Severely emaciated bearded dragon

[Lara]

Hi guys, I have an 8 year old female bearded dragon. She is severely underweight and dehydrated. Mostly it is my fault, since I have not given as much food as I should have, and I should have recognized her dilemma.

All that put aside. I need to help her. She is really severely emaciated. My set up is:

85 Gallon tank
Paper Towels (3 weeks ago repticarpet)
Reptisun 10.0 UVB - approx. 4 months old
Reptiglo Tightbeam basking spot lamp 50w


Unfortunately my thermometer broke, so I have no temps available.

Her diet consisted of butternut, baby spinach leaves, rocket leaves, green beans, and most anything from Beautiful dragons mixed and matched.

Her appetite has lessened the past months. She still ate, just not as much as she used to. She was still very energetic despite her thin body. When I offered her small Dubia roaches she more than eagerly grabbed them. But since Saturday she can barely lift her head. I read about the bug slush/soup so I went and bought superworms, and I squished 3 of them out of their shells, added some calcium powder, and a bit of water, and pulled it up into a syringe. I fed her a bit and she swallowed. Sunday she at least kept her eyes open and pulled her head away from me when I tried to feed her. So I fed her again Sunday morning. Sunday afternoon she gaped under the basking light. I fed her again Sunday afternoon. Monday morning I tried to feed her again, and she swallowed about 1,5ml. Monday afternoon I tried again but this time she wouldn't swallow. Or at least she took 0.5ml, but the rest she just let lie in her mouth, she wouldn't swallow. So I opened her mouth a little later and let the soup run out.

I realise I might be fighting a losing battle, but I have to try. We have 3 vets in my town, and none of them are prepared to treat a bearded dragon. I don't have the money to drive 100 miles to the nearest exotic vet, and pay a consultation fee, and medicine, and even over night costs.

I know my tears doesn't mean anything now, and if this were America I would've been charged with neglect. But despite everything she is my baby, my first born, and I cant just let her go. The real question is: she is 8 years old, is she dying because of old age? Cause if she is I'm definitely fighting a losing battle. If not, please help me save her and give her a few more years.

 

[brittani299]

I would message Drache613 (tracie) she is a monitor on here and knows a lot. She might know.

 

[MsWanda10166]

Is pedialyte for baby’s available in your grocery store? I would start with pedialyte baths. (Unflavored) I would also try feeding baby food. Squash and Turkey are the best. Spinach has a bonding effect on calcium, so stop that ASAP. Making green slurries is great, keeping her warm, and giving her dedicated care is going to be your best chance. If you could please answer these questions, we will try to see if there is anything else you can do to help her.
How old is your dragon?
How long have you had your dragon?
How long is your dragon?
What is the sex of your dragon?
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in?
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank?
Do you use UVB lights?
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb?
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)?
How old is your UVB bulb?
How close can your dragon get to the UVB, and where is the UVB bulb located?
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? Is it a white or colored bulb?
Di you have any type of night time heat source (ceramic heat emitter, colored bulb, etc)?
How long are lights on each day?
What are the basking temps?
What is the cool side temp?
What is the night time temp?
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun?
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps?
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad?
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific.
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)?
How many live feeders do you offer at time?
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc?
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them?
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)?
Do you bathe your dragon? How often?
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath?
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done?
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon?

 

[Lara]

How old is your dragon? 8 YEARS OLD
How long have you had your dragon? 8 YEARS
How long is your dragon? 20cm
What is the sex of your dragon? female
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? 85 gallon
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? First 5 years sand, 6-7 repticarpet, now papertowels
Do you use UVB lights? yes
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? fluorescent type
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)? Reptisun 10.0 15w
How old is your UVB bulb? (second thought) 11 months
How close can your dragon get to the UVB, and where is the UVB bulb located? Its in the middle of the cage, 30cm from the bottom of the cage.
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? Is it a white or colored bulb? Yes, exoterra tightbeam basking spot lamp, 50w rather white in color
Di you have any type of night time heat source (ceramic heat emitter, colored bulb, etc)? Yes I do, a ceramic heat emitter 75w
How long are lights on each day? 12 hours each day. 6 to 18h00
What are the basking temps? Don't know
What is the cool side temp? Don't know
What is the night time temp? Don't know
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun? My probe thermometer broke
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps? n/a
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? I do have a heat pad, but I haven't used it for her in a very long time
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific. Everyday she is offered a salad. Usually a mixture. Apples, green beans, bell peppers, carrots, hibiscus leaves, beetroot leaves. Not everyday all of it, I mix it differently everyday. I sprinkle it with calcium powder twice a week. When I get a chance I will feed her small 1,5cm dubia roaches that I breed myself, but she only eats 3 or 4 then she looses interest and closes her eyes.
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)? Salad everyday every morning. Dubias maybe once a week when I get a chance and always before 17h00.
How many live feeders do you offer at time? As many as she will eat, but lately that was only 3 or 4 and now it's none.
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc? I think so, I feed my dubias fish flakes, oats, and fresh butternut or any other hard veg I have in the fridge and they have watergel
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them? I have green jungle calcium powder once or twice a week
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)? Not anymore. She used to eat everyday and poop everyday and they were healthy. Now she doesn't eat, and doesn't poop. I fed her Saturday a small amount and Sunday there was a tiny bit of poop on her rock, but it didn't look good
Do you bathe your dragon? How often? I used to at least twice a week, lately we are down to once every 2 or 3 weeks
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath? Water is always available to her in a bowl in her cage. I do not mist
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done? None. Money is scarce.
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon?No, she has the cage to herself

 

[daner923]

You need a new ReptiSun and to up the calcium to 3 times a week. That should help her appetite and energy perk back up. Those UVB lights only last about 6 months, so she has been without much UVB for some time now. That is definitely affecting her.

