Rescue Baby in Trouble!

[idcouple]

We just got a bearded dragon.He was in a 5 gallon tank with a desk light about 12 inches over his head and a water bowl full of fecal matter. The owner said he had been feeding the baby 3 adult crickets a day.

In the car, when he was able to be warmed up by the sun, he seemed more alert, though his eyes were kept shut. He would only open them when a motorist would go zooming by and scare him (Poor little guy lol). Anyways, we get him home and he eats 3 young crickets coated in calcium. Now, he just lays there with his eyes closed. He won't move unless we pick him up, and even then he barely struggles. What's bothering us, other than the apparent lethargy, is that he won't open his eyes very wide. Its not that he can't ... he did it in the car. But he doesn't go running around or anything, just lays there like he's sleeping.

What should we do? This is our first dragon, and we want to be good parents, but is our baby dying? If he is suffering from malnutrition, as we believe him to be, how can we fix this?

 

[Esther19]

Thanks for rescuing him, and welcome to the forum! Let's just start with the basics.

* We need to make sure he is hydrated. Give him baths twice a day for about 15 minutes in water just a bit warmer than you would use for a baby. Offer him water orally by dripping some on his nose, either with a syringe, dropper, or your fingers. Add a bit of unsweetened juice if he will not take plain water. Try to get him to drink as much as he will by dripping it on his nose.

* Too much protein can stress his system if he is malnourished. You will have to ease back into the live feeders. Get some Stage 1 baby food: turkey, squash, and green beans. Mix the meat and veg in equal parts. You may need to thin it a bit with water. Heat it until just warm in the microwave to ease digestion. Mix in a bit of calcium powder and some Repti-boost powder from the pet store. Drop on his nose with a syringe several times a day. If you don't have the calcium yet, just start with the meat/veg. If he doesn't poop within a day or so, put a few drops of olive oil, mineral, or veg. oil in the baby food to encourage a bm.

*He needs to bask at a temperature of around 105 at his age. Without the basking, they cannot digest. A digital thermometer with a probe or a temp gun is best for measuring temps. The round ones are very inaccurate- up to 20 degrees off. You do not need a special bulb for basking. Household bulbs are fine-just get the clear ones. To adjust basking temps, increase/decrease the bulb wattage or raise/lower the basking platform.

* He also needs UVB light. Until you can get one, you can take him out in the sun. I've heard that 1/2 hour of sunshine is as good as 12 hours under UVB light, but if you can, I would take him out twice for 1/2 hour, especially after he eats, just to be safe.

I don't know what type of tank you have him in, whether it's still the 5 gallon. Just put paper towels or newspaper on the floor of his space. It is easy to change.

I think that should get you started for tonight and into the morning. Someone can help you with what comes next, or I will be back on in the morning. I don't want to overwhelm you.

Thanks again for adopting the little guy! We're going to do our best to help you get him better.
Esther
p.s. I would go back in and change the title of your thread. Something like "Rescue is in trouble" so more folks will give it their attention. You came to the right place. There a lot of good, experienced people here.

 

[idcouple]

The bath worked After about 15 mins he quirked right up, so I rewarmed the water and let him sit some more. I'm not sure if he drank any, though his jaw was working. I now have a new problem ... I saw a tiny red mite running around the cage. How can I get rid or him? Is the mite from my animal or the crickets?

That is his housing in the back ... hard to see, but very spacious. I still had the red light on from last night.

He is molting very heavily right now ... will this change his behavior? Should it be changing mine?

I'm excited to try the baby food idea; I've read about it used before but never knew under what circumstances.

 

[idcouple]

He seems to be feeling better, but his left eye is still closed most of the time ... not sure what that's about. He ate only a few watered down drops of the baby food (they only had squash in stage 1 :/ )

 

[Esther19]

Good morning!

I'm glad to hear that he liked his bath. That will help with the shedding as well. They will tend to get a bit grumpy and might eat less when shedding. Though it is tempting to help them get the skin off, it is better to let it come off on its own. Do watch the fingers and tail, however. Retained shed can cut off circulation and cause problems. If they do retain shed on those areas, it is okay to help roll off the skin after a good soak.

