Dragon flipping onto back constantly, lethargic

[Gormagon]

Before I go on about anything else, I would like to commend you on being there for him when no one else would even acknowledge that he was in distress. You have a kind heart and never let it go.

I set last night and read this entire thread and went on a rollercoaster ride of emotions.
I got angry at the *****s that are supposed to be your teachers because, "they are supposed to teach by example" as well as from a book.
I got beyond mad because of their inaction that was causing harm to this wonderful little creature called Steve.
I got sad because of his condition.
I got happy with every step forward he took.
I got a bit anxious to see what happens next.

Well, I would like to give you some advice!
Gather any evidence to their neglect and make copies(photos, emails ect...)
Gather all of the receipts involved in his care ad run a total (lights, heaters, special foods, vet bills ect..)
Write a timeline of his progress.
Now since they are essentially saying he is school property, give them a choice; pay the bills incurred and get his vivarium set up right, take him to the vet when he needs it, feed him a proper diet, or he will not return to the horrid conditions provided by them.
Since money was an issue before, they would most likely let you keep him instead of pushing the issue.

Kudos Lil Lady you are an Angel
Nothing but respect for you,
John

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Hopefully he will be able to motivate around more easily & learn to balance himself better too.
At least he has the energy to want to run around too. Is he eating pretty well also?
I think he's looking very good & his colors are nice as well. He has come a long way! I hope you are going to be keeping him, too.

Tracie

 

[SilverGravity]

Finally got some pictures of his mouth! The yellow seems to have spread, all around his teeth are yellow now. They aren't the best pictures, but it was the best we could get and I didn't want to stress him more than I needed to.

Disclaimer #1: I was gentle with him, I know the pictures look kind of rough on him. He was fine throughout the whole thing, just a bit grumpy to have a syringe stuck in his mouth a lot so I could keep it open long enough enough to get a picture.

Disclaimer #2: I swear I'm wearing pants, they're just shorts.

 

[SilverGravity]

And thank you Gormagon for the advice! I've been trying to keep the receipts from what I but for him, including his two vet trip bills (wow were those expensive). I've also been keeping track of his weight, and he's gained around 20 grams since I first weighed him almost 2 months ago.

Also, the teacher who was caring for him and the other small animals has left apparently! I'm not sure if she quit or got fired, but I heard she was no longer there and I don't think she'll be there this school year anymore luckily. They should all get better care as they did have a vet came in and told them all the changes and requirements that must be met for them but I'm not counting on that happening really, I'll believe it when I see it.

As for his feeding, he'll eat his reptaboost because I basically force him since it's by syringe but he hasn't been eating much greens. I did manage to get him to start eating them a bit again yesterday, but his main food is reptaboost.

His coloring is starting to come back with each part of him that sheds; when his lips shed they became more orange, his legs have orange scales on them, and his foot just shed and is pretty orange.

Main concern though, what do I do about his gums/teeth? Do you guys think it's fungal or maybe I just never noticed all the yellow? It's only at his teeth is it yellow, the rest of his mouth doesn't seem to be, it's pink. It still doesn't seem to bother him, but it really looks like it's progressed and spread.

 

[Cakes37]

I would suggest to give him honey for now for his teeth. Honey is apparently good for that but im not so sure, I just read it somewhere ?

 

[SpacialCoogs]

Are the teeth stained yellow or does he have a yellow buildup between his teeth?

 

[SilverGravity]

I'm not entirely sure, and he's sleeping right now so I'll see if I can find out tomorrow, but either sounds likely honestly. His gums around his teeth are yellow too. He never keeps his mouth open long enough to get a good look though, so is there any way to maybe scrape some of it off his teeth if it's buildup rather than color, or keep his mouth open?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Since the rest of his mouth is pink, then it shouldn't be liver issues.
They can get plaque build up on their teeth & gums sometimes. It's hard to tell but it doesn't really look like mouth rot.
You could get a small soft toothbrush & using a diluted betadine solution, try to brush his teeth & gums several times per week if he will tolerate it.
Does he eat anything crunchy, like carrots or dry pellets? They could help with keeping teeth a little cleaner.
How is he doing this evening?
So the teacher is no longer there then? That is very interesting. You could just keep him now that she is gone.

Tracie

 

[SilverGravity]

I looked it up and there was hardly any info or pictures of plaque with beardies, but the one I did find looked pretty similar to his mouth, and he eats nothing crunchy besides crickets so that's probably it then! So relieved it's (most likely) not mouth rot or anything of the like. I've tried to feed him squash which could help, but he just doesn't recognize it as food, or refuses to eat it. Either way, nothing crunchy as he wont eat anything that's not greens or crickets. Do you think crickets help keep his teeth clean, or are they not crunchy enough?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Well, crickets are relatively crunchy so that should help, or superworms too.
You could try hand feeding him carrots, raw squash or bell peppers also.
Just keep an eye on it, but it doesn't look like mouth rot to me. I hope Steve is doing well tonight.

Tracie

 

[SilverGravity]

Alright, I'll see what I can do. He got crickets today so hopefully that helped. Thank you! ^^

 

[simpledragon]

Hello. It has been awhile. Are there any updates on Steve?

 

[AHBD]

Yes, Steve was given to a rescue. Silvergravity posted in the rescue forum about it.

 

[simpledragon]

Thank you. I had not seen that.

 

[SpacialCoogs]

Here's the new thread
https://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1755865#p1755530