Imfamousoz
New member
I have just rescued two baby beardies, Steven and Eli. I am in a state of high concern about them.
A little background...
I was given these two lizzies from the same clutch. The famiIy originally had three. I was very alarmed to say the least, when I found out the family that had them was housing three babies in a 20 gallon tank with no plans to seperate and totally unaware of how big they get. Unfortunately it became necessary for me to take them in a few days ago, about two weeks before I will have the money to fix them up proper. I had initially told my husband we could take one, and he came home with two.
This came about because the family's toddler, who is not quite 3, accidentally crushed one.
The family recieved very poor advice on care, feeding them a couple of full sized dubia a day, no uvb lighting, insufficient heat, and noticable dehydration. Not to mention seriously inappropriate handling.
These are not my first reptiles, but they are my first beardies. I had been reading up on proper care well before this with a mind to adopt one so I am not totally off guard.
Right now they are sharing the same 20gal long tank, but I have plans in motion as soon as budget allows to get them seperated. I had a few fixtures etc on hand that I sterilized for them, but I only had money for one uvb light so I have no choice but to house them together. I haven't yet observed any competition for basking areas or anything, but I do feed them seperately. Glass surfing yesterday one waved his arms quickly and raised up, the other stayed flat and waved one at a time slowly so I believe I know where the heirarchy falls with them.
I am currently on the lookout for a good rep vet. I live in a very small town, with even the nearest pet store over an hour away.
So far, no luck and that leaves me trying my best to get them healthy on my own.
By my estimate, these poor sweeties are less than a month old. It's hard to be certain as they may just be stunted, but Steven is about 7 inches and Eli is around 5. Sadly, Eli is showing signs of MBD. Poor dear already has a hump in his back. I have calcium powder they are getting, and I have already seen improvement with the addition of necessary lighting. Steven begun a shed rather quickly, and he looks to be very healthy with good coloring.
If anyone has advice for babies that have been mishandled, I sure could use it. It's been a chore getting them fed up right but I know as they acclimate they will be a bit more comfortable and appetites should increase. They get fed separate and will each eat about 3-4 small dubia roaches 3x a day. That's all they've showed any interest in. I offer a small amount of greens with softened pellets each day, to no avail. Today I added a bit of finely chopped mango to entice them a little. I have made sure everything is small enough for them to handle (smaller than space between the eyes)
They are also both extremely skittish about being handled. No surprise there! I imagine they have felt like prey since they were brought in. The so-called "expert" told the family that all they needed was a heat lamp to sleep under and the roaches.
Wish me luck!
A little background...
I was given these two lizzies from the same clutch. The famiIy originally had three. I was very alarmed to say the least, when I found out the family that had them was housing three babies in a 20 gallon tank with no plans to seperate and totally unaware of how big they get. Unfortunately it became necessary for me to take them in a few days ago, about two weeks before I will have the money to fix them up proper. I had initially told my husband we could take one, and he came home with two.
This came about because the family's toddler, who is not quite 3, accidentally crushed one.
The family recieved very poor advice on care, feeding them a couple of full sized dubia a day, no uvb lighting, insufficient heat, and noticable dehydration. Not to mention seriously inappropriate handling.
These are not my first reptiles, but they are my first beardies. I had been reading up on proper care well before this with a mind to adopt one so I am not totally off guard.
Right now they are sharing the same 20gal long tank, but I have plans in motion as soon as budget allows to get them seperated. I had a few fixtures etc on hand that I sterilized for them, but I only had money for one uvb light so I have no choice but to house them together. I haven't yet observed any competition for basking areas or anything, but I do feed them seperately. Glass surfing yesterday one waved his arms quickly and raised up, the other stayed flat and waved one at a time slowly so I believe I know where the heirarchy falls with them.
I am currently on the lookout for a good rep vet. I live in a very small town, with even the nearest pet store over an hour away.
So far, no luck and that leaves me trying my best to get them healthy on my own.
By my estimate, these poor sweeties are less than a month old. It's hard to be certain as they may just be stunted, but Steven is about 7 inches and Eli is around 5. Sadly, Eli is showing signs of MBD. Poor dear already has a hump in his back. I have calcium powder they are getting, and I have already seen improvement with the addition of necessary lighting. Steven begun a shed rather quickly, and he looks to be very healthy with good coloring.
If anyone has advice for babies that have been mishandled, I sure could use it. It's been a chore getting them fed up right but I know as they acclimate they will be a bit more comfortable and appetites should increase. They get fed separate and will each eat about 3-4 small dubia roaches 3x a day. That's all they've showed any interest in. I offer a small amount of greens with softened pellets each day, to no avail. Today I added a bit of finely chopped mango to entice them a little. I have made sure everything is small enough for them to handle (smaller than space between the eyes)
They are also both extremely skittish about being handled. No surprise there! I imagine they have felt like prey since they were brought in. The so-called "expert" told the family that all they needed was a heat lamp to sleep under and the roaches.
Wish me luck!