"Red" baby in Pet shop - I'm making an offer you can't refus

[BarkAtTheMoon]

I went to a pet shop today to get my precious Spot some crickets. I always check the status of the herps. Usually there isn't even a sign for bearded dragons, but today there was a sign that read, "Red Bearded Dragon - $109.99" I bent down and looked. I could tell immediately that the poor thing's tail had been nipped. I thought if it looks like a girl, I'm taking it. I asked to see it. Close examination revealed the only other damage is a nail missing from one toe. "Bad breeder," I wispered. I held it up and, while it is quite young and small, it appears to be a "probable" male. My heart sank. I have a veritable zoo at my house and my husband would freak if I set up another viv. And this guy has been through enough already. He needs his own place for now. Maybe a nice spouse when he's feeling better. Depends on the personalities.
Here's the deal you can't refuse. My heart is huge. I will pay for him and give him to anyone who convinces me they can give him the loving, appropriate home he deserves. He didn't ask to be born and he sure as heck didn't ask to be born into captivity. While I would prefer to give him to someone close enough I could drive, I realize this would be asking too much. So . . . I will also pay to ship him if someone will tell me how these guys are shipped safely. I've seen people talking about shipping on the internet, I just don't understand how you ship a living creature without hurting it? Does FedX have some sort of special thing that identifies living animals? I'd have to be convinced it was safe. And, of course, this all depends on working this out before someone else buys him. So, if you want him, convince me. And, please, hurry.
Jessie and Spot

 

[GoFast]

wow that is quite the offer jessie. quite the offer

 

[lizardgrrl]

Wow! Your offer is wonderful! I too have a full house, but certainly wish I could afford to pick up all the dragons I see that way, and get them to good homes! The other possibility for transport for this guy is the reptile rescue train, http://www.communitywalk.com/bearded_dragon_train/bearded_dragon_train/map/233871 when you find the right person for him. Wherever they are, the volunteers on the train can get him to his new home. I hope this helps!

 

[LQDragons]

well I read your post & told my wife about the situation, she said " can we help save this baby " . So we have 5 dragons, 3 recent rescues, all have mega ray MVB bulb's in seperate enclosures. We also breed dubia roaches and always have crix & superworms, with silkworms about once a month. All our dragons get calcium 6x a week, herptivite 1x a week, B complex vit. every other day, reptaid 2x a week (rescues every other day). Bath's, babies & juvie's daily, adults every other day. They are all, handled daily, spoiled rotten & we just love them to pieces.
We would love to take in another, we have an empty enclosure, never ending feeder supply & a never ending love for bearded dragons

 

[sunkist]

I'm just saying awwwwwww... I have 4 though, I would be drivable but I have no more space for another viv.

 

[BarkAtTheMoon]

OK, I know I have one good home for him. It looks like you're in Southern CA? The rescue train would take weeks and stress him out. Anybody out there in the business that can explain this shipping thing to me? I'm going to get him from the pet store. He'll be OK with us for a day or two until the details can be worked out. I just can't promise him anything permanent right now and it wouldn't have been fair to him. This forum is great. I'm convinced I served a stint as Mother Nature in a previous life. LOL. :lol: I'll check back in after I get home.
Jessie and Spot

 

[BarkAtTheMoon]

Got him home, gave him a warm bath. He drank alot. Freshened the salad, turned the crickets loose. He is extremely shy. Spot is very sweet and has done no more than to wave at him from the opposite end of the enclosure. The "rescue," as I'll call him for now, just waves back and watches him as if his life depends on it. He did eat. The enclosure is large enough they can stay away from each other. I took some pictures, including a wave. I'm concerned about the tail nip. I was checking it to make sure it wasn't constricted shed. It is obviously tender. It is dark, but still attached. I believe it is dead and/or dying and should probably be removed by a qualified vet so that healing can start and the rot stops. I'm not sure. Spot is, and knock on wood, always has been healthy. When I mentioned to the pet store clerk that I had found him a loving home through a rescue network, he gave me a look and said, "rescue?" I told him other than me, only an ***** would give that kind of money for a reptile in that shape, and an ***** would end up killing him. I told him mine was in perfect condition and I only gave half that for him. He seemed to realize arguing with me was only going to piss me off and proceeded to get Rescue for purchase. Here's the pics

He was destined to be quite good looking. Poor thing. Clerk said they come from somewhere in Florida.
Jessie

 

[Ethelia]

Hi there,
Bless you for bringing him home and offering him up for everyone.

