Lethargic 3 legged baby dragon!

[Keyt427]

A few weeks ago I acquired 5 two month old dragons from a lady that had too many, so since I used to have a rescue home for them years ago she gave them to me.

One of them had his left from leg bitten off. He's much smaller than the rest and was eating little bits but suddenly became very lethargic. I have managed to give him some water and a little bit of apple baby food. Any other suggestions? I've had plenty of babies with bitten off tails and even a foot but not a whole leg! There's plenty of heat in the enclosure. I have sand in there but should I put him in something else with newspaper or something? I might be able to come up with another enclosure and light.

Right now I have him wrapped up in a towel so the others don't trample him. They don't seem to pay any attention to him but I don't want to take any chances. He's laying in the towel barely opening his eyes and it makes me sad because I can't believe people would keep dozens of dragons in one enclosure like the lady that had these dragons did! :evil:

Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

 

[ziggydoodles]

Hi, you really should be housing all of your dragons in separate enclosures, as being housed together is what got your little guy into such bad shape to begin with. The babies are most likely fighting for food and dominance, especially if you have all 5 together. Its very likely that since one baby has already been critically injured, that your other babies could end up with the same fate, or worse, if they're not all separated immediately. Since you say you used to run a rescue for beardies I dont know why you would think its a good idea to put them all together in the first place?
You need to put the injured baby in a tank by himself ASAP, and plain white paper towels would be the best substrate for him, since theyre easy to keep clean, and an injured baby needs a very clean environment to heal in. Really you should toss the sand for all of them, its incredibly dangerous for baby dragons.
Apple isnt a very good food for beardies, if you're going to use baby food I would recommend stage 1 organic chicken, peas, or green beans (stage 1 has the least amount of sugar, from what i've been told.
To make sure the injured baby doesnt get an infection, you should soak him in a diluted betadine solution.
Can you describe your setup for the babies? Temps, what youre using to measure them, type of uvb light, feeders you're using, etc?
In my opinion you should get the injured baby to a vet ASAP to be sure he doesn't already have an infection, and you should seperate all 5 of them immediately! That means 5 enclosures, 5 heat lamps, 5 uvb sources, etc. If you're not in a financial place to do that then I don't think you should have them at all, honestly.

 

[Keyt427]

WOW. My first post here and I'm completely offended. I didn't realize I would be spoken to so rudely!!

Umm, ok let me say this again. I used to breed, rescue and raise bearded dragons...for at least 11 years!! I learned all about them from a famous family owned pet store that's been in business for over 30 years called Preuss Pets in Lansing, Michigan. You think I don't know what I'm talking about? Call them!!

If you have more than one dragon baby they DO NOT need to be housed separately. That's silly! When appendages are bitten off that is when you have 20+ in small enclosures. This is 5 in a large tank specially made for reptile babies. At one time I had 9 of them but I sold almost all of them and kept this one in case I decided to have dragons again. My dragons are far from crowded. In fact, the only time they pay attention to each other is when they are on the log they use to get to the heat source then they will lay on top of each other...which by the way...is completely normal!

The injured baby I'm speaking of had it's leg bitten off a while ago and it's completely healed over. As far as the sand, well that's a battle I have been in with many people so I won't touch it. The only thing I have to say is...to each his own. I have used it for every reptile I've had and NEVER had an issue. Enough said.

The temps and everything is about as perfect as it can be. It's obvious no matter what i say I will be judged. As far as the baby food, it was what I had at the time that I posted this. It was the leftover organic food I had for my grandson. I have since gone out and purchased veggie baby food. I suppose that's bad too though.

 

[Melody12]

WOW. My first post here and I'm completely offended. I didn't realize I would be spoken to so rudely!!

Umm, ok let me say this again. I used to breed, rescue and raise bearded dragons...for at least 11 years!! I learned all about them from a famous family owned pet store that's been in business for over 30 years called Preuss Pets in Lansing, Michigan. You think I don't know what I'm talking about? Call them!!

