HELP! Beardy lost OUTSIDE!

[stellar96]

Hello fellow BD lovers!

3 days ago, we lost our 1 year old bearded dragon outside. MY younger brothers were playing outside in the sun and asked me if they could take our beloved family pet outside. As always I said yes. They had friends over and wanted to show off Stellar. This is a usual occurrence in our house hold, so I did not think much of it. I was inside studying for a test, when my 11 year old brother came running inside yelling for me. I ran outside and there was not Stellar to be found. Turns out they had got distracted by something and of course, forgot to put his harness on. We have a forest behind our house with MANY places to hide and our backyard is huge! It started raining today and because I live in Canada, it is not exactly the warmest! Last night it dropped to 42 degrees and then back up to 70 degrees during the day! I can't believe this is happening to my helpless BD...I set up a heat lamp outside in the middle of our yard as well as a few sites for mealworms, crickets, waxworms ect. I have not slept in DAYS worrying about my poor baby who is probably waiting for us to find him! Stellar is a huge part of my life and I would hate to lose him over a little kids mistake! I understand it is my fault for not supervising my brothers and most of you may call me an irresponsible BD owner, but this was not our first time! He never runs away like this (but normally he has a harness)! I don't know what to do! I have searched high and low; I have even walked around with a flashlight in the middle of the night. I have braved the spiders, and walked the forest at night! HE is NOWHEWRE to be found! I can't sleep, or even have fun as my stomach is twisting for my poor little guy!

Please, all I need right now is support!

Thanks,
Stellar's very concerned momma

Come back baby boy

 

[AHBD]

Oh no, that's too bad ! I really feel for you. Everyone will give you the same advice, to just comb the area as thoroughly as you can. Look in the same places every day, and as difficult as it is look in the woods. If the temps. are low then I doubt he would have gone far....beardies will look for a spot to curl up + sleep when temps. are low, so if he made it to the woods then he probably didn't go in far, so look in any hiding places at the edge of the woods. Then when the sun comes out he will prob. seek a warm spot and you might see him sunning himself. He might even stay asleep [ like when they brumate ] for weeks and then come out when it warms and he could survive that....don't give up hope.

I hope you find your boy Stellar !

 

[CooperDragon]

I agree, don't give up hope. They are very tough and I've heard several cases of them surviving outside for quite a time. I agree with AHBD's thoughts to look for him sunning in places if it warms up and gets sunny. In the meantime, look for him to be curled up in a warm or enclosed spot in, around, or under bushes and places not too far from the house or the area where he was last seen. Even if he ran off while the weather was nice, he was likely to take shelter and slow himself down to protect against the cooler weather. I wouldn't be surprised if he wound up heading back toward the house at some point.

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. I know how you feel ! Our oldest was lost outside for six weeks and my husband was out in the garage happened to look in our drive way and there he was just standing there in the same spot he was when he disappeared. We thought for sure some neighborhood cats got to him, but he was just fine. Don't give up hope he'll find his way back . Oh and we live in Montana this was the beginning of may until the end of June and there were some very cold nights and days. Hopefully you'll ha e your baby back soon

 

[kmc4392]

Any luck with the search?

 

[stellar96]

Any luck with the search?

Thank you kmc and destiny for the concern. Unfortunately, there has been no luck. I was SURE that I would find him yesterday in the sun as it was a decent temperature, but Stellar is no where to be found. I have noticed a few SMALL, HARMLESS snakes in the area; however it still scares me.

Thanks again and I will keep you guys in the loop.

-Stellar's momma

 

[SDragon]

Sorry there has been no luck.

You may have done this, but I would start where the lizard was last seen and work outwards at lizard level. Look 360 degrees for the first hiding spots he she would have found. She may well have bolted out of fear so headed for safety, which may not have been far. Could she have gone back towards your house which would have offered warmth? Look around the edge of the house for places she could wedge herself in. Don't ignore places you have looked as she may move between spots.

What is the temperature day and night like where you are?

 

[stellar96]

Sorry there has been no luck.

You may have done this, but I would start where the lizard was last seen and work outwards at lizard level. Look 360 degrees for the first hiding spots he she would have found. She may well have bolted out of fear so headed for safety, which may not have been far. Could she have gone back towards your house which would have offered warmth? Look around the edge of the house for places she could wedge herself in. Don't ignore places you have looked as she may move between spots.

What is the temperature day and night like where you are?

hello SDragon. Thank you for the tips! Currently it is around 70 degrees during the day and 45 degrees at night. In the next few days the temperature should be going up to 77 degrees during the day. I know this is not ideal weather to find my beard! He is probably sleeping somewhere

 

[SDragon]

Apologies I though it was a she amd forgot you had clarified the temperatures.

Yes it is quite likely he would have bedded down somewhere, however that means he may not have gone far, so don't give up hope. With those temperatures he would have needed to find somewhere to protect himself from the cold, so bear that in mind.

I'd definitely focus on the yard perimeter again or anything he could have got under and decided to stay when it hit cold.

Good luck!

 

[EarlyUpLate]

I certainly hope this story ends well, wish I could be there with you in the search for your lost friend.
My best wishes are with you and Stellar.

Hopeful thoughts from,
EarlyUpLate

 

[Taterbug]

I'm sorry to hear about your little one and that he hasn't turned up. I'm sure he will be clever enough to find a place to stay safe, wedged up in something like other mention, dug up under something or whatever else it is they do to get out of the cold. Hopefully the sun will be out for you and give him some weather to bask in and reveal himself. They can be pretty adept climbers so I would also keep an eye up in trees and bushes.

 

[stellar96]

Hello Everyone,
It has been over a week since we lost Stellar. It is cold and has been raining. I am struggling to stay positive through all of this as even I am cold outside and I am warm blooded. My brother keeps asking when we will get a new one. What do I do? How much longer should I wait? How long can he survive the cold? I am freaking out! I don't want to give up because he is a huge part of our family! I miss my cuddles :| and loves and CUTENESS ! He helped me with my homework, and sat with me when I was lonely. Although it has only been a year, Stellar has left an imprint on all of our lives. I cant imagine what my poor baby is going through!

Love you Stellar!

 

[SDragon]

I'm sorry you haven't found him yet. I'd certainly keep looking, there is absolutely no need to rush into getting another bearded dragon, unless you have a second set-up so you can house both if Stellar is found.

 

[AHBD]

I'm sorry that he hasn't turned up yet. I know you are totally stressed out and feel completely helpless. Beardies are excellent diggers, they can dig burrows in a very short period of time and curl up + hide. Hopefully he is just waiting for the temps. to change and the sun to come out.

 

[Gail]

My aunt once lost a beardie outside and he didn't turn up for a couple months. The neighbor three houses down found him in the back yard. It had been cold and rainy in that tie too.
If you have neighbors, let them know you are missing a large harmless reptile, maybe even post some fliers around in case he wanders.