In regards to his tail at this stage I wouldnt be concerned. Tails which have nips are often quite dark at the end and will always stay that way even when healed. Id keep an eye on it after his next shed and see whats what.
I wouldnt automatically presume that his tail hurts just becuse he is twitchy with it. None of my dragons have ever liked having their tails touched. Ruben will actually tailwhip me if I try.

You mentioned your new little guy is waving at your other dragon?
Can he see him or is he in the same enclosure?

Holly

 

[BarkAtTheMoon]

They are currently in the same enclosure which I know isn't the best situation. However, Spot is only about 3 months old, best I can figure. The enclosure is large enough they can stay away from each other and this is only until I can figure out how to ship him to the wonderful people who agreed to adopt him. I have emailed Howlin Gale Dragons for advice and it would appear that I need to order some sort of reptile heating thing from some place on the internet. I don't think there's a local source for it. I could probably find the insulated container at a shipping/packing store, but if I have to order the heating thing anyway, I may as well order the container too if they also sell them. And since I know me well enough to know this won't be the last time I do this, I'll just get a supply! I had hoped to send him today, but I want to do it the right way. He's been through enough. I believe everything happens for a reason. Maybe he's not strong enough for the trip and needs the few days it will take me to get the materials to get strong. I have noticed and am concerned about his love of water. Maybe it's just personalities, but my Spot hates baths. In the little bit of time I've had "Rescue" he drinks alot and last night he slept in the hydrading pool. :shock: The clerk tried to tell me really he liked brocolli, but he pays no attention to the salad in my enclosure. He climbs over it as if he doesn't know it's food. He's eaten some crickets and appeared to enjoy them. I really wanted him to eat some Phoenix Worms that I painstakeningly picked out for him (the smallest ones in the container), but he paid them no attention and actually seemed afraid of them. He seems thin to me, but I'm accustomed to Spot who is large and robust. He is active, though. I mean he's not lethargic. I really believe he's saveable in the right environment. This is worrying me to death and I'm trying not to get attached.

 

[Ethelia]

I appriciate that you know that your situation is not ideal, but i thought I would share my experience with rescues with you ^_^
From my experience with dragons who have been injured, like having their tail or toes nipped, find interaction with other dragons highly stressful. I really would recommend putting up a little divider in your viv whilst your rescue is staying with you. Your happy healthy dragon Spot can manage well past a week with no UVB.
It might help him gain the confidence to eat from his food bowls if he is not constantly worried about his surroundings and the location of your other dragon.
I would also imagine your boy Spot is a much bigger dragon than "Little Red" which may also be raising his stress levels as he will view him as a possible predator.

I think its very sensible to keep him for a day or two to try and get him ready for travel.
It might be a good idea to feed him a little chicken babyfood to boost his protein levels before he travels.

Another thing I would recommend is to remove the water bowl at night. There is a high risk that when dragons bask in water for too long they quickly lose all their energy and heat and then do not have the strength to get themselves out of the water. It may well be that he sapped all his energy and just decided to lay there until the heat came back on in the morning. This is definatly the case with happy healthy dragons so its quite a risk with rescues who are not 100% well.

You are doing a wonderful thing here ^_^

Holly

 

[sunkist]

Such a big heart! Be careful you don't keep rescue.

 

[BarkAtTheMoon]

It wouldn't be what's in his best interest. Like I tell my kids, unconditional love is about doing what's best, no matter how much it hurts at the time.

 

[CalienteDragons]

John - (LQDragons) Emailed me and told me you may need help with shipping..
If you have any questions on shipping let me know and i will walk you through packing him up ect..

If you have not found a place to get the box and heat pack here are some online stores you can order them from:

http://www.joshsfrogs.com/catalog/category_info/71/shipping-supplies

http://superiorenterprise.com/store/

You don't really need a deli cup, you can use a small cloth bag or a old pillowcase and tie it with a string ( cut the extra cloth off)

Or i can figure out what my costs for the supplies are and send it to you ( I buy in bulk)

Heidi

[email protected]

 

[sunkist]

Heidi ships amazingly perfect animals!!!! Fargo was sooo calm when I got him.

 

[BarkAtTheMoon]

Thank you so much for the offer. I ordered from superior enterprises today. Detailed instructions would be helpful. I ordered a 7 X 7 X 6 insulated box, the 40 hour heat pads, and I did order the containers. I was advised to use UPS 10:30 am delivery. The shipping supplier site had some helpful hints like filling all voids with newspaper. But there was nothing about how to use the heat pads. Meaning, do I tape them to the styrofoam and let them radiately heat him? Do I just lay them in there? Do I have to be concerned about them burning the styrofoam or container? And how many should I use for the size container I bought? I went with the smaller because the site said smaller reduces the risk of injury if he is dropped. Again, any help is much appreciated.
Jessie