Rescued a beardie - need advice!

[jodavis10]

I just got my first Beardie, and I have done lots of reading, but I'm still concerned. I got my girfrom craigslist. I figured it was better to rehome and I'm glad I did because I don't think she was getting proper care. The guy who had her said she was a year old. He had one spotlight with a regular 150 watt bulb, and from what I can tell was feeding her dead crickets. He didn't even know what gut loading was. I got her 5 days ago. She was in a 20 gal tank, so I got her a 40 gal reptile tank and new lighting. I had to order uvb bulbs, as there is nowhere to get them from here, so I have been trying to get her outside each day until they get here. I have the coolside at around 80 and the warm side is at around 90. She eats crckets well. I gutload then veggies and sprinkle with Minerall. I have given her a bath, and I drip feed water everyday as long as she laps it up. She still seems unwell tho. Her skin is loose, she won't touch her veggies (I have tried hand feeding and leaving a bowl in her cage). I'm unsure how many crickets to offer, as everything I'm reading says at a year old she should have no more than 50 to 60 a week and the rest of her diet should be veggies. However, all she seems to want is crickets and she won't eat the veggies so I'm worried she is hungry! Any advice would be helpful. I'm lost and worried about her!

 

[kcarello]

Congratulations and thank you for saving her! If she was not ever fed veggies, then it will be new to her and it may take awhile is what I am guessing. I'm not sure what Minerall is...you need to dust with calcium powder about 3 times a week and vitamins once a week. I think you should pm Drache613...she will be able to help you alot more than I can! It is good that she is drinking and that you are giving her baths. Good luck and please let me know how she is doing.
Kelly

 

[ShannyBeard]

Hello and congrats on your new bearded dragon! Hopefully she is otherwise healthy and will steadily gain weight and be a great pet for you.

One of the most important factors in your husbandry will be your tank temperatures. Brandon created a thread to explain thermometers and temperatures to the new beardie owner. This is the thread viewtopic.php?f=34&t=167279 and I hope you read it and find it useful. Your dragon won't be able to fully digest her food or have the proper blood and bone calcium levels without correct basking and tank temperatures, and temperature estimation never works well for the reptile.

As for crickets, go ahead and feed her as many as she will eat in a 10-15 minute period until she gains appropriate weight. At the age of 10-12 months, bearded dragons will tend to naturally shift over to more veggies and less live feeders, but if she has not been given a routine of eating salad and feeders, then she won't eat that way. Do you have a scale that measures weight in grams so you can keep track of her current weight and how she gains? Reptiles do gain weight slowly and steadily when properly cared for, so you won't see a giant improvement in her overnight. You'll need to be patient and keep offering greens to her daily. We use the strategy of feeding salad greens in the morning when they first wake up, and then live feeders after they had a chance to eat their salad.

Can you post a picture of her? You said she seems unwell, but it would help to have a picture to go by. Have you read the care sheets on this website for any additional guidance? What care sheet did you use to set up the tank and purchase the lights? If there are any adjustments to your set up that are needed, we can help.

 

[jodavis10]

I will try to post pics later. I'm not sure I post them from my phone. I was mainly concerned bout the veggies ande her weight. I'm not eactly sure how hes should look. I have the temps at 91//92 in her basking spot and 80-82 on her cool side. She seemsto be basking well, and she will gape her mouth or move off the basking spot if she gets too warm. She loves to be misted. I will get pics on later, so you can tell me if she looks underweight or not. Thanks!!!!

 

[jodavis10]

I did a temp check tonight and her basking spot was 99/100 and her cool zone was 84. Is that too warm??

 

[jodavis10]

 

[ShannyBeard]

I did a temp check tonight and her basking spot was 99/100 and her cool zone was 84. Is that too warm??

She looks to be about 6 months old - but you said you were told she was a year old. They will be smaller than they should be if they were not cared for properly, so sad. She is lucky that you found her and are willing to learn all the little things that will make her life long and healthy. Their age will somewhat determine what they eat, and at a year old she should definitely be eating her veggies. For right now, since she is thin, I would give her live feeders every day.

