NEED HELP (Rescued a bearded dragon Aug 20th)

[ethanmelch]

ORIGINALLY POSTED THIS ON BEARDEDDRAGONFORUM.COM

Hi, i just rescued this severely neglected bearded dragon. She severely malnourished, underweight and shaky when she tries to move. As soon as i put her in a 20 gal quarantine enclosure she now wont move much but she keeps her head up and looks around. She always keeps her mouth open when in her enclosure and the basking spot isn’t that hot. She just sits there with her mouth open and wont ever close it much. I dont know how old she is due to past owners not knowing but they said maybe 2 years, shes super small though so i dont know. The heat gets to about 93.4 to 95°F and humidity is 30-35ish. I tried a 150W and the heat gets to 105°F which is amazing but then the humidity drops down to 10 and i tried using water bowls but nothing seems to help.
The UVB she’s using is an Arcadia T5 Tub 12% over screen top. She will get calcium on her food every other day. Diet will be: Mealworms, Waxworms and superworms (havent feed the waxworms to her yet) Greens/veggies: Mustard greens, cucumbers and yellow squash (i havent feed her the squash or mustard greens yet). Shes eating cucumbers for hydration and superworms

Shes also not eating on her own though so i have to carefully put the food in her mouth and then she starts eating.

Update: She has extreme amount of pinworms so the vet put her on Panacur. Her dose is 0.05 and she weighs 141 grams, but im gonna call the vet tomorrow to see if we can increase that dose. Shes on critical care (2.5ML but i feed her it twice a day so she’s really getting 4.5ML) for now along with water soaked cucumbers for hydration (We also give water with syringe, but were scared she might aspirate) We also throw a few solid bugs into the mix but are deciding to stop that due to her becoming bloated (We think we are also overfeeding her).

One feeding acquires 2.5ML critical care, three superworms and some cucumbers (is that too much in ome sitting?) We repeat this for her dinner time

She also has a respiratory infection and we sent out a culture swab of her saliva to see what bacteria it is (Takes a week to get results back). Shes on a medication called Enrofloxacin for the RI for now (0.05 i believe), were hoping its targeting the right bacteria.

Ill take any advice
I need help, thanks.

 

[KarrieRee]

ORIGINALLY POSTED THIS ON BEARDEDDRAGONFORUM.COM

Hi, i just rescued this severely neglected bearded dragon. She severely malnourished, underweight and shaky when she tries to move. As soon as i put her in a 20 gal quarantine enclosure she now wont move much but she keeps her head up and looks around. She always keeps her mouth open when in her enclosure and the basking spot isn’t that hot. She just sits there with her mouth open and wont ever close it much. I dont know how old she is due to past owners not knowing but they said maybe 2 years, shes super small though so i dont know. The heat gets to about 93.4 to 95°F and humidity is 30-35ish. I tried a 150W and the heat gets to 105°F which is amazing but then the humidity drops down to 10 and i tried using water bowls but nothing seems to help.
The UVB she’s using is an Arcadia T5 Tub 12% over screen top. She will get calcium on her food every other day. Diet will be: Mealworms, Waxworms and superworms (havent feed the waxworms to her yet) Greens/veggies: Mustard greens, cucumbers and yellow squash (i havent feed her the squash or mustard greens yet). Shes eating cucumbers for hydration and superworms

Shes also not eating on her own though so i have to carefully put the food in her mouth and then she starts eating.

Update: She has extreme amount of pinworms so the vet put her on Panacur. Her dose is 0.05 and she weighs 141 grams, but im gonna call the vet tomorrow to see if we can increase that dose. Shes on critical care (2.5ML but i feed her it twice a day so she’s really getting 4.5ML) for now along with water soaked cucumbers for hydration (We also give water with syringe, but were scared she might aspirate) We also throw a few solid bugs into the mix but are deciding to stop that due to her becoming bloated (We think we are also overfeeding her).

One feeding acquires 2.5ML critical care, three superworms and some cucumbers (is that too much in ome sitting?) We repeat this for her dinner time

She also has a respiratory infection and we sent out a culture swab of her saliva to see what bacteria it is (Takes a week to get results back). Shes on a medication called Enrofloxacin for the RI for now (0.05 i believe), were hoping its targeting the right bacteria.

