hey all, very under weight dragon here

[LaPrice]

So we rescued an adult male beardie from a pet shop. he was there when we got our basilisk months ago and was still there so we rescued him. He was housed in a 20 gal tall maybe? but it had dirt so he is FILTHY. he is severely under weight and as far as we can tell shows no signs of MBD. But how should we go about fattening him up? Were getting crickets and probably Phoenix worms very soon, and some more kale. We still have some crickets and turnip greens. I was hoping you would have some tips on getting him healthy again.

Right now he's under a standard basking lamp, probably about 90 or so. We unfortunately do not have a UV for him but we are getting one very soon. He's on paper towels till we get repti carpet too, and my bf should be giving him a bath sometime tonite or i will be tomorrow.

 

[Beardednoob]

I know you got plans for one but please UV ASAP..
Hornworms are a good way to put weight on a dragon
Here is a nutritional page with plenty of good information on vegetables and some feeders.
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

 

[LaPrice]

trust me we will, when we picked him up he had no lights so i dunno when he was put under a UV last (he had them when we saw him the first time months ago). he was so cold too
but thanks for the list

 

[Beardednoob]

Very welcome.
Please post some pictures of him when you can. And keep us up to date on his health. :wink:

 

[LaPrice]

of course
hopefully he doesnt swipe at me XD (he beards and swipes his tail at us if we try to scoop him up). he's not exactly tame, but he'll warm up to us eventually

 

[Beardednoob]

His attitude may have to do with his previous conditions and upkeep. People to him may not be what they should be. With being in a better home with better keepers he should come around. If he doesn't or is reluctant we can help with this too. Just let us know. :wink:

 

[LaPrice]

Yea, pretty sure after he gets some chill time he may calm down some. I wouldn't be surprised if he's just like this because of the pet store, our basilisk was vicious when we first got him (picked up with welding gloves). Now he's ok, he's defensive but ok. Mr. Grumpy is probably the biggest sweet heart ever, or a grumpy old man for which he has been named, Winston.

 

[LaPrice]

Sorry i have no pictures to speak of. But! It looks like Winston may be on the mend, he was alert and looked at me curiously. Though as soon as i stuck my hand in he bearded up. I think he may have eaten the few crickets i've put in and maybe some greens ( couldnt find crickets but the greens had been messed with). I cannot tell because of how much weight he's lost previously he seems to have a lot of skin hanging around ( i think he was once fat and thats where the skin comes from..). But it was the first time he had his head up and was basking willingly. So hopefully only good news from here on!

 

[Beardednoob]

That is great, keep us posted

 

[LaPrice]

Again i have no pictures, mostly because he beards and flails if we try (he doesnt like my boyfriend much)
BUT! more good news, he is eating alot more crickets than before, though we cant get him to eat any greens. but we have a water dish for him since he wont eat the greens, we would mist the greens before putting them in there and he would lick the moisture off instead. he's calmed down in the last few days as well, though he still seems to dislike my bf. Were going to get roaches soon as well, since crickets are harder to last more than a few days before we run out. since Winston is behaving somewhat he is receiving a proper bath in the near future. Since he's started to eat (he wouldnt the first 2-3 days) he has gotten some more belly to him, he was pretty much concave when we got him. I'll try to get a picture of him when i see him again (i dont live with my bf and the lizards unfortunatly)