If you have more than one dragon baby they DO NOT need to be housed separately. That's silly! When appendages are bitten off that is when you have 20+ in small enclosures. This is 5 in a large tank specially made for reptile babies. At one time I had 9 of them but I sold almost all of them and kept this one in case I decided to have dragons again. My dragons are far from crowded. In fact, the only time they pay attention to each other is when they are on the log they use to get to the heat source then they will lay on top of each other...which by the way...is completely normal!

The injured baby I'm speaking of had it's leg bitten off a while ago and it's completely healed over. As far as the sand, well that's a battle I have been in with many people so I won't touch it. The only thing I have to say is...to each his own. I have used it for every reptile I've had and NEVER had an issue. Enough said.

The temps and everything is about as perfect as it can be. It's obvious no matter what i say I will be judged. As far as the baby food, it was what I had at the time that I posted this. It was the leftover organic food I had for my grandson. I have since gone out and purchased veggie baby food. I suppose that's bad too though.

Merry Christmas and I'm glad you rescued all those babies.

I would keep an eye on those four healthy babies to make sure they're not attacking each other for the best light or food which they'll do. And to make sure they're all healthy by doing the poo test. What worries me the most is how your three legged beardie's lethargic behavior. It could be stress related or something else. Please separate the three legged beardie from the rest and put him in another tank for recovery. You'll have to separate the babies soon. They will bite off tails, toes, legs, and will fight to the death.

Bearded Dragon Co-Habitation-A Good Plan???

I feed my adult beardie applesauce baby food for constipation. But giving sick dragons green beans, squash, and chicken or turkey baby food can be mixed together and then put liquid calcium or Herptivite multivitamins is okay if they're not eating. It'll help give them some form of energy.

Housing babies together after 3 months is actually pushing it.

 

[ziggydoodles]

First off, I do apologize if i offended you, thar was not my intent. However, when you're keeping multiple babies in one tank and one gets injured, theres clearly an aggressive dragon in the mix and theres no way to tell which one it is. For all you know, you could have the beardie that bit off the other's leg, and he could do it again to one of the other three.
When babies are laying on top of each other under their heat lamps, that in itself is a display of dominance. It may be "normal" but its still a warning sign. The stronger baby gets the heat while the weaker ones dont.
I can see how it may be acceptable to house new hatchlings together, but even a 2 month old is capable of killing another, and I dont see how anyone can feel comfortable taking that kind of risk. I have one last thing to say about the injured baby. Even if his injured area looks healed, he could still have gotten an internal infection that could be causing the lethargy, or like melody said, it could be stress, but wouldnt you want to rule out medical issues before assuming its just something that will pass on its own? I still think the baby should see a vet.

 

[Keyt427]

Obviously no one is reading what I have said such as I said I got the baby this way, not it was something that was done since i received it. I'm not stupid, I have been into reptiles at least 15 years, dragons for 11 and all other animals since birth (I have a farm with over 100 animals). If I didn't know what i was doing I wouldn't be here to embarrass myself with what what you seem to think is negligence. 10 or so years ago I did chat rooms and other websites for dragon owners and they sure didn't treat newbies this way. This is extremely offensive and disappointing! This reminds me of high school!

 

[AHBD]

Hi there Keyt....if you can't get a tank for him, even a plastic tote will do. Then you can rig a heat lamp over the side, and until you can get another UVB fixture, you can switch the one you have back + forth....one day over the injured baby, then back to the other tank, taking turns. Some good choices for baby food are chicken, squash, green bean. You can also try smashing a little cricket and rubbing it lightly on his nose, that very often works . He will be fine with a missing leg....for a basking spot you can have a wide, gently sloping piece of wood, but if he won't crawl much right now, a small rolled up towel will do. Paper towels will do for a substrate, and be sure to offer water via syringe or spray lightly on his nose. Hopefully he will perk up for you !