Ill take any advice
I need help, thanks.

Tracie can help w/ the meds -I am thinking you dont want to over dose her on the medication-- the screen mesh on the tank is a fine mesh? If so it needs to be unobstructed - I would take the top off so shes getting full UVB rays distance should be 12-15 inches - you can place the fixture vertical over the basking decor - the UVB should be directly over it - please dont over whelm her w/ food either - I would start slow w/ amounts and work up to a higher amount - is she eating the cucumbers?

 

[xp29]

You said she always looks up and she don't close her mouth.
Can she close her mouth and can she put her head down if she wants to? The head being up sounds like she might have adv. They call it star gazers disease for that reason. If you have other reptiles be extremely cautious till you know for sure. Adv is extremely contiguous and can be passed through casual contact. Tracie sells a test kit for adv on her site if you want to have her tested for it.
I agree with Karrieree about going slow with the food at first. It's perfect that you are getting her hydrated she needs that first so that that solid food doesn't shock her liver and kidneys and damage them.
Please keep us posted on her progress, we all get invested in them especially the rescues.

 

[ethanmelch]

You said she always looks up and she don't close her mouth.
Can she close her mouth and can she put her head down if she wants to? The head being up sounds like she might have adv. They call it star gazers disease for that reason. If you have other reptiles be extremely cautious till you know for sure. Adv is extremely contiguous and can be passed through casual contact. Tracie sells a test kit for adv on her site if you want to have her tested for it.
I agree with Karrieree about going slow with the food at first. It's perfect that you are getting her hydrated she needs that first so that that solid food doesn't shock her liver and kidneys and damage them.
Please keep us posted on her progress, we all get invested in them especially the rescues.

Hi, We fed her less today and she pooped a good amount out. We gave her a soak, shes less bloated now and were going easy on the solid foods now. How does the ADV test work? I would like to get her tested for it. She doesn’t do the mouth thing anymore and she does lay her head down when she wants and had been acting normal. We elevated her on a basking ramp, so we think she was opening her mouth to get extra air due to her having a respiratory infection. We should get the culture results back this weekend to find out what bacteria it is. Humidity is at 25 to 30% range but at night it increases to almost 50-60% range. Were trying to get a dehumidifier for the night time. Shes been more active today as well so were thinking the Panacur is finally working. Ill keep you guys updated

Thank you!

 

[KarrieRee]

Hi, We fed her less today and she pooped a good amount out. We gave her a soak, shes less bloated now and were going easy on the solid foods now. How does the ADV test work? I would like to get her tested for it. She doesn’t do the mouth thing anymore and she does lay her head down when she wants and had been acting normal. We elevated her on a basking ramp, so we think she was opening her mouth to get extra air due to her having a respiratory infection. We should get the culture results back this weekend to find out what bacteria it is. Humidity is at 25 to 30% range but at night it increases to almost 50-60% range. Were trying to get a dehumidifier for the night time. Shes been more active today as well so were thinking the Panacur is finally working. Ill keep you guys updated

Thank you!

The humidity at night is good - that is optimal - make sure your using a digital probe hygrometer placed on the back center wall of the tank - post a pic of her w/ her mouth open please she could be having a hard time breathing or she could be gaping - is she under the basking bulb when she does this? Tracie would need to explain the ADV test - I will flag her on this -- if she is not feeling well you can look into getting her a ceramic heat emitter for night -- temps can be kept warmer around 80'ish so it helps keep her immune system up-- you will need a dome w/ a ceramic socket
@Drache613

 

[ethanmelch]

Tracie can help w/ the meds -I am thinking you dont want to over dose her on the medication-- the screen mesh on the tank is a fine mesh? If so it needs to be unobstructed - I would take the top off so shes getting full UVB rays distance should be 12-15 inches - you can place the fixture vertical over the basking decor - the UVB should be directly over it - please dont over whelm her w/ food either - I would start slow w/ amounts and work up to a higher amount - is she eating the cucumbers?