His tank does look spacious. Can you give me the dimensions? Can yo also tell us what type of bulbs you have and the shape? You can turn the red light off overnight. They need dark to sleep well. The temp in the viv can drop to 65 or 70 overnight without the need for extra heat.(Please someone correct me-I'm not sure of the minimum temp) Their bodies need that cool down time. If you do need extra heat, a ceramic heat emitter is recommended, as it gives heat but no light.

Here is an excellent link to lighting for your little guy:
http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=148006

Here is a great link to beardie nutrition:
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

The turkey or chicken might not say Stage 1. Just get the kind that is just the meat, broth, and water.
You'll want to pick up a few, and some squash and green beans, too. I think he'll be on the baby food for at least a week. I mix equal amounts of meat and veg, add some calcium powder and Repti-boost, and a a few drops of water if nesessary. I am glad to hear that he took a bit of squash. Life is so much easier when they will lick off their nose.

I'm not sure where the mites are coming from. I would look over the crickets carefully and give the tank a good cleaning. have seen mites on crickets before. Have any gotten on your little guy?

As to the eye, I would wash it a few times daily with sterile saline solution. Does it look swollen at all? The wrong lighting can cause eye problems. If you are in Idaho, as your user name would suggest, I can send you the name of stellar vet my area that handles all my dragons. I have also read about folks usingRAW, unpasturized honey, diluted a bit with water, on eyes and other infected areas with great success.

I had hoped that changing the title of your thread would get your situation more attention. Until other folks chime in, I'll do my best to help on my own. Please keep asking questions, because I'm probably forgetting something. You're dog a great job! Thanks for adopting him! Esther

 

[idcouple]

He had another half spoonful of the squash In our desperate attempt to get food in him, we bought some wax worms. He ate one, but didn't seem interested in any more. We had to buy a smaller food dish so he could get in, so we can't just leave the worms there. He has been put in warm water about 5 times today, but only for as long as he wants. If he crawls out, we let him. He's doing SO much better. The tank stabalized at 101 F and I can't get it higher :/ He is running around and avoiding our hands FINALLY and isn't just laying there. I'm not sure if it was the water or the warmth or the easier-to-digest crickets, but we are confident he will pull through. We have read through the forums and found the answer to our eye problem ... poor guy. Also, we are in Twin Falls, if that's any consolation

 

[Kalyn876]

Hello,

So far you are in great hands, Esther is an awesome beardie slave!

I know she pointed these two very important things out already but I just wanted to stress the importance: Temperature and UVB lighting, that link is fantastic for lighting. Esther is correct when it comes to night time as long as your house doens't go below 65F there is no need for a heat source. Make sure to use a reliable temp guage such as a thermometer with a probe you can place on the basking spot or a Temp gun. Those common stick on gauges can be off up to 20 degrees either direction

His eye may have been burned by the previous lighting, or it may have something irritating it. I would flush it as Esther suggested just to be sure. If it is UVB related it should clear up on its own once we get the proper lighting sorted out.

Since his viv is soo big for him I would try feeding him in a seperate container that way you don't risk accidently leaving a cricket in his tank overnight and he will have an easier time catching them.

he is soo teeny and cute, thank you for taking him in :mrgreen:

 

[Esther19]

I am so glad to hear that he is improving, and that you found the answer to his eye problem. I was going to recommend an awesome vet, but he is in Meridian. Thanks, Kayln, for your kind words, and for confirming the minimum temp. I tend to forget those things sometimes.

Please keep us updated on your little guy. There is a section for Introductions, or Beardie Tales, or Photo Expressions. We all love pics!
Esther

 

[idcouple]

The tank is a 20 gallon tank bearded dragon kit from petsmart it came with a reptisun 5.0 uvb/uva bulb the other two bulbs are heat bulbs that came in the kit. We just bought more stuffnd help him along and he is really perking up. So is he to hot if he opens his mouth while he is basking and is there a reason he never goes to the cooler side of the tank where his water dish is? Also I would still like the name of the vet they might know one here in Twin that would be great for us. thanks

 

[kcarello]

What an adorable baby!! You are just awesome for taking him in and giving him a loving home!! You have gotten excellent advice so far, and it is showing by your baby doing better already!! Congratulations, and have fun with your baby!!

