New Rescue & Not Lookin Good...HELP?

[Kera]

Hey all I am the lucky new Mumma to a 2nd very loving beardie. We as of now do not have a name for him but I am heavily scouring for names!!! We took him in from a friend of a friend and the previous owner had not a clue in the world about what he needed when she took him in from her friend... Long story short the girl I got him from NEVER had a UVB light and his "heat" light consisted of a flippen flood light she had from her parents garage!!! Since he came to me (4 days ago) he has been very lethargic, shaky when held, bony looking (almost starved-like), lacking muscle mass, and very sick looking!!! She also mentioned that he is about 5-7yrs old and he might have a Vit. D deficiency.

I have done my research in the past for when I was thinking about getting my first beardie (Dusti) and she is VERY healthy and we got her very young (like 5 weeks old) and she is a spoiled lil princess!!! So as you can imagine I want him to be our spoiled little prince!!! I have enclosed some images of him below to give a better vision of my new lil man, so PLEASE anyone that might be able to shed a ray of hope for our new baby would be a big help...I have also talked to the vet and he said to set up an appt and we have but its not for at least another 2 weeks... Thanx in advance for any and all help!!! <3

Sincerely, One worried Mumma

Our new lil man...

Note the rather thin leg muscles...along with the skeletal look in his tail and hip bones...

Close up of his jaw

And I thought I would throw a couple in of our lil princess Dusti!!

 

[jsnsan]

Poor little guy! They said he's 5-7 years old? I hope he has not been in this condition the entire time. Not a good life
I'm sure you will fix him right up. Thank you for taking him in. How is he eating for you?
BTW your princess looks amazing!

 

[Kera]

Thank you for your thoughts, and he is not eating well at all...My husband managed to get him to eat a few mealies (we breed them) and he licked the raspberries I placed in the terrarium for him but he didn't touch the Kale at all... The girl I got him from said she used to feed him yogurt rather regularly...I have looked around and most things I have found say not to... Lil worried for him!!!

 

[jsnsan]

Try syringe feeding some baby food maybe?
Make sure you take a stool sample to the vet when you go.
I really like the product reptaid. You might want to look into that. It will get your beardie eating in no time...from my experience.

 

[BeardieMommy3991]

Make sure not to overload him with uvb, as he has not had any before. Start with only a few hours on at a time, and slowly increase it over time. Same with calcium dust. If he will eat crickets, then thats great! Give him soft shelled ones to make it easy for him to digest.

Thanks for taking him in! He actually doesn't look that bad except for being skinny.

They can't digest dairy, so it's not good to feed him. Mealworms can also cause impaction, as they have hard shells made of chitin.

 

[Kera]

Yeah I was thinkin the same thing about the yogurt...I had a feeling that it should NOT be fed to them...Good thing about the baby food is I have a 9 month old in the house too so I have a TON of it...lmao... :lol:

As for the lights and the calcium I have the reptisun 10.0 in and its about 10-12" above him and I get paid on Friday so I have to wait for his heat light replacement too...ugh I mean really a flood light...wow ok...I have him out of his cage right now and chillin with me to help get him used to people again... Poor baby was never held. so I am trying my best to get him back to the pudgy beardie I know he can be!!!

 

[BeardieMommy3991]

The flood light is actually not bad as a basking light. He just needs UVB too. Is the Reptisun a bulb or a tube? needs to be a tube.

If it is- sweet potatoes!

Hopefully he likes babyfood!

 

[Esther19]

How lucky the little guy was to have come into your care. I am surprised that after so many years without UVB that the symptoms of MBD are not more evident. Can he use his arms and legs well?

If he has not had protein, you'll want to ease into it. Too much can overload his important internal organs that I cannot now remember the name of. :roll: But I do know that too much protein is not good at first. I agree that baby food for a bit is best. Chicken or turkey for the meat and squash and green beans for the veg. Mix a meat and a veg and drip it on his nose so that it falls over his lips with a dropper or syringe. Crickets, roaches, or phoenix worms would be good to start him on gradually in a few days.

I'm sure you know that he should be well hydrated. Offer water orally (mixed with unsweetened juice, if necessary) several times per day and bathe him daily.

Soy yogurt is fine, and is used as a probiotic. There are other commercial probiotics available. I would recommend using one, to restore good gut flora.

I would also pick up some Repti-boost to add to his baby food along with his calcium and vitamin supplements.

Thank you so much for taking in this poor little guy. He is very fortunate to have you. I think he looks like he stands a pretty good chance.

 

[Esther19]

I love that close-up of him. Dusti is beautiful, too!

I would leave greens(mustard, collard) in his viv daily, in addition to the baby food. He just might surprise you.

 

[Maxwellsmomma1989]

he looks sooo tiny for 5-7 years my boy is 3 and a half and like double..it makes me sad to see older beardies soo little because you know that means they were not cared for and thats what delayed their growth..by the looks of your beautiful girl dusti i see you know what you are doing which made me..soooo happy !! best of luck keep us updated

 

[Kera]

Thanx to some friendly advise I picked up some Repti-Boost today and he LOVED it...I also managed to feed him be syringe this morning as well...I was able to get him to eat about 3/4 tbs...I stopped dripping it on his snout when he stopped lapping it...I didn't force any extra in...I left it up to him, plus I think that how much he DID eat was a good amount for a lil one that's not feeling A+ yet! I came into my room tonight and even found him basking like a happy little prince!!! I really think things will turn around for my lil man... GOD I need to find him a name...Anyone have any ideas? lol... well I will try to get a pic of him tomorrow for you guys...& thank you ALL very much for all the helpful pointers!!! It's been a great help for both him and I!! xoxo

Sincerely, a hopeful Mumma!!! <3

 

[BeardieMommy3991]

I think you said it yourself. He looks like a Prince to me. :wink: Living in luxury and distinguished as a Dragon.

 

[ElGuapo]

Thank you for taking him in! Best of luck to you and your prince.

 

[Esther19]

Wow! That's great news! To me, he looks old and wise. You could name him after someone like that.

 

[jings55]

Thank goodness you saved him! I hope he thrives under your care!

How about "Prince Charming"???