see improvement, too. I look at him and I feel bad for him. He can't have furniture in his viv or he may fall off and onto his back and not be able to right himself. I wish I could do more for his mental well-being, but I'm at a loss. I think he wants to brumate. Sometimes he tries to get under his low ladder and hide and sleep while his lights are still on. Mind you, we are lights off at 6:30pm so it's not like he is awake all night or anything. I can't let him sleep because he isn't healthy enough for it, but the better he starts to feel, the more he tries to sleep and is a little grumpy. Mommy knows what is best for him, I know I just need to be loving and he does respond well to cuddles and love.

Next winter I will make sure he has a nice sleep.

 

[ShannyBeard]

Papa has been doing pretty well over the last week. With advice from MissT and Nordica, he is eating about 8 times more Critical Care per day. Not much weight gain but I know it takes time. He really hates to be syringe-fed but I have a new technique now and I've been told how to mix the critical care to a smoother consistency and it's going better.

He still wants to sleep every chance he gets. I let him run around the bedroom since he is still in quarantine and no other dragons are allowed in the bedroom, but every time I turn my back he is looking for a dark hiding place. He's pretty bad at finding one,though:

Poor Smurf!

 

[beardie parents]

Man, that pic looks like he's smashing his head flat. What is he under/in?

 

[ShannyBeard]

He is trying to wedge himself between an 'Explore Space' play set box, a large Christmas gift bag and my travel toiletries bag. :lol: He looked so uncomfortable, so I picked him up and let him cuddle in my neck for a while before going to sleep in his viv. He acted like I was ripping him kicking and screaming from a deep slumber, but we can all see his eyes are open. :roll:

 

[beardie parents]

all beardies sure are funny! :lol: They find the funniest places to sleep.

 

[dragonlover3]

Hi ShannyBeard,
I haven't stopped by in a few days, just checking up on the little guy. I was thinking about him.
I thought you might have new pics. That's pretty funny, him trying to stuff his head. They sure
do some funny stuff! That is wonderful he's feeling so much better he's expressing himself and :whip:
He has to keep ya in line :laughhard: Seriously, he's looking better every time I see him! You are an
amazing slave!
Amanda

 

[ShannyBeard]

HAHA Amanda, a busy and tired slave. He has a huge amount of attitude, especially in the mornings. He literally fights me in the morning before work because he knows I am taking him out of his home to be syringe fed and it makes him so mad. He is a little skinny, flat pancake of a kicking, screaming, fighting lizard. Once I get him out and onto the bed, he gives in. I prop him on a towel on the edge of the bed kinda like a rock climber scaling the summit of the side of the bed, and he has to hang on a little with his front legs. I want him to work on his upper body strength and since he does seem to be strengthening up some, I use it as a little exercise routine.

In the mornings I take 0.5mL of turnip greens juice out of the bottom of the bag and mix it with some chicken baby food and his liquid calcium and give him that until he lets me know he is done. He has gone from eating 0.5mL total to 2.0mL, which is awesome. I also give him 0.5-1.0mL squash baby food, and he really likes it. I chase all of this with 0.5mL of the turnip water to help him swallow, too. His mouth is deformed and it's hard for him to really swallow and eat thick mixtures. Sometimes I feel so bad for him, like his quality of life may never be really good, and I wonder about his happiness. I want to think of fun things for him to make him feel more normal. Maybe I am anthropomorphizing him beyond what he is capable of feeling and thinking. I just don't really know....

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. I love this guy...!