What feeders are available to you? Do you have a reptile-specific shop that you can go to and look for worms and bugs other than crickets? Crickets are fine, but there are other feeders that have more meat, fat or protein that you can add to help her.

First off, go ahead and clean the sand out of her home and put down a substrate that is not loose. Sand can clog their vent, irritate their eyes, and crust around their mouths. Often they will accidentally ingest sand when they go after their crickets, and it may not pass through their system. That condition is called impaction, when their little bodies have so much sand in them that their digestive system gets clogged. It can be fatal, and it's expensive to treat at the vet's office, so people don't use sand for beardies, in order to save themselves heartache and money down the road. You can put down papertowels for now, which are easy to clean, and you can also buy the reptile carpet from the store to use. I actually use non-adhesive shelf liner, which you can get at Lowe's and I cut it to the size of the bottom of the tank. It wipes clean and makes their vivs much more sanitary. I have 14 bearded dragons and I swear by the shelf liner.

You did a good thing finding her on CL and giving her a chance at a good life. If you have any questions, please ask.

 

[jodavis10]

Ok, I have playsand in there now. The care sheet on here said that was fine once they are adult. She was.on that crushed walnut stuff or whatever it is before. You still think I.should get the carpet instead?? How often do I need to.change that and can it be washed and reused. There are no good petshops around here. There is a petsmart about an hour away. I think.I'm going to.be better orderin. What would you recommend to fatten her up? And where are the best sites? Thanks for all the help. I want her to be healthy. She ate 15 crickets today then lost interest. We offered greens first but she still wouldn't eat them. I leaves the greens in all day but she never touches it. Should I offer crickets more than once a day??

 

[ShannyBeard]

Play sand isn't the worst substrate for an adult and she may do fine on it. There are breeders who use it and don't have problems, but they are experienced with bearded dragons and they can get away with things that the beginner can't always manage. If you see her eating a lot of sand, then you can think about removing it. Make sure you see that she is having regular bowel movements and keep her well hydrated so if she ingests any sand it will pass more easily.

Shelf liner might be easiest because it wipes clean and you can also soak it. Reptile carpet is a pain because it is hard to clean. We used to buy several of them and have one clean, and wash them in the washing machine and dry them. They would kind of pill and get unattractive after a few washes, so we changed to the shelf liner. Some people use tile, too, and it helps to keep their nails trim. I have a rock on the cool side of each enclosure for my dragons to run across and file their nails.

Do you know how to bathe/soak a bearded dragon? In case you don't: We soak them 3 times a week in shallow warm water so they can absorb hydration through their vents. It really does help them to have regular soaks. The water should reach just up to their armpits or a little lower and the bath should last 15-20 minutes. It is also a good opportunity to clean them off, and that would be good if they are on sand so it doesn't cake on their vent with poop. Sand can get caked there and be unsanitary. Another thing about the baths - don't let the water get cold, don't bathe them too close to bed time...they can get very sleepy in the bath and may drown themselves or aspirate water and get an upper respiratory infection, and don't let them sit in soap water because they will absorb it through their vent and it could be toxic.

 

[jodavis10]

I have bathed her, the way that you said. She ate crickets twice today. 15 the first time and almost 20 the second. I got her outside a while tonight because I'm still waiting on the UVB bulb and I've been trying to get her outside everyday. Is is possible that she is younger than I was told? She still won't touch greens, and I offered them to her before the crickets both times today, and had a bowl of greens in the cage all day. She seems to like being outside. She's not super keen on being held, but she will let me hold her. She will sit on my lap and likes to run around the floor. I cut her nails today. They were pretty long. When I put her back in today, I thought she would want to bask, but she danced around a while,scratched at the sand and then laid down in the corner and went to sleep....Is that normal??

This was Loki playing outside on the porch today!!