 

[Melody12]

Obviously no one is reading what I have said such as I said I got the baby this way, not it was something that was done since i received it. I'm not stupid, I have been into reptiles at least 15 years, dragons for 11 and all other animals since birth (I have a farm with over 100 animals). If I didn't know what i was doing I wouldn't be here to embarrass myself with what what you seem to think is negligence. 10 or so years ago I did chat rooms and other websites for dragon owners and they sure didn't treat newbies this way. This is extremely offensive and disappointing! This reminds me of high school!

You're not negligent. That woman that you got them from is. I don't think anyone was trying to offend you and if they did, I apologize. If I wrote something to offend you, I apologize. I wasn't meaning for anything I wrote to be offensive if it sounded that way. It's rare for me to ask anything on the forums because I tend to keep what I think and know to myself. And if I need questions answered, I speak to Tracie, one of the global moderators on the site. She's really good at answering your questions and maybe she can help you out. I frequent another forum and it's on the link I provided in my earlier post. That's from a moderator called Germ, or Germain. (He's really good about answering questions too. He's actually a breeder and has several babies on hand.) If you want to know anything about the forum I frequent, feel free to PM me.

 

[ziggydoodles]

Once again, i will apologize if you misunderstood what I was saying and took offense. I never meant to imply that this happened in your care, I fully understand that you got the dragon this way. However, that doesnt change the fact that one of the other 4 you rescued could have been the one to cause the injury, and could very well do it again.
Honestly I think you're overreacting to the responses you've recieved. Clearly you're on this forum because you're looking for another opinion on your baby, but it seems like you don't like what you're hearing. There are people on this site who do things differently than you, and they'll tell you flat out, I learned that when I joined this site. You don't need to be taking every bit of criticism and advice as a direct attack. No one is calling you stupid, or negligent, but some of us have different ways of caring for our beardies (i'm just speaking for myself here), and if you ask for advice people will give it. You don't need to get offended and give rude replies just because you don't like what you're hearing, THAT is what reminds me of high school. Once again, I apologize if this offends you but its just my honest opinion.

 

[Keyt427]

Once again, i will apologize if you misunderstood what I was saying and took offense. I never meant to imply that this happened in your care, I fully understand that you got the dragon this way. However, that doesnt change the fact that one of the other 4 you rescued could have been the one to cause the injury, and could very well do it again.
Honestly I think you're overreacting to the responses you've recieved. Clearly you're on this forum because you're looking for another opinion on your baby, but it seems like you don't like what you're hearing. There are people on this site who do things differently than you, and they'll tell you flat out, I learned that when I joined this site. You don't need to be taking every bit of criticism and advice as a direct attack. No one is calling you stupid, or negligent, but some of us have different ways of caring for our beardies (i'm just speaking for myself here), and if you ask for advice people will give it. You don't need to get offended and give rude replies just because you don't like what you're hearing, THAT is what reminds me of high school. Once again, I apologize if this offends you but its just my honest opinion.

This is why I said to each his own, but to put me down for the way I do things is ludicrous! For example, the sand debate is as old as sand itself. So is the debate that you shouldn't give dogs table scraps because it takes 5 years off their lives or chickens shouldn't have straw in their coops because they'll eat it and die immediately (that still cracks me up!). Oh, let's not forget the age old debate of saying no to your children! I could go on and on with a huge list of similar debates. When I belonged to the MSH I heard the sand issue every month at shows but I learned to keep my mouth shut because how I did things was not going to be the same as the person set up next to me...like when I'd see people with heat rocks in their enclosures..that so made me want to scream but it was how THEY did things not me!!

Because of the holidays, I haven't had the chance to set things up the way I really wanted it until tonight. If it makes anyone feel any better, I have them all in a 5.5ft x 3ft enclosure I use when I incubate chicks and ducklings. I couldn't put them in there to begin with because it needed some special deep cleaning that I didn't have time for when I told the lady on fb I would take them. They now have a red heat light on one end and a uvb light on the other, lots of branches to climb on, 3 water dishes, 1 very shallow bathing dish and cut up newspapers for the substrate. This is only temporary though but by the time I need this enclosure for the chicks and ducklings I will have built one similar but a little smaller for the dragons. The injured baby is by in with one of the others in the original enclosure I had them in with flat newspaper for the substrate.

