My son, TJ, received a baby bearded dragon from his grandpa for his 10th birthday. I fell so head over heels in love with "Spyro" (my son's dragon) :love5: that I "took over" him which was very unappreciated by my son 
....so I went and got my own to shower with love and attention and named him "Gollum" (after my favorite JRR Tolkien book character). Although I had spent a little over a month learning about bearded dragons, choosing a hatchling and how to care for them, :book: I foolishly chose the smallest baby at the pet store laying on the very bottom of a 4 beardie pileup. I scooped him up, purchased all the necessities and put him inside the front pocket of my T-shirt for the drive home. He was as tiny as my pinky finger! :shock:
That was almost 7 years ago. Since then Gollum has never been as healthy or alive as Spyro, and I have often caught myself looking hard into his tank to see if his sides were moving or some other sign that he is still alive.
I have rearranged his husbandry about a million times to be sure he was safe, warm, adequately hydrated and well fed. However, nothing I have ever done has really changed his behavior... :dontknow: and so I just conceded to accept that this was what he would be like. I know it’s terrible, but we often joke about Gollum being on death’s door for most - if not all of his life. :?
Very recently, (June 29, 2013) my son lost his beloved Spyro to what we can only guess must have been a firefly or something similar that flew into his terrarium because he was happy and healthy only hours before he was discovered.
I still can't believe how attached I have become to our little reptilian family members and I don't think I will be getting another one....it just hurts too damn much.
Gollum however is still alive :dontknow: yet over the past week, he has been acting even more lethargic than usual (if that is even possible) and now one of his eyes stays closed all the time. He doesn't eat and won’t even go after any of the super-worms I put into his bowl. :silent: He seems to be sleeping constantly, his legs shake beneath him with every little step, and pretty much drags himself around, ( he doesn’t even pick up his head ) whenever he does move....which is very, very little. I have given him emergency “paste” and some beardie vitamin drops. (both of which are forced upon him :whip: as I am afraid he is WAY too thin and if I don’t make him nourish his skinny little body he will definitely starve himself to death)
Are we going to be finding another dead beardie soon?
Could he be suffering from whatever killed Spyro?
Could it just be old age? How would I be able to tell?
:dontknow: I am at a loss on what else to do at this point and as much as it pains me to say....Gollum truly is on death's door this time and I could lose him any day now.
:help: :help: Any helpful information will be much appreciated and any advice - gladly applied. :help: :help:
....so I went and got my own to shower with love and attention and named him "Gollum" (after my favorite JRR Tolkien book character). Although I had spent a little over a month learning about bearded dragons, choosing a hatchling and how to care for them, :book: I foolishly chose the smallest baby at the pet store laying on the very bottom of a 4 beardie pileup. I scooped him up, purchased all the necessities and put him inside the front pocket of my T-shirt for the drive home. He was as tiny as my pinky finger! :shock: That was almost 7 years ago. Since then Gollum has never been as healthy or alive as Spyro, and I have often caught myself looking hard into his tank to see if his sides were moving or some other sign that he is still alive.
I have rearranged his husbandry about a million times to be sure he was safe, warm, adequately hydrated and well fed. However, nothing I have ever done has really changed his behavior... :dontknow: and so I just conceded to accept that this was what he would be like. I know it’s terrible, but we often joke about Gollum being on death’s door for most - if not all of his life. :? Very recently, (June 29, 2013) my son lost his beloved Spyro to what we can only guess must have been a firefly or something similar that flew into his terrarium because he was happy and healthy only hours before he was discovered.
I still can't believe how attached I have become to our little reptilian family members and I don't think I will be getting another one....it just hurts too damn much.
Gollum however is still alive :dontknow: yet over the past week, he has been acting even more lethargic than usual (if that is even possible) and now one of his eyes stays closed all the time. He doesn't eat and won’t even go after any of the super-worms I put into his bowl. :silent: He seems to be sleeping constantly, his legs shake beneath him with every little step, and pretty much drags himself around, ( he doesn’t even pick up his head ) whenever he does move....which is very, very little.
I have given him emergency “paste” and some beardie vitamin drops. (both of which are forced upon him :whip: as I am afraid he is WAY too thin and if I don’t make him nourish his skinny little body he will definitely starve himself to death) Are we going to be finding another dead beardie soon?
Could he be suffering from whatever killed Spyro?
Could it just be old age? How would I be able to tell?
:dontknow: I am at a loss on what else to do at this point and as much as it pains me to say....Gollum truly is on death's door this time and I could lose him any day now.
:help: :help: Any helpful information will be much appreciated and any advice - gladly applied. :help: :help:
