Handicapped beardie *updated pictures*(20 mo later)

[puppytoes72]

that second pic is the cutest,he looks like he is posing for you

 

[momofonebeardie]

Abe, our rescue, has some vision problems. He can not see very well. I have to put his food right in front of him.

He is super sweet. I am so glad she found you and your husband. He will have a great home.

 

[diamc]

Thanks momofonebeardie. We are glad we found him too. You sure have done a great job with Abe. Widget sure loves being held. Today he ate 14 crickets. He's getting a little pot belly. He was taking his bath today when 2 crickets ran by him, he left his bath, ate them, then went back to finish his bath.
Here's 2 recent pics and the first one is him chomping down a cricket.

 

[lardiearse]

Hi, his colouring is lovely!! and its nice to see that you both have taken to each other.

Im new to the world of BD, i went to the pet shop to find an animal that was a bit different. i was looking around at all type of different animals, when i looked up and saw this little head popping up and down, so i stop and look at it for a few mins scanning its boby, then there was 3 more running over. As i carried on looking i noticed the toes one of its back legs didnt look right. 2 of the toes didnt have nails. i didnt know if this was deformed or they had been chewed off. Also the end of he/she tail didnt look right at the tip.

When the shop assistant came over to sell us one, he didnt even look at this little sweetie, so i told him i wanted this one, which he couldnt give me much infomation about how or why the little BD was like this. To me it didnt matter as it made he/she different, i knew it would give me more enjoyment to be able to give a loving home.

My BD is about the same age as yours and ive only had he/she for 10days.
He/she is doing well, i think as im still new to this and trying my best to read books and to read bits off this website to help me understand and to try and give my BD the best enviroment i can.

Could i ask some question, i have wood chip on the bottom of the viv and would like to change it cos i worry that he is going to eat it when he catches the crickes. could you tell me what you have around your viv or wot is the best matiral to use?

I havent tried a bath yet, but i read that you can use a soft toothbrush to clean them?

Is it normal when they have a poo, for it to be white as well as dark?

I never see my BD drink water, i have tried to put a drop on his nose (dont like it)and i put water into his fruit and veg bowl, should i mist he/she?

You are so brave in picking up or even taken there back legs off as they look so evil!

Im so glad to be able to give this BD a new home xx

 

[puppytoes72]

aww,thats great of you to pick out the different beardie.the white in the poo is the urate(pee)and thats normal alot of beardies wont drink water from a dish.bathing 2-3x a week for 20 minutes in lukewarm water helps hydrate them.safe substrate is papertowels,NON-adhesive shelfliner,reptile carpet and slate tiles,rough not glazed.check out this caresheet,it has alot of great info http://www.kakadudragons.com/caresheet/caresheet.php if you have any more questions feel free to PM me,or you can start your own thread so you can get the views of many ppl.i would trust what you hear on the internet more than what info you can get from books because most are very outdated.

 

[diamc]

lardiearse, congrats on your new beardie. Puppytoes answered your questions, but I wanted to add that you might want to think about getting one of these little bath dishes like I'm using for Widget. It works out very well and he enjoys it. I didn't want to stress him out by bringing him downstairs and giving him a full blown bath right now. I've only had him for 2 wks today. This way, I set the dish in there, add quite warm water, set him in it and put the basking light right over him. That way he can sit there and get hydrated by himself. When he's done, he climbs out and I pick him up to dry him off. It works out very well for both of us right now.

You'll get used to handling crickets soon. Takes a little while and believe me, I never thought I would own reptiles and be handling crickets and all types of worms. The only ones that bother me, are the superworms because they wiggle like crazy when holding them. Removing the back legs does make it much easier for the babies to catch them. Good luck with your beardie and feel free to ask any questions at any time. :wink:

 

[diamc]

Thought I would give an update on Widget. We've had him for 5 wks now and he went from eating 6 small sized crickets a day to about 30 now. He catches them pretty good on his own now as long as I remove their back legs. It's easy for him to lose sight of them with only one eye. He'll eat 10 at a time from my fingers though. He loves his new hammock and new UVB light. He's grown from 6 inches which was mostly tail to almost 8 inches now. Has had 1 complete shed and is starting another. His orange color is really starting to show up. He likes dandelion, endive and escarole and just about finishes it up daily. Doesn't like having water put on his nose while he's in his tank but drinks every drop if I'm holding him. Is still quite jumpy when I bring him downstairs and hold him while we're sitting at the table, but is better than he was a few wks ago. He has acute hearing and is always turning his head when he hears one of us walk upstairs. He gets excited when he sees the cricket container. So, I guess he is gaining in every aspect. Here's a pic I took over the weekend.

 

[pscaulkins]

diamc, what an adorable baby. You can tell he is doing great. He is so lucky to have your family.

Sandy

Magick & Semi

 

[MasterofLink]

That's great that you guys took him in, I love 'em! He seems to have a wonderful home and will probably turn out great. Keep us updates with pics on this little guy!

 

[Aidans_mom]

ohhh what a little cutie pie! he sounds like he's adapted well.

 

[diamc]

Thanks and yes he has adapted well. I will be sure to keep you updated and with pics as he continues to grow. :wink:

 

[puppytoes72]

wow,he is doing great! 30 crickets is good.his tummy is growing bigger.he has great colors and he sure seems to be enjoying that hammock

 

[oldgal]

Wow he sure is growing.. love that lil pink mouth while hes gapping. :lol: There he is all spread eagle enjoying his hammock, so cute....Love seeing updated pic's of him..Thanks Diamc

 

[diamc]

Thanks. I was noticing tonight how much he's grown. His tail base is getting fat. Our order of worms came in so I offered him phoenix worms last night but he only watched them. Today I put 4 in his viv and they were all gone when I got home from work.

Oldgal, in that pic of him with the open mouth is when he was chomping on a cricket. :lol: I'll continue to send updated pics.

 

[lacy_black]

You're extremely lucky and so is Widget Aug. 5th i'm going to a reptile show in Mars Pa and if I see any special needs dragons I know ill want to buy :roll: I'm a sucker for special animals. I so wanna get Nemo 1 of those hammocks but we have a mesh cage from bigappleherp so i'm not sure how to hook 1 up I have a feeling widget's going to be a spoiled baby He's beautiful, congratz on having him.