I have taken some of the juvenile food and soaked it in water and mixed it with some organic (truly organic that I've grown and made myself not the supposed organic stuff) baby food. The baby seems to really like that. I have been feeding him every couple of hours and now he's seeming more enthusiastic about his food and water! Hopefully he stays that way! I have done a couple of other things that seems to perk him up a bit but I won't go into that because that will undoubtedly bring on more debate!

SO, I guess I solved my own issue. Sorry for bothering everyone!

 

[Keyt427]

Obviously no one is reading what I have said such as I said I got the baby this way, not it was something that was done since i received it. I'm not stupid, I have been into reptiles at least 15 years, dragons for 11 and all other animals since birth (I have a farm with over 100 animals). If I didn't know what i was doing I wouldn't be here to embarrass myself with what what you seem to think is negligence. 10 or so years ago I did chat rooms and other websites for dragon owners and they sure didn't treat newbies this way. This is extremely offensive and disappointing! This reminds me of high school!

You're not negligent. That woman that you got them from is. I don't think anyone was trying to offend you and if they did, I apologize. If I wrote something to offend you, I apologize. I wasn't meaning for anything I wrote to be offensive if it sounded that way. It's rare for me to ask anything on the forums because I tend to keep what I think and know to myself. And if I need questions answered, I speak to Tracie, one of the global moderators on the site. She's really good at answering your questions and maybe she can help you out. I frequent another forum and it's on the link I provided in my earlier post. That's from a moderator called Germ, or Germain. (He's really good about answering questions too. He's actually a breeder and has several babies on hand.) If you want to know anything about the forum I frequent, feel free to PM me.

You're right. She was bragging her kids had a few adult dragons who had 3 clutches in 4 months and they were ALL kept together. She had an ad on pet page on fb selling them for $30. I messaged her and asked if could get 3 the following weekend when I got paid and explained my history with them. She private messaged me saying I could just have them and asked if I would take two more including one that was missing a leg. I asked if she had them all in one enclosure and her answer was "Of course, where else am I supposed to put them?" I arranged to pick them up the next day! She didn't care who they went to or why she just wanted them gone!

 

[Melody12]

Obviously no one is reading what I have said such as I said I got the baby this way, not it was something that was done since i received it. I'm not stupid, I have been into reptiles at least 15 years, dragons for 11 and all other animals since birth (I have a farm with over 100 animals). If I didn't know what i was doing I wouldn't be here to embarrass myself with what what you seem to think is negligence. 10 or so years ago I did chat rooms and other websites for dragon owners and they sure didn't treat newbies this way. This is extremely offensive and disappointing! This reminds me of high school!

You're not negligent. That woman that you got them from is. I don't think anyone was trying to offend you and if they did, I apologize. If I wrote something to offend you, I apologize. I wasn't meaning for anything I wrote to be offensive if it sounded that way. It's rare for me to ask anything on the forums because I tend to keep what I think and know to myself. And if I need questions answered, I speak to Tracie, one of the global moderators on the site. She's really good at answering your questions and maybe she can help you out. I frequent another forum and it's on the link I provided in my earlier post. That's from a moderator called Germ, or Germain. (He's really good about answering questions too. He's actually a breeder and has several babies on hand.) If you want to know anything about the forum I frequent, feel free to PM me.

You're right. She was bragging her kids had a few adult dragons who had 3 clutches in 4 months and they were ALL kept together. She had an ad on pet page on fb selling them for $30. I messaged her and asked if could get 3 the following weekend when I got paid and explained my history with them. She private messaged me saying I could just have them and asked if I would take two more including one that was missing a leg. I asked if she had them all in one enclosure and her answer was "Of course, where else am I supposed to put them?" I arranged to pick them up the next day! She didn't care who they went to or why she just wanted them gone!

