Lost Beardie Outside

[Feline]

Hi Everyone!!!

I desperately need your suggestions/advices. Yesterday 4/6/13 at around 1pm, I left my bearded dragon outside to bask in the sun as it was very sunny outside. I turned my back for less than 5 minutes and he was gone. I left him in an enclosure with his tortoise pals; it was a small dog crate with just enough space for him to escape but big enough for him to roam around. I was watching him very carefully until I got distracted by something and had to go inside to take care of some stuff. When I came back out he was gone. The garage door was also opened all day yesterday so he could've escaped into the garage. I put a large tank outside with some crickets and some vegetables and a heat lamp tuned on all night but he did not show up. Is there anything else I can do to lure him back?!?! I regret letting him bask outside in an unsafe enclosure. If I find him I will only allow him to bask in his tank with a secure lid on top. Please help me find him!!! I have made flyers around the neighborhood with a reward amount.

 

[Feline]

I have searched everywhere around the circumference of the house; I've looked in low places and high places, under and inside shrubs, around rocks and tiny spaces outside. I just hope and pray that I will find my little man because I live him very much. He is my best friend and goes everywhere with me. He is a 2yr old adult Beardie and I miss him dearly.

Thank you everyone.

 

[sweetpea1981]

I am soooo sorry!!! I wish I knew how to help!!!

 

[herpgirl2510]

So sorry you can't turn your eyes for a second they can be quick. I use a harness for Rosie there are some for sale in the classifieds section.

 

[destiny1998]

Hi I just wanted to share that the same thing happened to our 2 year old beardie. My husband was in the garage last may took our Daisy out left her in the garage while his friend came over. Mean while friend left dinner was ready he came into eat as we are eating I asked him where she is he said oh no! I forgot she's out there! He left her unattended for about 15 min of course she was gone looked everywhere. Neighbors yards, in the garage ect. Looked every day. Well begining of June went on 10 day trip still no Daisy. Looked every day for weeks. One day in July my husband was out in the garage watching TV he decided to go to the outside he (still doesn't know why he did he looked down) and there she was happy and healthy 5 weeks later we could not believe it! Needless so say lesson learned hard way with happy ending. Hope yours is happy too!

 

[Feline]

Thank you sweetpea, herpgirl, and destiny!!! I will definitely purchase him a harness if he ever comes back. On April 9th, I hired a MAR (missing animal response) person and her scent tracking dog to help me locate him, but we were not successful in finding him. He could be anywhere as I live in a suburban place with plenty of trees and wood/leaves in the back yard. I sincerely hope he comes back in one piece as I do not want him to get harmed or injured. He's probably having a ball right now with his new found freedom but I'm so sad for what happened and my carelessness. I think about him every day and I hope he will find his way home soon.

Thank you everyone for your consolation.

 

[LaDragonEcho]

my gut just flipped as i read this!!! i really hope you find him soon because i would be just as scared and i live in a very small town and in southdakota of all places so it gets cold!!!

 

[PastelBeardie]

Any updates?

 

[Oki05]

I really hope you find him I was told of a story from my future beardie's parent and she said they had her outside and a hawk flew by and 5 minutes later they look down and Noodle was gone. They were really sad but they found her later that day in the house

 

[DTRM30]

Any luck ?
I sure hope you find him Maybe put some lost fliers around incase someone spots him ? Who knows, maybe someone found him, but doesn't know he was accidentally lost.

 

[Oki05]

Any updates on the situation?

 

[Feline]

Hi Everyone,

Three days after I lost my Beardie, I made flyers and passed them to the neighbors, and even made big posters to post on telephone poles. I put on the poster, "Reward: $500 if found." I vowed that whoever found my lizard, dead or alive, will get the reward money. Days, weeks went by, and no news of my Beardie, and I gradually lost hope, but I still prayed every night that he would find his way home.

Thank you for all of your ideas/suggestions/advices and prayers. It has been exactly one month since I lost Drexel the Dragon. I work in another state and I haven't been home in 3 weeks due to my car's breakdown and I had to get it towed three times. (Home is in a different state where he was lost outside of my house.) I just bought a new car because I needed a reliable vehicle, and I came home today for the first time since I lost him. I worked a ten hour shift on Monday and then drove 4.5 hours home. I was extremely exhausted and finally fell asleep at 7am. My mother was doing some weeding in the front yard the morning of the 7th and she screamed when she saw a lizard behind her. Then she sent my niece to wake me up and told me that she had caught the lizard, but she was petrified of it as she toweled the lizard and kept it still, afraid that it would run away. I never knew how fast Beardies could run until this unfortunate incident happened. Anyway, I thought I was dreaming when I heard my niece say, "We found the dragon!!!" So I jumped out of bed and ran downstairs, and lo and behold, it really was Drexel!!! I was extremely jubilant and could not contain myself. I know Beardies are hardy, but when you're not a wild Beardie, life can be short and tough. I thought for sure that he was dead because there were several nights where the temperature dropped to low 30's at night, and it rained on and off for several days/nights. There are also plenty of hawks in my backyard. I'm so glad he's safe and sound, that he didn't lose weight and that all of his limbs and tail are intact. His face and feet were a little dirty, but nothing serious. He was smacking his lips when I held him so I knew he was probably ravenous, so I immediately went to the local pet store to purchase 2 boxes of crickets (30/box). I also withdrew cash and gave it to my mom for finding my precious dragon. I set the crickets in his tank and let him go after them; he ate all 30 crickets. I let him bask in the sun today in his giant glass tank with a lid so he cannot escape this time. He still wants to run away while he's in his tank but little does he know, be belongs to me and I will never lose sight of him ever again. I'm going to craft a harness for him next weekend when I have time so he can wander on the grass under my direct supervision. I also have a giant pet tent that I can put him in and he can run around in it on sunny days.

Thank you so much everyone for your thoughts and prayers. I didn't know how much I loved this little lizard until I lost him. Now that he's found again, I'm very grateful for everyone's well wishes and the people who have helped me search for him. Thank you once again.

 

[Esther19]

Incredible story. I can imagine how relieved you must be.

 

[Oki05]

Wow thats awesome that you were able to be reunited with him I'm so happy for you! *hugs*

 

[Ashleydmj]

Thank you for the amazing story! I lost my Beardie earlier today in the house but found him over an hour later. I can't imagine losing him outside!
Beardies are so hardy! But I suppose Australia is no predator free walk in the park.
I am very very happy for you! My heart sank as I read your updates!