Abandoned beardie

[Lexi2340]

Hi! I have an interesting g predicament. I was notified by a friend last Friday ,who works at a state park, that she and her coworkers found a bearded dragon. I told her that because I already buy crickets for Clyde (my tarantula) and have many empty terrariums that if she couldn’t find a home for it that I would take him (I think) in. Monday night she brought him to me and I’ve been reading up on care. It is now Wednesday. I initially used a combo of sand and coconut husk for substrate because the first articles I read said it would be appropriate for an adult. after learning about the risk of impactions I used very clean (without chemical cleaners) natural shale in layers over the coconut husk to protect the bottom of the tank. There is no more visible coconut so I believe the substrate is good. He also had quite the large bm today with white urine at the end so I believe that is healthy. He has a side mounted heater and overhead incandescent light for now until I buy a good uvb light (I would love a recommendation for a reasonably priced one)there is a hot and cold side and he has some driftwood for basking and sleeping on I noticed a kink in his tail towards the tip of his tail and no darkening as of yet he is also able to move his tail below the kink. He has been eating mostly crickets and mealworms but I have had little luck tricking him into eating greens. At first he would eat them if I mixed mealworms in but now he eats the mealworm and spits out the greens lol! His name is aldous and I’m growing

[/img] very attached to the little guy. any help in keeping him healthy and happy would be awesome!!
Thank you for your time!
Lexi

 

[CooperDragon]

Poor little guy was probably abandoned by his owner as you said =/. Thanks for taking him in! Based on the photo he looks like he's in pretty good health which is encouraging. How long is he? How much does he weigh? He looks like he's still pretty young based on that photo (under a year I'd guess). I would offer him drops of water on his nose to lick up to make sure he isn't dehydrated. If he's eating calcium dusted crickets and some worms on his own, that's good. I would also offer him a salad every day. 2-3 items from this list is a good idea http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html although if he is still young he may prefer bugs for now.

Putting the shale down is a good idea for substrate and should be pretty easy to clean and sanitize. I would prioritize getting good lighting in place for him now. It's critical to their health so it's worth investing in something good that will last a while. The incandescent bulb is fine if it's directly over his basking light, well out of reach, and producing proper temperature gradients. You want surface temps between about 100-110 in the basking area and a gradient down to around 75-80 or so on the cool side of the tank. Halogen flood bulbs tend to work well for basking lights too and are often cheaper than reptile specific bulbs.

UVB is very important so I advise getting a high quality T5 tube with a good grow light fixture. They aren't cheap up front but last for quite a long time (a year or more without need for bulb replacement - fixtures last for many years). What are the dimensions of the tank he's in? http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/22-t-5-ho-fixture-high-output-with-arcadia-d3-12-ho-bulb/ This is the UVB light I use and it's excellent. Set it 12-14'' above his basking area for best results. You can also get a separate bulb and grow light if you'd prefer. These are a good combination too https://www.amazon.com/Sunblaster-904296-NanoTech-Fixture-Reflector/dp/B00AKKUBDQ/ and http://www.reptilebasics.com/arcadia-desert-12-uvb/arcadia-d3-12-uvb-t5-bulb-22/

Once he has adequate lighting and a good diet he should start to thrive under your care. For the time being if you can bring him outside for some natural sunlight it will help until all of the lighting is in place.

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from Website Comments to Health

 

[kingofnobbys]

I'd hate to think he's just been dumped by some A/hole and left to fend for himself.

His condition looks OK so it's possible he has "gone exploring" or had a fright and made a dash for it and got himself lost or been accidently left behind. He's your spikey child now.

If it's sunny , you can take him outside in a plastic big plastic tub and let him soak up some rays for maybe an hour every other day , if he'll sit happily on your lap or tummy or chest (even better), but definitely never left to his own devices.