I saw a sale regarding bearded dragon babies being sold 'not healthy' and were special needs dragons. I rescued Melody from her owners who said they couldn't take care of her anymore because she ate too much crickets. They had other 'animals' and 'reptiles' needing more care than she. I spent over my intended budget and my savings because of their negligence. I had to buy her a 55 gallon reptile tank and supplies because they failed to give me the tank she was housed in to begin with along with her other decorations. They had her on a flat rock and pine wood shavings. (How bad is that?) They wouldn't give me any hints on how and what to feed her. When asked if she ate greens, they said yes, but they wouldn't tell me what kind. So I had to experiment with what she liked: collards, turnips, mustard greens. Her first meal was actually spring mix salad. She 'knew' what she could eat and what she couldn't eat out of the spring mix salad. Then I began researching on her diet, how to care for her, and interacting with my dragon. She was already hand-trained so that wasn't a problem. She cuddles up to me before bed, and doesn't like a lot of people around her. She runs to me all the time whenever someone new comes up. Or she'll sit in my hand, looking at them. I don't use pine shavings and use newspaper or paper towels. I intend to buy some slate tile at a later date so I don't have to trim her little nails.

People who don't know will buy a bearded dragon without knowing how much their greens and crickets are are negligent themselves. They don't take the time to ask questions or research. They just think they're 'lizards' and mean nothing. I feel sorry for the breeding pair of bearded dragons that woman owns. It's a shame that woman is heartless and if you want to get rid of the babies, why not sell them to the pet stores and become a breeder?

A Pet Store Owner from Petland tried to convince me to breed Melody with one of the males for sale there. I said, "No! I'm not breeding Melody with any male." Then he proceeded to tell me how much money I can make from selling the babies to them and that after I breeded Melody with the male, I can sell the male back to them after so many clutches. Still, I maintained my adamant behavior of "No." The male I checked out was bearding at people and hissing. Want to know why? Because he was bought in by a customer who didn't want him and parents were letting their children tap the glass, therefore stressing out the bearded dragon. Poor boy! I would've rescued him if I had an extra tank and room in my house. But I couldn't. I only hoped he got a good home because the last time I went there, he wasn't there. You know what else bothered me, the owner asked if I 'Loved' Melody? Well, of course I love Melody! How could you not love her? How could you not form a bond with them? The very day that Melody laid eyes on me, she ran to me and climbed up on my shoulder, not moving. From that day forward, she's taught me more than anything. (She does trust me to protect her.)

 

[Keyt427]

Obviously no one is reading what I have said such as I said I got the baby this way, not it was something that was done since i received it. I'm not stupid, I have been into reptiles at least 15 years, dragons for 11 and all other animals since birth (I have a farm with over 100 animals). If I didn't know what i was doing I wouldn't be here to embarrass myself with what what you seem to think is negligence. 10 or so years ago I did chat rooms and other websites for dragon owners and they sure didn't treat newbies this way. This is extremely offensive and disappointing! This reminds me of high school!

You're not negligent. That woman that you got them from is. I don't think anyone was trying to offend you and if they did, I apologize. If I wrote something to offend you, I apologize. I wasn't meaning for anything I wrote to be offensive if it sounded that way. It's rare for me to ask anything on the forums because I tend to keep what I think and know to myself. And if I need questions answered, I speak to Tracie, one of the global moderators on the site. She's really good at answering your questions and maybe she can help you out. I frequent another forum and it's on the link I provided in my earlier post. That's from a moderator called Germ, or Germain. (He's really good about answering questions too. He's actually a breeder and has several babies on hand.) If you want to know anything about the forum I frequent, feel free to PM me.

