taking on another beardie ... choices choice ahhh.

hi all

wellllllllllllllll one of my friends has a VERY big family, they both work full time, the kids have lost interest in their beardie (a few years ago actually) as they are getting older now. Not sure if he ever had attention or a correct set-up. I have only seen and been around him a few times, and that was before i got Blue, so it was before i KNEW good/bad conditions. He is housed on calci-sand, and to be honest with you, i DONT know if he as a UVB bulb :shock:
he might, i just cannot recall one. i do remember the tank being small but like i said, at the time it didnt really register because this was allllll before i entered "the wonderful world of all things beardie" ... i think the last time i saw him was 3 years ago. He is a very pretty and CUTE as HECK beardie, with some beautiful orange and yellow colouring, that i remember. his face is to die for!!! His face makes me melt from the last picture i saw of him.
They contacted me a few days ago, asking me if i would be willing to adopt him, because they realize he is in no way getting the care or attention he needs.
I have a 20 gallon breeder in the basement, but i have a feeling that might be what he is now. i have a 18 fixture to mount a ReptiSun 10.0 inside it. I use household bulbs for Blue's heat source, but she is a 150 gallon with all the bells and whistles mounted and built in ... i had the viv custom made.
Basically i have everything to comfortably house him for a while, ( i am totally aware the 20 long is way too small, its just what i have to work with at the moment) I would indeed upgrade, even if i could just find a 40 gallon somewhere for a cheap price, that would be ideal right now. i have an Accurite im not using in Blue's tank because i use a Temp Gun for her viv. i have dome fixtures for basking an the T5 fixture, i would DEF put him on paper towels until got tile cut for him. i just think him (now) being in a 20 gallon on calci-sand with not much food, when he is fed its ON the sand, and all that ... is worse than a temporary 20 long with paper towels and proper food, lighting and temps ya know?
SO, im pretty good to go. I think this guy needs some HIGH QUALITY lighting, GOOD temps, GOOD protein, the RIGHT greens, and a GREAT BIG warm water soak, not to mention a ton of TLC.
He is docile, and friendly, he just has no "life" and is def not getting what he needs to keep on keepin' on.
My issue comes in here:
I have BlueBelle, and 100% of my attention goes to her, and the other 100% of my attention goes to my cat. Would i have time and energy to put in another 100% into this guy ... *le sigh* ... i KNOW people do own multiple beardies and get on just wonderfully with them, but i would feel like i was almost "abandoning" Blue ... i know that sounds so dumb. but its how i feel. AND, you know, Blue is a she, Rex is a he ... would i put them in the same room but just totally out of sight of one another? do they still "know" or "sense" or even "smell" each other? ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. i am so stuck at the moment.
My heart wants to take this beautiful boy in and get him back on track and watch him *hopefully* flourish. I saw a picture of him on facebook a year ago she put up, and he seemed underweight but nothing else i could tell from the picture. but i need to go over there soon and take a very good look at him, and look for any serious signs that would need attending to by a vet.
any thoughts?
anyone been in the same situation? how did it work out?
any feedback is SO appreciated you have no idea! i am so torn here!!!
THANK YOU!!!
~Emily

If you want a larger tank Petco has a $1/gal sale on now.
If you don't think you would want to keep him at the very least you could take him in and get him in better conditions until you find someone who knows how to care for him (like on this board lol).
Just my 2cents.

Ha i just saw that about petco's sale! Thanks ... im all over that one! Gotta love those buck a gallon sales! Yeah temp housing him is an option but i doubt it would go that way seeing as how they steal your heart so easily and its so hard not to get attached! If i do something i plunge in all the way. I just really am curious if they can sense each other even if they cannot see eah other and how others have divided their attention between two or more. Do you house more than one?

anyone out there had this issue before ... i feel so compelled to give "Rex" an new life and new name (ha! nothing against Rexar but he looks like a another name to me ... gotta look in those eyes and think about it) ... i just am so ... STUCK!

Well my first beardie was from someone who needed to get rid of him fast and like yours had all the wrong things in his cage. :shock: I had Tohru for about 6 months before I got another beardie, I wanted a baby that I could tame easily because Tohru did not like people to much at that point. I have never felt 2 was to much or that I was giving either one less love or time. It is really cool having more than one because they are like night and day different.

Tohru is a big 20" male who is very active loves running around, bobing his head, slaping the ground, and going black on you. He is not mean just very showey. When I try to give him a bath he FREAKS OUT like I am trying to KILL HIM!!!