Hi, I’ll measure the distance when i get back from work and let you know. Were going slower with the solid foods now and only feeding her three superworms (we crush the head before feeding it) along with the critical care. She is eating the cucumbers but we do kinda have to carefully force them into her mouth. Shes been way more active today so we think the Panacur is finally working. Ill keep you guys updated

Thank you!

 

[KarrieRee]

Hi, I’ll measure the distance when i get back from work and let you know. Were going slower with the solid foods now and only feeding her three superworms (we crush the head before feeding it) along with the critical care. She is eating the cucumbers but we do kinda have to carefully force them into her mouth. Shes been way more active today so we think the Panacur is finally working. Ill keep you guys updated

Thank you!

Ok lots of cucumbers will give her watery stool - I would cut back on them- try offering water on her nose for hydration - she will lick if she is thirsty- they dont need water all the time -- maybe once a week - is she eating greens on her own?

 

[ethanmelch]

The humidity at night is good - that is optimal - make sure your using a digital probe hygrometer placed on the back center wall of the tank - post a pic of her w/ her mouth open please she could be having a hard time breathing or she could be gaping - is she under the basking bulb when she does this? Tracie would need to explain the ADV test - I will flag her on this -- if she is not feeling well you can look into getting her a ceramic heat emitter for night -- temps can be kept warmer around 80'ish so it helps keep her immune system up-- you will need a dome w/ a ceramic socket
@Drache613

She was under the basking spot when doing the mouth opening thing and i think thats the only time she did it. Previous owners only had a red night heating bulb for her throughout the whole “few” months they had her. Maybe she wasn’t used to the hot temps at first. Thank you for flagging her and yes we have a 60watt ceramic emitter for night time and the heat gets about 79 - 82.2F

 

[KarrieRee]

She was under the basking spot when doing the mouth opening thing and i think thats the only time she did it. Previous owners only had a red night heating bulb for her throughout the whole “few” months they had her. Maybe she wasn’t used to the hot temps at first. Thank you for flagging her and yes we have a 60watt ceramic emitter for night time and the heat gets about 79 - 82.2F

Any colored bulbs are not good --- ok w/ her only doing that under the heat lamp leads me to believe she was gaping which is good -- shes adjusting her body temp which is normal -

 

[ethanmelch]

Ok lots of cucumbers will give her watery stool - I would cut back on them- try offering water on her nose for hydration - she will lick if she is thirsty- they dont need water all the time -- maybe once a week - is she eating greens on her own?

We’ll try that, Were just scared that the water might get into her nose and cause aspiration or something like that. She doesn’t eat any of the food on her own. We have to kinda force it into her carefully

 

[ethanmelch]

Any colored bulbs are not good --- ok w/ her only doing that under the heat lamp leads me to believe she was gaping which is good -- shes adjusting her body temp which is normal -

I know, i tried telling the previous owners about the colored lights but they didn’t really say much about it. Im glad i rescued her when i did because i don’t think she would’ve lasted any longer with them.

This is what her enclosure looked like with the previous owners

 

[KarrieRee]

We’ll try that, Were just scared that the water might get into her nose and cause aspiration or something like that. She doesn’t eat any of the food on her own. We have to kinda force it into her carefully

Ok so start feeding more greens like turnip kale or collard greens - squash like zucchini or yellow or butternut-- I would dust only the insects - please feed sparingly the wax worms they are very fatty- you can add in some horn worms they are a good hydrating worm -- you can make a slurry of greens for her and add water she will hydration from that as well

 

[ethanmelch]

The humidity at night is good - that is optimal - make sure your using a digital probe hygrometer placed on the back center wall of the tank - post a pic of her w/ her mouth open please she could be having a hard time breathing or she could be gaping - is she under the basking bulb when she does this? Tracie would need to explain the ADV test - I will flag her on this -- if she is not feeling well you can look into getting her a ceramic heat emitter for night -- temps can be kept warmer around 80'ish so it helps keep her immune system up-- you will need a dome w/ a ceramic socket
@Drache613

 

[KarrieRee]

Yeah that looks like gaping and shes doing this only under the heat bulb ?

 

[Rocky2022]

These posts are tough for me to read so I have to be honest... I didn't read all of it. I do want to thank you for your care and dedication to saving this beardie! You've also come to the right place for support- best of luck.