You're right. She was bragging her kids had a few adult dragons who had 3 clutches in 4 months and they were ALL kept together. She had an ad on pet page on fb selling them for $30. I messaged her and asked if could get 3 the following weekend when I got paid and explained my history with them. She private messaged me saying I could just have them and asked if I would take two more including one that was missing a leg. I asked if she had them all in one enclosure and her answer was "Of course, where else am I supposed to put them?" I arranged to pick them up the next day! She didn't care who they went to or why she just wanted them gone!

I saw a sale regarding bearded dragon babies being sold 'not healthy' and were special needs dragons. I rescued Melody from her owners who said they couldn't take care of her anymore because she ate too much crickets. They had other 'animals' and 'reptiles' needing more care than she. I spent over my intended budget and my savings because of their negligence. I had to buy her a 55 gallon reptile tank and supplies because they failed to give me the tank she was housed in to begin with along with her other decorations. They had her on a flat rock and pine wood shavings. (How bad is that?) They wouldn't give me any hints on how and what to feed her. When asked if she ate greens, they said yes, but they wouldn't tell me what kind. So I had to experiment with what she liked: collards, turnips, mustard greens. Her first meal was actually spring mix salad. She 'knew' what she could eat and what she couldn't eat out of the spring mix salad. Then I began researching on her diet, how to care for her, and interacting with my dragon. She was already hand-trained so that wasn't a problem. She cuddles up to me before bed, and doesn't like a lot of people around her. She runs to me all the time whenever someone new comes up. Or she'll sit in my hand, looking at them. I don't use pine shavings and use newspaper or paper towels. I intend to buy some slate tile at a later date so I don't have to trim her little nails.

People who don't know will buy a bearded dragon without knowing how much their greens and crickets are are negligent themselves. They don't take the time to ask questions or research. They just think they're 'lizards' and mean nothing. I feel sorry for the breeding pair of bearded dragons that woman owns. It's a shame that woman is heartless and if you want to get rid of the babies, why not sell them to the pet stores and become a breeder?

A Pet Store Owner from Petland tried to convince me to breed Melody with one of the males for sale there. I said, "No! I'm not breeding Melody with any male." Then he proceeded to tell me how much money I can make from selling the babies to them and that after I breeded Melody with the male, I can sell the male back to them after so many clutches. Still, I maintained my adamant behavior of "No." The male I checked out was bearding at people and hissing. Want to know why? Because he was bought in by a customer who didn't want him and parents were letting their children tap the glass, therefore stressing out the bearded dragon. Poor boy! I would've rescued him if I had an extra tank and room in my house. But I couldn't. I only hoped he got a good home because the last time I went there, he wasn't there. You know what else bothered me, the owner asked if I 'Loved' Melody? Well, of course I love Melody! How could you not love her? How could you not form a bond with them? The very day that Melody laid eyes on me, she ran to me and climbed up on my shoulder, not moving. From that day forward, she's taught me more than anything. (She does trust me to protect her.)

This is why when I bred beardies years ago I only sold them to people either in the MSH, the college or my friend's pet store because they don't sell any of their animals to just anyone! In the MSH, we did a lot of educating children and adults on reptile care. We would do shows at Michigan State where we would have all kinds of reptiles set up for children and adults to see, some that they could touch. I had 4 adults at the time that would sit on a table and let people pet them gently and they were good about it. I was amazed when I heard what people fed their dragons or snakes (I used to specialize in corn and racers) and how they housed them!

The lady that had the babies I have now only fed them lettuce. They were small and skinny when I first brought them home but they are quickly gaining weight and their colors are finally standing out! I don't plan on breeding these. I took them in because one, they are great pets and two because I saw the photos and heard the way the lady talked on facebook and it seriously upset me! I would have taken more if I could have but I live in a much, much smaller house than I did when I had reptiles before and obviously they aren't like my chicks and ducklings where I can put them in the barn with heat lamps! I'm fortunate to have the indoor enclosure that I use when the chicks and ducklings are newborn and I keep them in here until they are a month old. I love watching the dragons! I take them out several times a day and let them lay on me and they soak up the attention!