Kira is smaller only 17.5" and she is a lover! She is happy to just sit on you and she is very submissive, I have NEVER seen her with a black beard ever. She just calmly sits in her bath very happy. :mrgreen:

So it can be really awesome to have 2 beardies, I dont have to buy extra food either because the greens always go bad before I run out anyway.

On the other note I keep both my dragons in my bedroom in separate vivs and have a curtain up so they cant see each other. But Tohru knows Kira is there and gets in a tizzy when he sees me going behind the curtain, he starts saying "Hay baby, hay baby, hay!" and adds head bobs and hand slaps for good measure. Lol

Sorry the post was so long, but I hope it helps you.

oh hi!!!
no no no not at all it wasnt too long at all ... i could have read lots more on your beardie situation!!! i need all the details i can get!! That is so cool ... they sound like night and day!!!
Blue is one of those laid back chill sweet sweet girls like Kira, just as sweet as can be and LOVES her BATHS!!! They sound alot alike!!!
She is 1 year an three months old, and a solid 16 inches. Still has a few inches left in her maybe? never know! Doenst matter, she's my beautiful healthy girl. And i raised her from a teeeeeeeny baby like you raised Kira from a baby.

Tohru sounds very MANLY! teehee. i love it!!! head bobbin black beardin bad ass eh? he sounds great! gotta love it. :lol:

Thanks for your post, it means alot to me. I am REALLY excited and the same time REALLY freaked out that somehow, in some way, BlueBelle will just KNOWhe is there or around ... or if i stack the new guys cage on top of hers that she will be stressed out somehow able to tell there is a male lurking in the house. I know it sounds irrational ... but maybe not ... does Kira seem to get stressed or care at all? thats a big concern, i love my girl so much!!!
you sound like you have the best of both worlds with Kira and Tohru!!!!! THAT IS AWESOME, you are DEF inspiring me.
ohhhhhh and ikr???? it would be kinda nice to go through more than only three big collard leaves out of a HUGE bushel of them a week before they get icky!
Thank you SO much ... anything else you want to share plz feel free!!!! i would love to hear more or any tips you might have! OH! i have a question ... do you ever have them "out" at the same time? this is something that has got me curious, you hear about people letting their beardies mingle out of the vivs and its so cute, then you hear the whole nature takes over and a mating display takes place, i dont want to have all that going on ... and then you hear some do not let their ever see each other at all, i just dont know, and god forbid that turn out to be a HUGE mistake ... lordy lordy. THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN!!!
~Em

In general Kira doent seem bothered by Tohru only if she sees him if the curtain falls down (stupid cats fighting and pull it down ) she will do the wave. But Kira is like out of sight out of mind.

I have not had them out together and I dont plan on it either, I dont want to deal with babies! I once had a fish tank with guppies and you can guess how that ended up. :roll:

Tohru was not really tame when I got him and I was scared of him, he was 12" when I got him, so it has been a slow progress getting him use to me. 2 weeks ago was the first time he has let me pick him up. I am going to let him run around the bathroom in the next few days.

So as you can see I am kinda new at this to and I dont have all the answers. But I am glad that I can help when I can.

OH MY GOD.
she just sent me pics and i am IN TEARS. i couldnt even bare to look at the pictures without feeling sick. he is NOT in good shape. Id love to get this guy on some Critical Care, some BeneBac, get him hydrated and under my extra repti-sun like NOW. Then ease him onto some small roaches like some little nymphs. the pictures tore me UP inside, even my fiance couldnt believe it. He is not only on sand, but hard looking tiny rocks and wood chips as well. this has become more of a "need to" basis than "maybe maybe not" ... ive GOT to get this guy in my house ... im going over in the morning to look at him, i might just say screw it, take him home in a towel and rig up everything i have at my disposal here at the house. Looks like he has some MBD ... he is GROSSLY underweight and hsi tail base is practically nothing. there is no way he has a UVB. jesus i didnt know it was this bad. looks like he has a bump on his freaking adorable "help me" face and his jaw MIGHT be slightly off track, was hard to tell. i feel SICK!!!!

I don't know if this will help but, here goes. I house two beardies right now. They are separate! I find myself able to take great care of both. Cooper however gets out much more than Palmer. Palmer is less friendly and would prefer to be left alone.
This may seem sad however, I have learned to love him the same. He does the funniest stuff while in his tank and always looks to make sure we are watching. Cooper likes the roaming and making sure he is getting hands on attention but isn't really funny more cuddly.