Next to my laptop, for size comparison

 

[ShannyBeard]

I have bathed her, the way that you said. She ate crickets twice today. 15 the first time and almost 20 the second. I got her outside a while tonight because I'm still waiting on the UVB bulb and I've been trying to get her outside everyday. Is is possible that she is younger than I was told? She still won't touch greens, and I offered them to her before the crickets both times today, and had a bowl of greens in the cage all day. She seems to like being outside. She's not super keen on being held, but she will let me hold her. She will sit on my lap and likes to run around the floor. I cut her nails today. They were pretty long. When I put her back in today, I thought she would want to bask, but she danced around a while,scratched at the sand and then laid down in the corner and went to sleep....Is that normal??

She is very cute. Her head does look well-developed, so she could very well be the age that you were told. Good that she ate some crickets twice. One thing to be mindful of is that her last meal of the day be at least 2 hours before lights off. They need the basking heat light for 2 hours after meals so they fully digest their food. They are cold blooded creatures and do not make their own heat, and when they are cold their system shuts down.

Have you tried hand feeding her greens? You can hold pieces in your hand or hand her a piece of greens from your fingers and see if she will eat that way. What kinds of greens/salad have you tried feeding her? I can't tell by the photo what they are. Maybe you need to find what she likes.

And yes, it is normal for them to glass dance after being put back. Sometimes they like to stay out and keep having fun.

 

[jodavis10]

I have tried Kale, collared greens, dandelion greens, squash, sweet potatoe, green pepper, broccoli, apples and bananas. I always offer her some by hand, and in a bowl and always before I give crickets so I know she is hungry. I got her to eat one piece of Kale, but then she wouldn't take anymore. She has licked the dandelion greens, and the apple, but once she realized it wasn't a cricket she turned away from me. I am at a loss! She is very picky!!

 

[ShannyBeard]

Just keep trying and offering the salad. If you want, since she isn't eating any of it, pick one of the greens and just feed her that with nothing else, every day. Having the same salad each day may give it some familiarity and she might decide to eat it. If she is not quite a year old yet, and more like 9 months, then she may not have started making the switch to more veggies. Plus if she has not been feed enough, she may know she needs the protein. Without really knowing her age for sure, you almost have to keep offering the greens and feeding the protein, at least for the next few months, and see if she starts to show more interest in the salad. I'd do that and let her gain some weight and get used to her new home. Then in a few months, when you are quite sure that she has to be at least a year old, you can start some tough love with the salad.

 

[jodavis10]

Thanks for all the help!! I really appreciate the replies!! She definitely likes her crickets and has been eating a ton of them. She poops every day, and that seems ok. I'm not sure what it should look like exactly though! I will continue to offer her the salad. Usually, I turn her lights on at 7:30am, I feed her after her lights have been on a while and she is up and moving. I try to get her to take some greens by hand, then I leave the bowl in the cage, right in front of her while I get ready for work. I'm hoping she will decide to give it a try one day. After about 30-45 mins, I take it out and feed her crickets. Then I give the salad to the crickets instead. I do the same when I get home from work around 5 or 6. I keep her lights on until 9pm. She does go to sleep earlier than that though. I have been trying to keep her up, getting her out, playing with her, letting her roam around the living room, giving her a bath....but as soon as she's back in she lays down in the corner and goes to sleep. She went to sleep about 7:30 tonight. She's asleep under her basking log. I'm leaving her light until until 9....I hope that's ok!

 

[protiemama]

Congrats on your new girl and welcome to the sight! Sounds like you are doing great.
Two tips with the salad- Mine prefer their salad with calcium dust sprinkled on top. They dance around and get excited when they see that jar. :lol: Also leave the salad in her tank all day, some like to nibble and others are just shy about eating in front of people. :roll:
Your cool side may be a touch warm, most prefer <75. I agree about the sand. You can get all kinds of shelf liner at Wal Mart or you can use tile. I use a rough floor tile to keep from having to trim nails. (I shake too much for that)
It is usually cheaper to buy feeders online than at a pet store. The quality is better too. If you really want to make her happy and just spoil her rotten, get her some Hornworms from Great Lakes Hornworm. They also have super worms and Phoenix worms. I buy 1000 superworms at a time and keep them in a 10 gal tank w/t a screen top. They eat salad scraps, carrots, potatoes and wheat germ and oatmeal. Just don't let 'em get too hot.
Keep up the good work.

Sandy H :mrgreen: