3 beardies in a 40 gallon... >:|

[MeganKacey]

If this is in the wrong section, please move it.

I have a friend who has 3 beardies in a 40 gallon breeder tank. Now they are all different sizes. One of which is 16 inches, one who is 8 inches, and another who is about 5 inches. He is trying to tell me that they have enough space, and get along great. The biggest one has a severe calcium deficiency...and now the small ones are probably gonna get a deficiency too because he is using a ReptiGlo 2.0 coil. I've tried to tell him numerous times that its not safe to put beardies together, and he needs to get a better UVB bulb. I've given him this site over and over again and he doesn't want to listen.

Yesterday he tells me that the smallest one died...and that its foot and eye were missing. I didn't even say anything to him. I just walked away.

Has anyone else had a friend/relative like this? What can i do to help the other dragons?

Im sorry but I just feel so bad for the other ones.

 

[Nejiwayne]

I had a few friends that were like that and unfortunately the only thing that worked was to sit them down and tell them (on a verry serious note) that they are wrong. If theyre friends theyll listen.

In their case they didnt like to read and dont like to admit their wrong.

Info is best given in small chunks/bullets rather than paragraphs with these types of ppl, so I typed a caresheet "list" for them that was reeal easy to read and that helped them alot.

 

[FBradshaw]

Unfortunately there just isn't much you can do if they refuse to listen or even look up the information. A simple care sheet like Nejiwayne suggested may work but it sounds like you've got a stubborn friend on your hands.

 

[MommiesBoyX]

was dealing with the same issue as you for a while...only on a larger scale. a so called rescue mistreating all their animals. pictures and more details on my post mitchells, dwarf, or mistreated.

all you have to do is be firm. use a care sheet. point out the bad health and offer to take them off his hands (i once traded a stupid young kid a 20$ lottery ticket for a tokay gecko he had living in a cardboard box on hampster bedding). see if you can take the dragons off his hands, tell him to keep the cage.

maybe animal control might be able to help. that is animal cruelty.

good luck!

 

[MeganKacey]

I had a few friends that were like that and unfortunately the only thing that worked was to sit them down and tell them (on a verry serious note) that they are wrong. If theyre friends theyll listen.

In their case they didnt like to read and dont like to admit their wrong.

Info is best given in small chunks/bullets rather than paragraphs with these types of ppl, so I typed a caresheet "list" for them that was reeal easy to read and that helped them alot.

Thats a great idea. Ill start working on a bullet list of things he should change, and hopefully that'll work. Thanks for the reply.

Unfortunately there just isn't much you can do if they refuse to listen or even look up the information. A simple care sheet like Nejiwayne suggested may work but it sounds like you've got a stubborn friend on your hands.

He's definitely not the easiest person to talk to. He's also a petcare manager at petsmart. Ugh.

was dealing with the same issue as you for a while...only on a larger scale. a so called rescue mistreating all their animals. pictures and more details on my post mitchells, dwarf, or mistreated.

all you have to do is be firm. use a care sheet. point out the bad health and offer to take them off his hands (i once traded a stupid young kid a 20$ lottery ticket for a tokay gecko he had living in a cardboard box on hampster bedding). see if you can take the dragons off his hands, tell him to keep the cage.

maybe animal control might be able to help. that is animal cruelty.

good luck!

I saw that post. Very heart wrenching.
Its amazing that parents don't realize that their kids aren't taking proper care of an animal. Its disgusting.
If nothing else works then I have no choice to take them off his hands.


Ill let you guys know how it goes. **fingers crossed**

 

[Atrax]

People like that are no friends of mine, even if they were at some point! I really HATE ignorant and "I know everything and you know nothing" people!
I would call RSPCA (? or how it's called in your parts), that's just criminal!

Pet care manager at PetSmart? Well that explains everything!

 

[PudgysMom]

You need to make a decision. Is keeping this so-called friend more important to you than the health of the other beardies?

I'd give him an ultimatum. He listens and fixes the problem or tell him you're calling animal control. Those babies deserve better. Then stick to your guns. If he has a problem with it, he wasn't a true friend to begin with.

 

[Jess]

I'd give him an ultimatum. He listens and fixes the problem or tell him you're calling animal control. Those babies deserve better. Then stick to your guns. If he has a problem with it, he wasn't a true friend to begin with.

To be honest, I really don't think animal control would do anything about it. As long as an animal has food, water, and shelter they won't take them away. And since most animal control places are more into furry animals than reptiles, they probably wouldn't know that keeping more than one beardie in a 40 gal or having a 2.0 UVB light is considered neglecting them in the first place.
IMO, it would be better to try and convince your friend to give them to you yourself.

 

[PudgysMom]

That's how I rescued my Pudgy.

 

[Jess]

You're little one is pretty lucky that the RSPCA there actually cares. I'm not sure if you saw Tastiger's post about Rocky, the severely emaciated and neglected beardie, but the animal control there wouldn't do anything about his situation.

I guess it wouldn't hurt to let animal control know about the OP's friend's beardies, but I wouldn't count on that being the sole method of rescueing them. I guess what I'm trying to say is that there needs to be a back-up plan for a rescue attempt, and I'm worried that if animal control were called on these people but didn't take the animals, the friend would completely stop talking to the OP and no one would be able to save them.

 

[MeganKacey]

People like that are no friends of mine, even if they were at some point! I really HATE ignorant and "I know everything and you know nothing" people!
I would call RSCPA (? or how it's called in your parts), that's just criminal!

Pet care manager at PetSmart? Well that explains everything!

I did try talking to an exotic rescue and they said that the only thing they would be able to do is visit the house. And basically if they have food/water/lights and aren't emaciated or injured of some sort that they can't do anything. :roll:

Yeah, exactly. He tried to tell me(before he was a friend) that I needed to feed my old dragon big crickets by the time she was 6inches or she wouldn't live. Gah. I'm so happy I found this site.

You need to make a decision. Is keeping this so-called friend more important to you than the health of the other beardies?

I'd give him an ultimatum. He listens and fixes the problem or tell him you're calling animal control. Those babies deserve better. Then stick to your guns. If he has a problem with it, he wasn't a true friend to begin with.

Exactly what I did. But they said they can't do anything...because the beardies aren't "injured" or emaciated. Ugh.
Im so frustrated with this. I will see him tomorrow and give him the "care sheet" I made and this site again. I'm even gonna show him a link to this topic to see how people who really care react to him and his so called "care". I'll definitely be letting everyone know what happens.

 

[PudgysMom]

Wishing you luck!!