 

[Melody12]

Obviously no one is reading what I have said such as I said I got the baby this way, not it was something that was done since i received it. I'm not stupid, I have been into reptiles at least 15 years, dragons for 11 and all other animals since birth (I have a farm with over 100 animals). If I didn't know what i was doing I wouldn't be here to embarrass myself with what what you seem to think is negligence. 10 or so years ago I did chat rooms and other websites for dragon owners and they sure didn't treat newbies this way. This is extremely offensive and disappointing! This reminds me of high school!

You're right. She was bragging her kids had a few adult dragons who had 3 clutches in 4 months and they were ALL kept together. She had an ad on pet page on fb selling them for $30. I messaged her and asked if could get 3 the following weekend when I got paid and explained my history with them. She private messaged me saying I could just have them and asked if I would take two more including one that was missing a leg. I asked if she had them all in one enclosure and her answer was "Of course, where else am I supposed to put them?" I arranged to pick them up the next day! She didn't care who they went to or why she just wanted them gone!

People who don't know will buy a bearded dragon without knowing how much their greens and crickets are are negligent themselves. They don't take the time to ask questions or research. They just think they're 'lizards' and mean nothing. I feel sorry for the breeding pair of bearded dragons that woman owns. It's a shame that woman is heartless and if you want to get rid of the babies, why not sell them to the pet stores and become a breeder?

This is why when I bred beardies years ago I only sold them to people either in the MSH, the college or my friend's pet store because they don't sell any of their animals to just anyone! In the MSH, we did a lot of educating children and adults on reptile care. We would do shows at Michigan State where we would have all kinds of reptiles set up for children and adults to see, some that they could touch. I had 4 adults at the time that would sit on a table and let people pet them gently and they were good about it. I was amazed when I heard what people fed their dragons or snakes (I used to specialize in corn and racers) and how they housed them!

The lady that had the babies I have now only fed them lettuce. They were small and skinny when I first brought them home but they are quickly gaining weight and their colors are finally standing out! I don't plan on breeding these. I took them in because one, they are great pets and two because I saw the photos and heard the way the lady talked on facebook and it seriously upset me! I would have taken more if I could have but I live in a much, much smaller house than I did when I had reptiles before and obviously they aren't like my chicks and ducklings where I can put them in the barn with heat lamps! I'm fortunate to have the indoor enclosure that I use when the chicks and ducklings are newborn and I keep them in here until they are a month old. I love watching the dragons! I take them out several times a day and let them lay on me and they soak up the attention!

That's the issue with people. They think they can feed them lettuce and all is well when it's not. Lettuce is just full of water. Nothing of nutritional value. However, I even doubt she even gave them the vitamins and calcium they required. Bearded dragons are so full of personality. They love attention and crave attention! Mine loves to cuddle and not go back into her viv. My viv's a 45-55 gallon reptile tank with a basking log, small cave, plants, and two halogen heat lights and a Reptisun 10.0 tube light. She also loves to have a cuddly blanket so I've got one in there on her hot side. Her acclimation period was a rocky start because her tanks were too small and she was growing the minute I began feeding her the proper greens and having the proper heat and UVB. She started blossoming with her beautiful colors and shows off how happy she is by her colors and has a permanent beardie grin/ smile. I always wanted a dragon and I finally got one. She rarely beards up at anyone...and she's funny! She has her moments of glass dancing and climbing her plants when she wants attention.

It's horrible how people mistreat their bearded dragons just by misinformation from the pet stores they get them from and not doing their research. If people researched their dragon's needs, they'd be okay and showing their happy colors off when they've got the right lights, dietary needs, and foods.

 

[Keyt427]

I've said for years that dragons are not only the sweetest of reptiles but easiest to please. Plus, minus the cost of the setup to begin with, they are also the cheapest to feed! I only wish the rest of our animals were this easy!