Rescued/adopted a beardy. She’s been neglected, help!

First time beardy owner, I had a leopard gecko for approx 10 years though. Someone I know posted about needing to re-home her beardy due to lack of time for it. I jumped on it immediately as I’ve always wanted one and even more so recently since I’ve settled down, but the set up is so costly I haven’t gotten there yet. This seemed ideal since I do have the time and it’s already got everything it needs (or so I thought).

I don’t know the extent of the neglect, but she admitted to not even being around to give it fresh water in the last week or so which broke my heart. She said it’s been re-homed approx 4 times and she thinks she’s around 10 years old.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading and some alarm bells have been going off since I brought her home that I have concerns about. Of course I’m in a financial pinch right now so I’m hoping to avoid the extreme costs of a trip to the vet. Honestly there’s a super great exotic pet shop that I would go to over a vet if need be, but I’m hoping you lovely folks can give me some insight. I will try to figure out how to add pics to this to help as well.

Ok so noticed right away that she seemed to be fairly weak and I don’t know if it is due to her potential old age, lack of proper nutrition, lighting or all of the above.
I’ve had her for 3-4 days now. The girl was nice enough to go to the pet shop and get some food for her. They make pre made mixed veg bags (collars greens, dandelions, endive and some other green veg and some kind of orangey melon looking stuff which I also added sweet potatoe and green beans into), Phoenix worms and some other worms that are quite a bit bigger (she said it won’t eat crickets). So I’ve had the salad bowl full in the morning she seems to eat most of it and then 10-15 of the tiny Phoenix worms and 2-3 of the big ones. She said the Phoenix worms are more nutritious for them? Anyway, her appetite seems to be ok which is a good sign.
However she seems really dehydrated and I haven’t seen her drink much water. Her skin looks painfully dry. I’ve been misting a couple times a day and I thinkit might be looking a little better today but it’s hard for me to tell. I’m not sure if her colouring is normal or not. She has this sore on her tail that looks like it’s from the last time she shed. I can’t tell if it’s stuff stuck there, if I should try rubbing it a bit while bathing or if I should leave it be.

She hadn’t pooped as far as I could tell in the last 3 days so I put her in a warm bath today and almost instantly she pooped. I have to say it was disgusting, but I was so glad she did it. You could tell there were leafy veggies in there and the urate was partially soft but also seemed like there was a harder chunk in there (from what I’ve read sounds like dehydration, maybe low calcium). Oh also I do have calcium dust and a multi vit dust for the worms.

So the most concerning thing to me is the lighting which she said the heat lamp is broken (not the bulb the whole lamp) and I have no idea for how long it’s been broken. The tank is on the small side but I ok. She have me a coil uvb bulb in a some lamp, that’s it. From what I’ve read since I got her on this site that’s not sufficient so now I’m very concerned that this problem has been going on for a long time. It’s a glass tank with a mesh top (also bad from what I’ve read) any suggestions on how to deal with this temporarily until the end of the month when I get paid? Would it work if I slid the mesh off enough to angle the pocket coil light into the tank without the mesh being in between?
There is a heating pad on one side of the tank, but again no basking light. I have a desk lamp with a similar dome shape which I am using temporarily to generate heat. Is this ok to now or should I be worried about the light damaging her eyes or anything else?

The twitching. Any time I take her out I’ve noticed muscle twitches. I can feel something in her chest twitching, her front legs and I can see the twitches in her back legs. She also doesn’t move much. Today she actually went back and forth across my room a few times but her back legs look weak. She sits back on her hind legs in an awkward way sometimes and wobbles or falls over when she tries to go at her worms. Is this normal?

I’m worried the combination of her old age and potential bone disease means she won’t ever be 100%, but I guess I’m looking for some reassurance that I’m doing what I should be. Anyone taken care of an older beardy with MBD? Is it possible for them to lead a well loved but somewhat derpy life?

Album of various photos I’ve taken since I got her. Some she looks very dark in that is after I misted her!
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/j8bgofwywwu2rpn/AACpz6C_SXkl6JfrlR1vtgLRa?dl=0

Hi there, it's great that you're taking in this sweet old beardie, and although she obviously is not in great shape she's not as bad as I expected to see. Her weight is good, and the fact that she's eating both greens + insects is a real plus. She can eat all large [ no need for small ] Phoenix worms, also a variety of other insects, but careful on anything hard bodied like crickets + dubia. at first.


She neeeds a good basking bulb to give her a basking area in the 100 degree range, cool side about 80. Offer water dripped on her snout every 3-4 days for a drink, but you can cut the spraying out at the moment until you get a heat lamp for her so she doesn't get chilled. Don't let her stay out of the tank while she's wet at all so she doesn't get chilled.

You'll need a good uvb bulb like Aradia D3 12% long tube bulb. Good uvb is very important. You can also set outside with her in the grass for 45=60 minutes if your temps. are warm enough. Do you say she has an injury on her tail ? Can you post some close shots of it ? You don't really need her to see a vet, just take good care of her + she'll be O.K

Thank you so much for replying! There were more photos but they got hung up on a video uploading. Check that folder again you should see the tail. It just looks ugly but I’m thinking it might just be too dry? Also removed the somewhat cleavage photos probably should’ve clicked the thumbnail before throwing them up. Oops!

Pa1ntedskye":2plai6z7 said:

Album of various photos I’ve taken since I got her. Some she looks very dark in that is after I misted her!
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/j8bgofwywwu2rpn/AACpz6C_SXkl6JfrlR1vtgLRa?dl=0

Click to expand...

