found a sick beardie, neep help

[ArdorAndZeal1]

btw, I think its BEAUTIFUL that you care so much and took such diligent pictures/posts.

if i can help at all, let me know

 

[vickson420]

Hi
Wow yes I see what you mean.First yes he seriously underweight and yes I believe MBD is playing a big factor here.To me it doesnt look like a bump as a curviture in his spinal cord thats shifting everything over.He needs calcium therapy and a really good uvb.I would go very slow introducing live feeders but soft bodied worms is a good start.I would also supplement with babyfood(veggie) and did I already telll you to get soem repta aid? Also if at all possible he needs a vet visit to get bllodwork and calcium injections and hopefully liquid calcium to take home with you.What size tank is he is again?I would not put anything in there he could fall off of his bones are very fragile now.As for the scab yes neosporin would be great to put on it.

 

[benzychik]

what can i do for calcium therapy? i am using the rep cal i bought yesterday calcium with d3, how much do i put in his baby food every day until i get the phoenix worms thursday? he is eating the baby chicken food really good and butternut squash, but he likes chicken better. i gave him a small amount of pedialyte today, how much should i give him of that? what else can i blend or make for him that is high in calcium? which veggie babyfood?? what is repta aid? is it like safe gaurd? someone told me to use safe gurad to get the internal parisites out of him, where can i find repta aid? his tank is 30 gallon long and he has nothing to fall off of. thank you. I will see how much it would cost to see a vet.

 

[EclpsPrinc]

That's just horrible! Some people are just so heartless. He looks so much like my Max when I first got him. He's lucky you found him to administer lots of needed TLC to pull him through. Hope he has a speedy recovery!

 

[vickson420]

what can i do for calcium therapy? i am using the rep cal i bought yesterday calcium with d3, how much do i put in his baby food every day until i get the phoenix worms thursday? he is eating the baby chicken food really good and butternut squash, but he likes chicken better. i gave him a small amount of pedialyte today, how much should i give him of that? what else can i blend or make for him that is high in calcium? which veggie babyfood?? what is repta aid? is it like safe gaurd? someone told me to use safe gurad to get the internal parisites out of him, where can i find repta aid? his tank is 30 gallon long and he has nothing to fall off of. thank you. I will see how much it would cost to see a vet.

Mercedes just put in a pinch of calcium every time you make the babyfood and even after you get te pheonix I would still go ahead and use the repcal/babyfood mixture for a while.When I said calcium therapy I meant an injection and liquid calcium.Dont use the safeguard its too rough for him.Repta aid critical care formula is a supplement to help balance his nutrition levels out and you can get it at most pet stores.As for the babyfood try mixxing a veggie with a fruit and see if he will take that better or mix just a little of the chicken in with the veggie.I dont think he should be getting too much protien right now until your sure his body can take it.Since he is so malnurished his frail little system may not be able to break it down in large quantity and he could go into shock.I didt realize just how thin he is until I saw the pics.You can actually mix the pedialyte in with the babyfood just enough to thin it out but if/when you get the repta aid stop using the pedialyte because it will overload his electolytes.Squash is a great baby food.Also if you have a blender/food processor you can mix up some cactus pear(high calcium),turnip greens(high calcium) or escarole(high calcium) with the baby food as well.I am sorry I am sure we discussed it but what type of uvb is he using?

 

[benzychik]

he has a reti glo 8.0 8 inches from him a ceramic heater and a regualr light bulb to get the temperature right until i get a mercury vapor bulb with heat and uvb.

 

[beardie osk]

Oh my, this is a severly dehydrated and malnurished baby................He has no fat on him and I've never seen head fat pads so sunken in............poor baby! I am so upset at the person who abandoned this beardie.................I cannot imagine that this person could do that nor have the decency to at least bring this little one to a shelter........enough of that.....................Now he has you, and it's refreshing to see that your caring for him.

I agree with the moderator, please be very light with the protein, I know he likes the chicken, but his system won't be able to handle the metabolic process needed to break it down, so you would be better off giving the squash and pedialyte with a little fruit for a while until he gets stronger. I do think your dealing with a few things, vit. deficiency, MBD, and lack of fluids, etc. so a vet visit would be great. I wouldn't treat any parasite until you have a sure diagnosis of them and he's under the vet's care with the medication given his condition

Thank-you for caring so much and we will all be looking forward to your updates during the great care given!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Drache613]

Hello Mercedes,

Wow he sure is thin for sure. The best thing you can do is begin introducing protein slowly & focus on greens, & hydration with some small amounts of protein. He is emaciated & too much protein can be too hard on his kidneys.
You will need to use a small pinch of calcium 5 times per week, to start. When will your new mercury vapor bulb be in? Or have you ordered it yet?
Make sure he does not get overheated using the ceramic heat emitter & the basking light both.

Keep us posted on him.

Tracie

 

[diamc]

Oh, the poor thing, thanks for trying to help him. I agree that he needs some fattening up but to take it real easy on the protein because he is so thin.

Did you get a temperature gun or a digital thermometer with a probe on the end? A ceramic heat emitter and a basking bulb seems like quite a bit of heat for a 30 gallon tank. What wattage is the emitter and the basking bulb? A mercury vapor bulb may be too hot & too strong or only a 30 gallon. We usually suggest a minimum of a 40 gallon tank for a MVB. What wattage did you order and what brand?

Hope you see an improvement daily, we wish you a lot of luck with him.

 

[benzychik]

the temperture only gets up to 90 degrees because the ceramic heater is higher up, but i did get the digital hydrometer , thermometer. he also will not eat lettuce or any greens or veggies i have to puree it and put it in the syringe. i did not order the vapor light yet so i will just a basking spot light . what watt should i get? also what kind of fruits can i use with the baby food, and pedialyte? he is also getting baths every day. Thank you guys so much! Youve been a really big help.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

What are you measuring the temps with? At 90 he can't properly digest his food. The basking temps should be 95-105 for him, to help him digest.
If you are using a stick on thermometer, it will be off by possibly up to 10+ degrees sometimes. You will need to get a digital probe or a temp gun to measure the temps better.
If you get a halogen light for a basking light, I would get a 75 watt unless you have a large tank. Keep it at 6 or 8 inches & place it directly beside the Reptiglo 8 flourescent tube bulb. How far away is the Reptiglo 8 from your dragon, & how old is it?


Tracie

 

[ArdorAndZeal1]

cant contribute much to this forum- but heres a link and picture of Repta-Aid.. comes with good instructions and useful syringe.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753955

 

[benzychik]

the tank is logner than a normal 30 gallon and not as tall but the ceramic heater is higher up so im going to get a 75 watt light and put it on there, he is moving around a little bit today.

 

[benzychik]

is there any other foods like cactus pear or escarole that are high in calcium i could feed him ? i cant find either of those/

 

[vickson420]

What about turnip greens or spaghetti squash? Can you find those?