A good 10% - 12% UVB T5HO tube will be very healthy for him , how tall is the tank you have him in ?
Is this mesh topped or solid topped , this is a guide for setting up his temps and UV : viewtopic.php?f=34&t=235611

 

[Lexi2340]

Thank you guys for the tips!! I have a harness and leash for him now and have been taking him for walks yesterday afternoon and this morning he seems to love it it’s really adorable how bid he thinks he is as he chances around the hummingbirds at the feeders on my porch. He ate some dehydrated bearded dragon food out there whuch was nice because he usually just dumps it all over his tank! He even ate a bit of dandelion and chick weed I have in my garden. I never have used pesticides or herbicides and read that those are safe to feed him. Unfortunately he grabbed a daddy long legs before I got the chance to snag it? To answer some of the questions here I am not sure how much he weighs I tried using my scale but it wouldn’t read him? he is about a foot long and my tank is about 20 -24 in high with a full screen top.

 

[Lexi2340]

Also here is another picture of the cuteness

 

[CooperDragon]

Very cute. The bright colors in his beard tell me that he is happy/content now too. I think that T5 will fit your tank very well so I'd invest in one if you can.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Thank you guys for the tips!! I have a harness and leash for him now and have been taking him for walks yesterday afternoon and this morning he seems to love it it’s really adorable how bid he thinks he is as he chances around the hummingbirds at the feeders on my porch. He ate some dehydrated bearded dragon food out there whuch was nice because he usually just dumps it all over his tank! He even ate a bit of dandelion and chick weed I have in my garden. I never have used pesticides or herbicides and read that those are safe to feed him. Unfortunately he grabbed a daddy long legs before I got the chance to snag it?
<<< he saw It and thought yum !!! it's mine …. they move quick when they decide to …. and a daddy long legs wont hurt him …. I've had a water skink chase 6" daddy long legs across the lounge room floor one day when it slip in from the gap between the front security screen door and the big timber door when someone went outside, the skink was hanging about behind the lounge and it followed the spider under slat style display unit , a bit banging was heard, , and the spider reappeared a few times , each time less a leg or two only to be pounced on by the little skink and dragged back , eventually the spider disappeared and skink reappeared a while later with very full looking belly …. to bask on a 5W heatpad I set up for the visiting wild water skink when it is hanging out inside with us (to encourage it to stay , under a spare / old 26W UVB200 in a reflector dome hung from a Komodo lamp stand , after having a drink and splash in lid with water in it).

Not uncommon for pet dragons to snap up ants, bees , wasps, centipedes, and spiders when outside , usually freaks out the keeper , but the dragon kills and eats the bug so quick it rarely gets a chance to bite or sting it.


To answer some of the questions here I am not sure how much he weighs I tried using my scale but it wouldn’t read him? he is about a foot long
<<< he's a juvenile (maybe 9 - 12 months old) if he's only about 12" long.

So I suggest two meals of live bugs per day + fresh grated veg and shredded greens every day for now.

I use a set of glass topped kitchen scales (that can read to 1kg and give a resolution of 0.1g
something like this will do https://www.kmart.com.au/product/nutritional-scale/1089404?cm_vc=PDPZ1
I place bit small square tub on the scales then place the measuring tub (a 2L oblong https://www.decor.com.au/product/tellfresh-oblong-2-0-l/
or 10L oblong tub https://www.decor.com.au/product/tellfresh-oblong-10-0-l/
...the type you store food in / freeze food in depending on how long the lizard is , is important the lizard feels secure and all of it is in the tub.
… tare / zero the tub with no lizard in , then place lizard in and quickly weigh , takes under a minute ,and I do this once a week for all my babies/ hatchlings, juveniles and still growing dragons and skinks.

and my tank is about 20 -24 in high with a full screen top.<<< mount the UV source UNDER the screen lid (this will
a) instantly boost the UV by about 45% just by there being screen between the tube and the dragon
b) move the tube a few inches closer which will also boost the UV somewhat , see how to calculate this boost of about another 20% to 30% here viewtopic.php?f=34&t=235611

I suggest a T5HO 12%UVB tube and matching T5HO reflector hood for a tank about 24" tall.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Also here is another picture of the cuteness

…. showing his happy colours too …. he's got the look of a contented happy little dragon.