Need some guidance with a sick baby.

[Wookster]

So I took my little fella to the vet. Looks like he has a respiratory infection. Vet said to syringe feed as much as possible to get some size on the guy. he is just under 10 grams. How much chow should I expect a beardie to eat? He put back 4 ml yesterday. Working on 1.2ml today. Has pooped more in the past 36 hours than he did the last week. poops look good. Dragon looks much rounder. Is there a general idea of what % of body weight I should expect this little guy to put back? Can I overfeed him?

 

[CooperDragon]

Wow he is just a little guy. Did the vet determine which bacteria was causing the infection and prescribe any medication? At such a small size medication may be too rough on his system but I'd leave that call to an experienced vet. Hydrating him is a good idea so the syringe feeding should help. Offer as much as he'll take readily but don't be too forceful with it because he's so small. 4ml is a pretty good amount. I'd try feeding him in smaller quantities more often during the day rather than all at once. What are you offering him?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Wow, he is super tiny! Poor guy, try increasing the basking temperatures to 110F to see if that helps out if he does have a respiratory infection. Also, try to keep his overnight temperatures in his tank around 80 too for boosting his immune system.
I agree, several feedings throughout the day will help a lot & wont inundate his system too much at one time. I hope he starts feeling better.
Are you holding off on any meds right now?

Tracie

 

[Wookster]

I'm feeding him a mixture of babyfood squash I put a teaspoon of it in a shot glass. throw in 6-10 med crickets or waxworms, little calcium dust and vitamins. Mash it into a paste strain out the bits o cricket with a metal mesh coffee filter (don't tell the wife), microwave for 2-3 secs to get to lukewarm and load into a syringe. Only took 1.5ml yesterday. Basking area is 115-118, room has a space heater set at 82 degrees. I am giving antibiotics. Little guy is looking rounder. Vet gave a wormer too. Vet said she wasn't too worried about the dragon because it is so energetic and hydrated. She said it was to treat the RI and keep anything from sneaking up while I feed it babyfood mash. Wants to see him again in two weeks and weigh him. He put up a good fight with the vet. She rolled the shaft of a cotton swab on his mouth to get it open and look inside, Showed me how to medicate and gave the first dose. Poked and prodded and listened to his breathing. She said it most likely a RI, but it was hard to tell because he took the mouth inspection so personal that he black bearded up and puffed his body to show his displeasure. According to the vet he is a VERY feisty little guy.

 

[CooperDragon]

It's a good sign that he's acting feisty rather than lethargic. The baby food is good to offer but you may not need to mash it up with anything. Try alternating with some baby food chicken to add protein to the diet. If you can get some Oxbow Carnivore Care (usually from the vet's office) that may be helpful as well. It's a well balanced high calorie diet used to help nourish sick dragons. I like to mix it a little on the watery side to offer a bit more hydration - that's often needed when they're sick and on medication. If you can't get your hands on that, I'd keep up with the squash and chicken baby foods in rotation until he gets his weight up a bit. Then start weaning him off of it and try offering live bugs - it's best if he can eat on his own but that may take some time and patience. Since you're offering antibiotics, I'd also offer a probiotic such as bene-bac or acidophiliz+ to help replenish his gut flora. That often helps them feel better while on antibiotics and brings back their appetites more quickly.

 

[Wookster]

Thats good to know. Mashing up crickets in a shot glass is not my favorite activity. then straining the legs and heads back out. I'll look for the carnivore care and probiotic. Chicken as well. All I had on hand was chicken and gravy and it had cornstarch in it. Thankfully my son hates squash so I have plenty of that to feed the dragon.

 

[CooperDragon]

The squash is a good one. I've had luck with green bean baby food too (and some sweet potato as a treat). A little guy will need a bit of protein though which is why I suggested the chicken. The Carnivore care is great if you can find it though. Definitely don't need to go through the hassle of smashing and straining crickets for a good result.

