Well i thought id share my story. for christmas i was given a gift card from my family members.
it was to one of my favorite stores
petsmart. but as i entered i went past the reptiles. in a cage no bigger than 5 gallons were 5 baby bearded dragons. and obviously dead runt. a more large dominant one with a tail nip and missing toes. and 3 very lethargic ones. i was so hurt seeing these little ones in such distress. i spoke to the "reptile manager" who didnt know a thing about the beardies. i asked what they were being fed and she said mainly mealworms once every other day, and crickets as a treat. she said they were fed romaine lettuce. which is a big no no. and calcium was sprinkled onto the meal worms. i was baffled by how misinformed they were. that i asked to hold one of the babies. she said they havent been eating due to stress from being shipped. i told her about the dead runt and she proceeded to pull it out. and throw it into the trash can. i was so disgusted 
. i picked up a beautiful red baby with obvious hips protruding from lack of food. i was so saddened . i convinced the manager to let me buy the little one for 29.99 from a price of 59.99 and i was assured that i can have a guarantee, luckily i had 10 dollars left on my giftcard after the purchase. and bought some crickets. and some supplies for my little guy. i will post pics soon. i just need to get ahold of my camera.
i spoke to her about the care for these guys and that she should give crickets as a staple and mealworms never. not until adults. i felt bad because of the poor husbandry and lack of attention to these guys. i spoke to the uppers and they told me they cant upgrade. it would cost to much. and that the babies get sold within a few days. i told them they werent going to sell them at that price. and that no one in their right mind would buy a sick animal. but luckily i had the heart to buy one. i feel bad. and was hoping to get more. but i dont have the time and space for more than two dragons. its hard enough that i bought one. and a sick one. so im nursing him back to health. do you have any ideas on how to fatten up a 5 inch baby? ive been feeding pinhead crickets. and small bearded dragon bites. and he actually eats those. he looks fat. but hasnt gained any weight. his hips are still there. and have been slightly less noticable. but still a little underweight. the guy eats about 30 small pinheads. and a few bearded dragon bites. hes under a zoomed 10.0 uvb bulb. and is in a 20 gallon long. with a DIY basking shelf covered in astroturf. hes not on sand. and doesnt touch his veggies. but that should be understanded. sorry for the long rant. im just irritated at the fact that they dont care for their animals. and that they are so ignorant. but any advice will be much appreciated. ill post pics in a few.
it was to one of my favorite stores
petsmart. but as i entered i went past the reptiles. in a cage no bigger than 5 gallons were 5 baby bearded dragons. and obviously dead runt. a more large dominant one with a tail nip and missing toes. and 3 very lethargic ones. i was so hurt seeing these little ones in such distress. i spoke to the "reptile manager" who didnt know a thing about the beardies. i asked what they were being fed and she said mainly mealworms once every other day, and crickets as a treat. she said they were fed romaine lettuce. which is a big no no. and calcium was sprinkled onto the meal worms. i was baffled by how misinformed they were. that i asked to hold one of the babies. she said they havent been eating due to stress from being shipped. i told her about the dead runt and she proceeded to pull it out. and throw it into the trash can. i was so disgusted . i picked up a beautiful red baby with obvious hips protruding from lack of food. i was so saddened . i convinced the manager to let me buy the little one for 29.99 from a price of 59.99 and i was assured that i can have a guarantee, luckily i had 10 dollars left on my giftcard after the purchase. and bought some crickets. and some supplies for my little guy. i will post pics soon. i just need to get ahold of my camera.i spoke to her about the care for these guys and that she should give crickets as a staple and mealworms never. not until adults. i felt bad because of the poor husbandry and lack of attention to these guys. i spoke to the uppers and they told me they cant upgrade. it would cost to much. and that the babies get sold within a few days. i told them they werent going to sell them at that price. and that no one in their right mind would buy a sick animal. but luckily i had the heart to buy one. i feel bad. and was hoping to get more. but i dont have the time and space for more than two dragons. its hard enough that i bought one. and a sick one. so im nursing him back to health. do you have any ideas on how to fatten up a 5 inch baby? ive been feeding pinhead crickets. and small bearded dragon bites. and he actually eats those. he looks fat. but hasnt gained any weight. his hips are still there. and have been slightly less noticable. but still a little underweight. the guy eats about 30 small pinheads. and a few bearded dragon bites. hes under a zoomed 10.0 uvb bulb. and is in a 20 gallon long. with a DIY basking shelf covered in astroturf. hes not on sand. and doesnt touch his veggies. but that should be understanded. sorry for the long rant. im just irritated at the fact that they dont care for their animals. and that they are so ignorant. but any advice will be much appreciated. ill post pics in a few.
