Anyone that's lost a beardie knows what its like to wake up in the morning, walk to the enclosure, and realize your buddy is gone.
I found him on Craigslist, and I went out to pick him up. I expected to see him in his enclosure, put him in the cat carrier I brought with handwarmers, blankets, etc (its cold here), and take him home.
What I got was a woman handing me a small (really small) cardboard box, through an open door in March in New England. Then the door slammed.
She packed him completely wrapped in a hand towel, directly in contact with a water bottle full of VERY hot water.
I transferred him in into the cat carrier in the back of my car. The whole way home, I wondered if he was dead because the water was so hot. I go him home, unwrapped him, and got him into his enclosure.
She wrapped him in the towel because he's obviously not been handled much. He shrinks away when I try to touch him, like he's been regularly hit on the head. He would hiss, he would bite.
He's had obviously not been treated right-- 1.5 years old according to the previous "owner", but way undersized. Underbite. Fed only beardie pellets and crickets, obviously no UVB or proper temps. Seems so hungry that I wonder if he's not still under a year old. He won't tolerate me enough to weigh and measure him yet, but he's MUCH smaller than George was. She was a female, 19 inches or so, 550g. He might be half or two-thirds that size.
It's been a struggle, but he is starting to warm up to me and looks so good now, compared to when I got him. It's been about a month, and he even lets me pick him up without getting upset. Good light, good temps, a big enclosure, and plenty of good food have done wonders!
