Don't know if we should rescue!

[Tarragon]

The pet store that we saved our dragon from has one who is the same age as ours, but it is half the size of the rest of them. They are selling him for $70-90. They do not treat their beardies well at all. They only give them enough crickets to eat about 6 a day (for all sizes) and keep them in very small cages. They keep 10-20 babies all together in cages about a foot big in all directions and they even have a full grown one in one of those cages. They have 6-7 juveniles in a tank with no lid out in the open where people can just grab them and they look very angry. We don't want to buy from them because then they will just have more demand for them, but I don't want to just leave them. We don't know what to do!

 

[Tarragon]

I just went back to see he little guy again and he cant be more than 5 inches long(including tail) and ours is 15 inches long. They are the same age. I feel so bad for the little guy.

 

[Tarragon]

As a side inquiry; does anyone know if a bearded dragon, about 6-8 months old, whose size is radically smaller than one of the same age can or will grow to a "normal" size?

 

[Snarf]

Sorry to hear that, it's always a disgusting thing to read about. I don't suppose you have any animal welfare regulatory bodies you can contact. The issue is as much as you might want to buy and salvage what you can - all that is going to happen without contacting the law and having the issue resolved, is that they will get new stock in and it will be a never ending cycle that you simply cannot win by buying the live stock off of them.

As a side inquiry; does anyone know if a bearded dragon, about 6-8 months old, whose size is radically smaller than one of the same age can or will grow to a "normal" size?

In terms of this; with proper handling and care you can dramatically increase their size and weight to a much more healthier state, however it is unlikely that it will be "fully" grown. Apart from all else it does come down somewhat to genetics along with the lack of proper nourishment, however you can see a radical change and add a lot to their size potentially from great care - they've still a lot to )grow at 6-8 months

 

[TheDragonKeepers]

I hate to say it - but don't pay for the dragon. I'm sorry, but buying a sick, injured or poorly kept animal to rescue it encourages retailers to do it all the more - they sell!
Report it to your local animal welfare group ASAP - better yet, go in, explain your concerns, offer the dragon a good home and the care it clearly needs - but don't offer to pay for it.

 

[Spike1etta]

Your money would be better spent, and help out the store and the dragons more if you would write an article on basic care and have it published or posted in the local paper. Use things wrong at the pet store as a stepping stone for what to write about, WITHOUT naming the pet store. Letters to the editor, if they have a pet section, you can write to the journalist in charge, or just take out a small ad with basic info are all places to start when you want to spread a message. CL is also a good place to post something, it might only stay up for a few hours, but in that time you might have saved a dragons life or educated someone who is in charge of a dragon.

 

[Gail]

I agree with thedragonkeepers, you need to walk away from this. It wouldn't be a rescue, it would be a purchase and you would be rewarding the store for their bad care. Sure you would save that one little dragon but what about the next one or the one after that? You can't save them all and as hard as it is, the store won't learn anything if people buy sick animals.
This is the reason I never, ever look at reptiles in pet stores any more. There are thousands of dragons hatched every year, most end up in crappy pet store being bought by people who have no business owning a exotic pet.
Do yourself a favor and start shopping online.