Rescue: Skinny, missing nails, maybe sick?

[Zinnia]

Hey! I came to the forum when I first got my beardie, Wagner, and you guys got me off to such a good start that I haven't been back on for a while.

I've got a new beardie (whose name is currently Buddy, though that may change as I'm not sure he's been accurately sexed as male) who has had a very hard life. He was with an original owner that was so inattentive that he was removed my someone with good intentions...and absolutely no knowledge of how to take care of a bearded dragon. This second owner kept Buddy for a while, but then left him at an ex-boyfriend's house. The ex-boyfriend is a family member of mine who has been halfway taking care of Buddy for the past few weeks. I finally talked him into giving over "custody" today.

I found buddy in a narrow, long tank (probably a 40 gallon) with dirty play sand as the substrate. He had one dim red light for heat, a water dish, and a dirty dispenser that I believe held beardie pellets. I left almost everything except for the grapevine (which Buddy seems to really love) and set him up at my house with a fresh new tank and the right lights.

Unfortunately, I do not think that Buddy is healthy. Here are some pictures I was able to take:

He is very skinny :c

He is missing his "pinkie" nail on his front right foot. Also, I'm not sure if that sand has somehow grown into his arm, or if it's stuck to him with poop. I tried giving him a quick bath (today has been so stressful, I didn't want it to be too long), but it didn't budge.

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He's very dirty, and it looks like scales from past sheds are still stuck to him. Also, there is another nail on this foot that is chipped and has lost it's color - I'm concerned that it may be about to fall off, also. I wasn't able to get a good picture of that, sorry!

According to his previous owner, he should be about 5 years old, male, and very aggressive to both male and female beardies. One of the owners in the middle thought it would be a good idea to get him a girlfriend. THIS ENDS BADLY, BEFORE YOU CONTINUE: They came back and found the little gal's tail sticking out of his mouth.

The good news is that he's very active/alert/curious, and has a very even temper with people. His appetite also seems to be good. My current plan is to try short, daily baths to try to dislodge old yuck, get him on a better diet, and watch the nail that looks bad. I am planning on getting him to the vet in the soon-ish, but there isn't a herp vet within an hour of my house, and the timing is really tricky.

So! Any feedback you have in the interim about claws, healthy weight gain, sticky stuff, or any possible physical or emotional effects of his last run-ins with other beardies is GREATLY appreciated.

 

[CooperDragon]

Poor little guy. His story somewhat mirrors that of my Dundee. Give him proper care and he has a good chance of recovery. It sounds like you're on the right track. It's important that he has proper lighting and heat. Good UVB exposure is important for general health and an upgrade to T5 lighting was the first thing I did for my rescue.

It's a good sign that his appetite is up. That saves a difficult step of syringe feeding. What are you providing for his diet? Is he eating salads on his own?

Getting him cleaned up is also important. Provide daily baths. You can use a soft toothbrush to gently scrub at any crusty areas but be patient. It could take weeks to get some of the crusty layers off. I used a bit of Dr Bronner's baby mild soap in some of his baths at first and that helped a bit. Try to prevent him from drinking it but it is pretty safe stuff even if ingested. After a while you'll see his colors come out and he'll start to shed and transform.

The nips and missing nails shouldn't cause any long term problems and if they are healed over (no open wounds to treat) then I wouldn't worry about them. If you see any open wounds, try to keep them clean and dry. They can be treated with unpasteurized honey.

When you have a chance, I do suggest a vet visit to get a base line set up by a thorough exam by an experienced reptile vet. You'll want to get a fecal check done to rule out or treat any parasites. I also suggest setting up a chart and tracking his weight. That is usually a good indicator (not the only one though) of health.

 

[Zinnia]

Right now, he's eating a mix of yellow squash and red-leaf lettuce. He wanted to nose around the tank for a bit, but he did get around to eating some of the salad without any encouragement. He didn't eat all of what I put out, but my portions are for my current beardie, who is bigger in both length and weight, so that may not be a bad thing. On the other hand, all of my local pet stores seem to run out of crickets at the same time; so, I'll have to see how readily he eats bugs later on in the week.

Thanks for the tip about cleaning! I wasn't sure of the best way to go about that other than a soak. I'll definitely start with a soft toothbrush tomorrow and see how it goes. It's hard to tell under the stuff that's still stuck to him, but I don't think he's got any open wounds; there's just the two pale nails and the stuck-on yuck. Hopefully that will clear up with the baths, but it sounds like I shouldn't worry about it if it doesn't come off immediately.

I'll definitely grab a kitchen scale and get him to the vet when I can.

Thanks for your response! The worst thing that's happened to Wagner is that he gets a little stopped up if he eats too many meal worms, so I felt amazingly unprepared for a fragile dragon.

 

[CooperDragon]

It's definitely a different routine with a rescue. You'll get a good feel for it soon and have him on the right track before you know it =)