 

[Esther19]

Thanks for checking in! I'm glad to hear the little guy is improving! Have you named him yet?
I'm glad the lighting post was helpful, and that you are getting the things your sweet baby needs. I don't know why they put such junk in those kits. It's great that you could find a Reptisun 10 in a store! I have to order online.

When they open their mouths like that, or gape, it is like a dog panting. It shows that your temps are high enough for him to bask in and digest. He should move by himself when he gets too hot. If he does not move, an he looks like he is getting stressed, you might want to move him to the cool side for a bit. I forget wha type of thermometer you have. Did you get a dgital one with the probe? This should sit on he bsking surface for 45 minutes to get a true reading. Temps for a baby should be between 101 or 102 and 110 at the most. If he won't bask, it is probably too hot.

Most beardies do not drink standing water. Most folks take out he water dish since it increases the humidity in the viv, which could lead to a respiratory infection. Some beardies drink in the bath. Mine take water orally when I drop it on their noses. Many beardies get enough water by eating their misted greens, but mine refuse greens for the most part.

The number for Treasure Valley Veterinary Center is (208) 888-4844. The vet is Dr. Shackelford. He is awesome!

Please let us know what else we can do to help.

 

[idcouple]

thank you for the help. The light is the reptisun 5.0 not the 10.0 idk if that makes a differance *shrug* but he is doing alot better thats for sure. Do you think the pet shop we got him from would know when he was hatched so we can get a true age on him? and we are not sure on a name yet.

 

[Esther19]

You can always ask if they have a hatch date. If it was a big chain store they probably will not.

There is a big difference between the Reptisun 5 and the 10. You really need the 10 in the tube form. The 5 is for tropical animals and will not be optimum for your dragon. It should be mounted inside the tank, with any plastic cover removed from covering the bulb. Your beardie should be able to get about 7 inches away from the bulb. Somebody please jump in here and help me out, because I forget the exact range for the UVB. His basking light should be next to the UVB so the UVB rays don't hurt his eyes.
So glad that he is improving! How is he eating?

 

[diamc]

What a cute little guy, thanks so much for rescuing him. You're doing a great job and have rec'd some awesome help!

There's a few things I wanted to mention. I know others have mentioned temperatures, I wanted to stress how critical it is that they are accurate and babies are very particular about good temps. More than likely, a round gauge (dial) thermometer or a digital strip came with the kit. As already stated, those thermometers are very inaccurate and can actually be off as much as 40 degrees. If you have a Walmart near you, they have the AcuRite brand digital probe thermometer that will give you both the basking & cool side temps at the same time as well as the humidity level. It only costs about $12.00 and is a great investment.

Babies can go downhill very quickly when they get dehydrated so that's why he perked up with the frequent baths, good job.

Since you got a "kit" from the pet store, it probably came with the Repti-Sun coil bulb. Unfortunately, those are not good bulbs at all, they put out a lot of (too much) UV rays in the beginning and then decline very rapidly. What you need to get is the Repti-Sun 10.0 strip fluorescent bulb. Stay away from any coil or compact bulbs, no matter what brand they are and a 5.0 isn't strong enough for a bearded dragon.

We're very happy that you found the forum and we are here to help you every step of the way. :wink:

 

[idcouple]

Well, we took the crickets out of his diet for now. I figure we will introduce them when he is a little bigger and/or finished molting. Right now, he just sits basking on his log. There is SO much more movement from him now, though. He eats about 3-6 fat waxworms a day, not as much water as I'd like, and a few drops of watered-down squash with calcium mixed in. He pretty much refuses to be on the cool side of the tank, so we feed him by hand or place it in front of him.