Hey everyone!
First time poster on this forum here! I was looking for information on how to save a baby beardie and there isn't much out there on the internet. I've browsed countless posts on here and there's tons of good information but I thought it would be worth a shot to see if I could get some specific help!
First, here's some background information:
I had worked at PetSmart for almost a year and was their resident reptile "expert". (I do NOT consider myself an expert at ALL, I was just the girl who knew lots about reptiles!) I didn't know anything about reptiles until I started working there and thus began my obsession.
Anyway, I quit PetSmart and now work at a much, much smaller pet store that is privately owned. The owner isn't big on vet visits and before I got there the reptile section was pretty sad. I've been steadily working to build it up and make sure all of the reptiles have the proper heating, lights, substrate and so on. I noticed this baby bearded dragon who was in with a bunch of others and one 'tail nipper'. We separated the aggressive one and that left two bearded dragons together. One was steadily growing bigger and fatter and this one (let's call him... Aldous) began to get lethargic. I put him in his water dish a few times to soak and also soaked him in some electrolytes and vitamins and told the other workers to keep an eye on him. I was then off for a week. When I came back he was laying completely flat on his belly and was ice cold. I honestly thought he was dead. I immediately grabbed him and I think he moved a leg so I realized he was alive. I then soaked him for about 20 minutes in lukewarm water and took him home because he would have either been euthanized at the store or died a slow sad death.
His habitat at the pet store was: (Far from optimal sadly.)
* 1 50 watt heating bulb (when I checked the temperature it was something stupid like 75 degrees F.)
* 1 coil UVB bulb
* Bark substrate
* Water dish
* Ornament to stand on
Obviously, not okay.
His "habitat" at my house is actually in a critter keeper in my kingsnake's tank... Please don't kill me. It's the only place I can keep him right now as I do not have another tank to use. I have built up a mound of aspen for the keeper to sit on and it is right under a ceramic heat emitter. It keeps the tank at 95 degrees F, and 100-105 degrees F at his basking spot on top of a half log. I have the keeper lined with paper towel right now and a small lid to use as a water dish so he doesn't drown in it. The Beardie weighs 5.6 grams and is probably ... 5 inches long? I have no idea how old he is. I am using a second hand UVB tube, but I'm pretty sure its still emitting the UVB rays, I do plan on replacing it soon anyway though just to be sure.
So, I have had the little guy for 4 days now and this is how its going:
Day 1:
*Very lethargic and cold. Fed babyfood (squash) every few hours. Bathed in warm water for 20 min periods every few hours
Day 2:
*Lethargic as well. Opened eyes slightly for the first time. Same treatment as above.
Day 3:
*Lethargic. Opened eyes for longer, but they stay closed most of the time. Moved around a bit. Fed the babyfood and also picked up some Repti-Aid. Had first watery poop. Orange bits in the poop I suspect were squash...
Day 4:
*Lethargic. Doesn't open eyes. Does move around every few hours to sit half in the water dish or half off the log. Does lap up Repti-Aid from the syringe when I force it into his mouth at first.
He also has dark spots on his belly and the tip of his tail is brown and dead I think. I think it was bitten by the 'tail chomper'. Also, he is so skinny you can see his spine and his tail and back legs are shriveled. It's really heartbreaking.
Sorry about the information overload guys, I just really need some help and I figure the more you know the better chance I can get some help!
What else can I feed him? What kinds of baby food? What else should I do?
Thank you so much in advance!
First time poster on this forum here! I was looking for information on how to save a baby beardie and there isn't much out there on the internet. I've browsed countless posts on here and there's tons of good information but I thought it would be worth a shot to see if I could get some specific help!
First, here's some background information:
I had worked at PetSmart for almost a year and was their resident reptile "expert". (I do NOT consider myself an expert at ALL, I was just the girl who knew lots about reptiles!) I didn't know anything about reptiles until I started working there and thus began my obsession.
Anyway, I quit PetSmart and now work at a much, much smaller pet store that is privately owned. The owner isn't big on vet visits and before I got there the reptile section was pretty sad. I've been steadily working to build it up and make sure all of the reptiles have the proper heating, lights, substrate and so on. I noticed this baby bearded dragon who was in with a bunch of others and one 'tail nipper'. We separated the aggressive one and that left two bearded dragons together. One was steadily growing bigger and fatter and this one (let's call him... Aldous) began to get lethargic. I put him in his water dish a few times to soak and also soaked him in some electrolytes and vitamins and told the other workers to keep an eye on him. I was then off for a week. When I came back he was laying completely flat on his belly and was ice cold. I honestly thought he was dead. I immediately grabbed him and I think he moved a leg so I realized he was alive. I then soaked him for about 20 minutes in lukewarm water and took him home because he would have either been euthanized at the store or died a slow sad death.His habitat at the pet store was: (Far from optimal sadly.)
* 1 50 watt heating bulb (when I checked the temperature it was something stupid like 75 degrees F.)
* 1 coil UVB bulb
* Bark substrate
* Water dish
* Ornament to stand on
Obviously, not okay.
His "habitat" at my house is actually in a critter keeper in my kingsnake's tank... Please don't kill me. It's the only place I can keep him right now as I do not have another tank to use. I have built up a mound of aspen for the keeper to sit on and it is right under a ceramic heat emitter. It keeps the tank at 95 degrees F, and 100-105 degrees F at his basking spot on top of a half log. I have the keeper lined with paper towel right now and a small lid to use as a water dish so he doesn't drown in it. The Beardie weighs 5.6 grams and is probably ... 5 inches long? I have no idea how old he is. I am using a second hand UVB tube, but I'm pretty sure its still emitting the UVB rays, I do plan on replacing it soon anyway though just to be sure.
So, I have had the little guy for 4 days now and this is how its going:
Day 1:
*Very lethargic and cold. Fed babyfood (squash) every few hours. Bathed in warm water for 20 min periods every few hours
Day 2:
*Lethargic as well. Opened eyes slightly for the first time. Same treatment as above.
Day 3:
*Lethargic. Opened eyes for longer, but they stay closed most of the time. Moved around a bit. Fed the babyfood and also picked up some Repti-Aid. Had first watery poop. Orange bits in the poop I suspect were squash...
Day 4:
*Lethargic. Doesn't open eyes. Does move around every few hours to sit half in the water dish or half off the log. Does lap up Repti-Aid from the syringe when I force it into his mouth at first.
He also has dark spots on his belly and the tip of his tail is brown and dead I think. I think it was bitten by the 'tail chomper'. Also, he is so skinny you can see his spine and his tail and back legs are shriveled. It's really heartbreaking.
Sorry about the information overload guys, I just really need some help and I figure the more you know the better chance I can get some help!
What else can I feed him? What kinds of baby food? What else should I do?
Thank you so much in advance!