 

[Wookster]

Good lord, their jaws are a lot stronger than I thought. "Happy" has always been feisty. Today when I gave him meds he Blackbearded and BIT ME!!! Surprising amount of jaw strength out of such a small creature. Didn't break skin, but was surprised how strong it was at such a small size. He must be feeling better. Tries to run away, climb my arm, and fight back. I'll take it. I'd rather have an angry dragon than a sick one. I fed him chicken and vegetable babyfood. It has some wheat flour in it, but it is low on the ingredient list. It also has peas. I hope its ok to feed because it was a hit. I have one concern. First day he took almost 4 ML. that's over 40% bodyweight. 1.5 ML yesterday, maybe 1ml or less today. He's pooping a lot more, but the poop/urate ratio is a lot more poop, not much urate. The poops are so wet it adds a couple % to the humidity level when he lets go. Looks like we are at 2 poops a day. a lot better than 1 poop every 2 days. when he goes there is enough water to create a 1 inch wet spot in the paper towel when he goes. Should I boil the babyfood and reduce the moisture content? also should I still bathe when he is getting a lot of moisture in his food? I swear he is bigger today when I got home than he was before I left for work. Couldn't find any critical care, but he love his chicken and veggies. I don't think I've ever put this much effort into a living creature before. Cooper, if you were closer I would buy you dinner. This site is awesome.

 

[CooperDragon]

They do have strong jaws and can put in a good bite. They can break skin with their sharp front tooth when they get a little bigger but it's not common for them to attack like that unless they're sick/angry or mistake your finger for a bug. Not really a huge deal though. The mix food should be fine. Peas are OK in small quantities. I used to roll peas along the (clean) kitchen floor when Cooper was a baby and he'd chase them down and eat them. The extra water in the poop is a good sign. That means he's getting enough hydration which is critical. He won't always take a full 4ml (that's a lot for a little guy anyway) but keep offering and give him what he wants. If he's pooping regularly and his energy is up that's a good sign as you mentioned. Keep it up!

 

[Wookster]

I'm trying, thanks again for all the tips. My biggest struggle right now is knowing he is sick, and balancing play time. If he runs up to the front of the tank, I take him out. When I do all his stress marks disappear. His throat and belly are as clear as a sheet of paper. If I hold him for a short time, he wont leave my hand when I try to put him in the tank. If a wait too long, it seems like he crawls towards the tank. I'm not sure if this is me adding a level of personality to him, or if he truly enjoys being handled. He seems so eager to crawl around on me and my daughter. Should I be handling him as he recovers? He will even eat while on my arm. He also uses my arm to clean his face. So the no cricket thing is a relief.

 

[CooperDragon]

They'll rub their faces on anything that will help. They'll do that with sheds too. Letting them run around on carpet during a shed is like Christmas from what I've seen. Keep handling him if he seems to like it. The "stress marks" are a general darkening which may be related to trying to warm up. The little ones have the marks on their bellies quite often. I think the term stress mark is a bit misleading. If he's upset you'll know it by a black beard and defensive posture. I think you're doing just fine.

 

[Wookster]

Looks like we are settling down to about a .8-1.2 ML average. So around 1/10th of bodyweight a day. The easy to handle lizard is gone. I have a super energetic, ready to bolt, and jump to the floor beardie. Was very difficult to give meds today. While his food intake is down, his energy level is very high. Fighting back a lot. Difficult to feed and difficult to medicate now. Hissed at me too. That was a first. Poops are VERY watery. Still has urate in it. one small one in the morning, and a big one during the day. the poop itself is normal. just covered in liquid. Going to be a handful if he gets any more feisty. Almost impossible to get a good grip on now. It knows my game and what I entend to do and is ready to fight back.

 

[CooperDragon]

I like the sound of that =). Energy to fight back is energy to survive and thrive!

 

[Brittmar]

Hi there! I hope your baby is doing better now that it's been a few days since you posted this. Can we get an update?

I also wanted to suggest some green bean baby food. I've been feeding it to my own baby beardie for about two days now to get something in her belly and she absolutely loved it!

 

[Wookster]

More active by the day. Green beans were a hit. Chicken and veg seems to be the favorite. Starting to have issues with the Dragon flicking it's head and using its back foot to wipe it's face. Getting baby food all over it's face. Found out some food had dried two of its toes together, so it got a bath today. Meds are a pain. Wish they weren't in a sugary suspension. Not sure how much is swallowed vs spit out. Going to weight it.this weekend and see if there has been growth.