I can see she's got a great personality and a very sweet and gentle temperament , kudos to you for rescuing her and giving a chance to have a happy life with someone who will cherish her and care for her properly.

I've uploaded and reposted some of your images


she looks to be in pretty good condition considering her past , I am concerned about how puffy both her eyes are - this can be indicative that she has some serious organ issues.

Taking a look at the blemish on her tail

I initially thought retained shed, but I think this may be a fungal skin infection.

I recommend , as well the upgrade to a Arcadia T5HO 12%UVB tube in a reflector hood positioned so the dragon can receive 180-200 microW UVB / sq.cm @ the basking spot and about 100 microW UVB/sq.cm elsewhere ,that you make an appointment for her with a good reptile vet for some tests focusing on bone density, calcium and vitD3 levels, and bloodwork focusing on her kidneys , liver and heart , and to get her health baseline, and perhaps start treating for any issues that are identified by the tests.

The tail has a tiny bit of trauma to it, nothing at all to worry about. You can apply a watered down betadine mixture to it once a day if you like , then let it dry and a dab of raw honey. I've had plenty of older dragons, they get blemishes just like old people that are totally harmless. At her age you don't want to make something out of nothing.

Her eyes are a bit froggy, but not too bad. Plenty of hydration will be the best thing for her, and since she enjoys greens then you can offer them while they are wet and she'll get extra hydration. Other than that she should do just fine. An overly eager vet can put her on meds. that will cause stress, loss of appetite etc. in her golden years so I'd at least wait a month or two before taking her in, if at all. She is not acting sick + doesn't look sick.

Roughly put , the summer UVI might be 10 , in winter it's UVI might be 5 , this mean approx. half the UV in winter cf summer in this example so you need to sunbake for 1 hr to burn in winter cf 0.5 hr in summer.

I'd try to get her outside for natural sunlight for at least 90 min per day because you are now moving towards the equinox and the UVI is greatly reduced in October and November cf the summer UVI in Fl. (based on UVI = 11 in summer and UVI = 7 in November (a drop of 7/11 or 64% so if 1 hr is fine in summer, you need 1/0.64 = 1.6 hr in November.

I woke up to some seriously stellar feedback thank you so much you guys! I woke to her eating her greens so she must be hungry right when she wakes up I’ll have to have some fresh salad ready for her in the am she has perked up so much even comparing this morning from day 1. She fell off her basking spot the first couple of days and wasn’t very alert. Now I can see her tilting her head as I go by and whenever I come near to scope out the situation. Last night she maneuvered her basking spot much better (I need to get a better set up from what she came with I don’t think it’s close enough and too hard to climb up/down still).
Also the giant poop yesterday must’ve made her feel much better.
I think I’m going to hold off on a vet trip because I really wasn’t planning on that kind of expense until I know whether a little TLC will be enough. She is a bit older. I expected her to be a bit of a dinosaur (pun intended), but her weakness was my biggest concern. Ill give it a bit of time if there are still some concerns I def will get her in to see someone.
I can’t believe how awesome you all are though this forum is fantastic!! Thank you so much

She's a sweetie! Your biggest issue is she has no heat!!!

You do not need an expensive basking bulb and fixture, but you do need one immediately, obviously they are desert lizards and need heat! You can use a regular, household halogen indoor flood bulb like you buy at Walmart, Lowes, home depot, etc. And then buy a clamp lamp that has a large, aluminum reflector behind the bulb. Walmart sells 3 different sizes of the fixtures, the middle size is the one you want, it's either a 6" or 8" reflector, they are in the aisle that has electrical boxes and wiring stuff for around $6. You have to make sure her basking bulb is bright white, no colored bulbs, and probably want a 75 watt for that enclosure, so just look at Walmart or if they don't have one definitely Lowes does, a 75 watt halogen indoor flood bulb. That's it, the bulb should cost between $5-$10. You do need to spend another $10 on a digital probe thermometer at Petco or PetSmart because you must be able to accurately measure her temps, and stick-on thermometers are totally inaccurate and you cannot measure her basking spot with one.

You'll have to buy her a new UVB tube and matching length long fixture soon, you'll want an 18" 10.0 UVB tube, better if you order an 18" Reptisun 10.0 T5HO on Amazon.com, and then they'll give you a package deal for the fixture too. It will be at least 50% less than buying them in a pet store, the Reptisun 10.0 tubes cost around $23 on Amazon and are like $37 at Petco or PetSmart.

Her tail actually looks fine to me too. It's a little damaged scale, as AHBD already mentioned, nothing to worry about. I was expecting a horrible wound! Lol...

Oh my goodness, she is super adorable! You're so awesome for taking in a neglected old beardie. Her nose and jaw look deformed, likely from Metabolic Bone Disease like you mentioned or just the neglect. You can't reverse the damage but proper care will keep it from getting worse (the best thing being high quality UVB). You can practically see the appreciation on her face. It warms my heart.

I just wanted to update everyone it’s been about a month now I think since I’ve had Ellie and she’s doing so much better!! She is definitely a little bit clumsy, but she is a lot stronger and more alert. She gets so excited about food now, every morning she looks at me expectantly and comes running whenever the worms go in. She even gets excited about her salads and is eating her greens more frequently than when I first got her. She is also POOPING a lot more. I have had a number of different pets growing up and I have to say her ****s smell by far the worst hahaha. My only wish is for her to have more space as I don’t think the tank she’s lived in has really been adequate for her, but hopefully that will be resolved sometime in the near future. Gross poop and all, I adore her to pieces. Thanks again everyone!

It's always so nice to read a positive update, and you have done a great job with her. Go Ellie !!