I guess what I am trying to say is they are like children, they have different qualities. When a mother has her second child she worries about not having enough time for both, but as we all know it works out and both children will win her heart for different reasons.

Overall, I'm saying GO FOR IT!!!

Oh, Good Lord we were posting at the same time. I'm so sorry he does not look good. I am glad you will be able to rescue him. Please let us know how he is when you get him and if there is any questions you have to nurse him back. Thank goodness for people like you , hang in there

I hope you rescue this guy! I was apprehensive about getting a second beardie but I rescued my second boy a few months ago and couldn't be happier with my decision. He was in terrible shape and I was so happy to be able to nurse him back to health.

awwwwwww just like a mother loving two kids. well three in my case, that woudl be BlueBelle who melts my heart, my cat whom i worship, and now ... i think ... another beardie. i never thought of it that way and im so glad you put it like that. your so sweet

yes, this pics were terrible. TERRIBLE. i honestly dont even know if evertything i do in power will get this little guy back to any sort of normalcy but i have GOT to do something.
Right now the main thing i am lacking is a larger tank. but in all honesty, that is not my main concern right now. my main concern is getting him stable. his front legs are turned in, and his spine is crooked ... he is sooooooooooo SKINNY, BlueBelle is probably 4 years younger than him and she appears to be a MONSTER compared to him. God it makes me realize how healthy she is, and how bad off this new sweetheart is.
If it takes a 20 long to start with for a few weeks then by god its going to be a 20 long. i just have to get him OFF the loose substrate and get him some UVB and hydrate him. Im sitting here shaking, this pics were so distressing. and the saddest thing is, he looks like he would have has SO MUCH potential, he has bright colors in some areas and then what appears to be grey retained shed in others. he has a bump on his face ... not sure what that is all about, but it looks like it warrants a trip to the vet. god i just dont know.
He is better off in my house in a 20 breeder tank right now with stable temps, lights, and substrate than anything.
i can work on getting a bigger tank ... but i cannot i mean i CANNOT let him stay where he is.
thank you all so much and i will keep you all updated. if i wasnt so cautious about who was on this site ... i would post the pics but i am scared that it would somehow get back to her ... NOT that i think they has ever been on this site. im just so worked up and disheartened ... i dont know why i should be worried about that in the first place. just me being silly and freaked out.
i will post ASAP on his trip to my house in the morning. thank you ALL <3
~Emily

I am really curious to see what this beardie looks like, sounds terrible, poor thing

i will post the pictures. its a shock, they were a shock to me because i automatically compared him to BlueBelle who is robust and healthy ... they may not be as shocking or sickening to other people, to me however, especially knowing he is not more than 12 miles away, and that this is what his life is and how severe his condition is ... but here they are ...





they rio my heart out. i have a two tubes of BeneBac i plan on seeing if he will lick off his nose ... BlueBelle loved the stuff when i gave her some when she came of brumation. i dont think he can hold himself up from what i can tell. and the lump on his nose/face concerns me, along with EVERYTHING else. Im THINKING he should be on some Critical Care, so i will run by PetSmart, they have the Flukers in stock here. Ive never had to use it, but it seems to me like he needs all the help he can get. I have everything set up for him, the paper towel flooring etc etc etc ... going to turn on the lights in the AM and get some temp readings with my temp gun before i go get him. i know a 20 long isnt going to be the best, but i have to work it for now. It was BlueBelle's baby viv. Ive got the Repti-Sun ready and think im going to try a few different bulb wattages ... i dont want to overheat the poor thing but i want it nice and warm ... i dont want to put him in a (normal) hot basking spot RIGHT away, i mean all this is going to be new to him, not that i think he could possibly be more stressed than his current situation. i will gradually up his basking temp, he just looks so small and SO WRONG. its all so so so wrong, breaks my heart. ANY SUGGESTIONS ARE WELCOME!!!!!!!

there is just nothing to him. NO UVB ... no anything. ever. his whole life. no muscle, no tail base, he has got ot have some level of MBD i mean i cant imagine him not having it ... i dont know how he has lived for almost 4 years. i believe at one time he had a basking/heat bulb but i do there was never any *correct* temp readings done. been on calci-sand, tiny gravel balls, and woodchips his whole life.