 

[Lara]

I'll try my best to get a new UVB but at the moment the best I can do is natural sunlight every Saturday and Sunday. As for the calcium, I cant up the calcium cause she is not eating. She does not eat by herself and she does not swallow anything from the syringe.

 

[daner923]

She, unfortunately, needs to have UVB every day to help her recover. I'm not sure what to tell you besides that. Maybe you could order a bulb online at a cheaper price?

 

[AHBD]

Hi Lara....I'm truly sorry to hear about your beardie's serious condition....can you post a picture ? There is probably much more going on besides lack of UVB, but she definitely needs some sunshine. Even 25 minutes a day would be helpful, if it's warm in the a.m. or the evening in South Africa, but definitely do so on the weekend. Is your house very warm ? Because the low watt bulb may not be giving a proper amount of heat. Also, you mentioned baths only every 2-3 weeks, then she must be very dehydrated. What really sends alarm bells off is that she won't swallow her slurry....she may be very far gone. Since she desperately needs hydration, just try plain water to dribble on her lips, or try to get just a bit in the side of her mouth. Try a shallow lukewarm bath as well, [ about 2 inches for 5 - 10 minutes ] but stay right with her to keep her from drowning. Then gentlt pat her dry + put her back in the warm tank. She may be too far along to help, but those are things she needs , to be hydrated and to have exposure to some UVB. Right now anything can shock her system, so be very gentle and slow with everything. Hopefully she will surprise you and can regain her health.

 

[Lara]

Thanks for your concern. I've desperately struggled with this the past half an hour but I will buy a new UVB. One way or another I will survive, she needs it more. I haven't seen her today since this morning (nearly 10 hours ago). But i'll be home in about an hour. First thing I will do is get her in some lukewarm water, in a small container so she can sit with me in the lounge, and I can watch her constantly. Could I soak her in something like water with a dab of powerade, or any other human electrolyte enfused sports drink? Also would you recommend I mix her slurry with Reptaid (not repti-aid) the herbal one. She weighs 180grams. I will take a picture tonight and post tomorrow. She is thin, bones are visible, tail looks triangular, eyes are sunken, it's just really really really sad. Cant get two sentences down without tears.

Im going to try just water tonight, see how it goes.

Oh and yes outside the sun is rather hot by day. But by night it is rather cold. So I will switch on both the basking light and the heat emitter. And im not sure how yet but im going to try to take a temp reading.

Thank you for all your input. I will let you know what happens tomorrow

 

[Drache613]

Hello Lara,

I am sorry about your girl.
Are you able to get the new tube bulb? How far away from her do you have the tube bulb & do you have screen or plastic in between her & the UVB tube? Do you have pictures of your tank, the 85 gallon is large so you should have plenty of room to rearrange lighting, if needed.
The tube bulb needs to be 6-8 inches from her, mounted directly beside the basking light.
Since she most likely has hypocalcemia, I would give calcium 5 times per week right now, either powder or liquid. If you can find liquid at the petstore, that would be best & absorbed more quickly.
You can get some chicken & or turkey baby food along with some squash & sweet potato baby food & mix it together with a pinch of calcium powder, daily to help with her strength right now. She needs to gain some weight, it sounds like.
Yes, you can soak her in gatorade, powerade or pedialyte (unflavored) or diluted so it is not full strength/color in her bath to help with hydration also.
You can use the Reptaid daily if you have it, that should help her out as well. The 180 grams is quite thin, how long is she?
Has she ever laid infertile eggs before?
Were you able to get any reading on the temperatures?
You can also take her outside daily if it is warm enough, for some good UVB blasts!

I am looking forward to seeing some pictures.

Tracie

 

[Lara]

She passed away yesterday. Probably only an hour after I spoke to you. My fiancé got home and picked her up and she was still alive, and blinked at him. He put her back gently and a few minutes later she moved on.

Thank you for trying. At least she is at peace now.

 

[Esther19]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

[Dragon4Me]

I'm sorry, too.

 

[mayuso001]

Im new to this site, but I can tell you all the info your going to get here will be priceless. I am currently dealing with a severely starved, dehydrated and deformed 6yr old beardie now. This forum told me to soak Chick-A-Boom in dilute pedialyte. I did that for 10 mins at a time 3x a day for the past 4 days, and she is now starting to drink on her own. I work full time and commute 143 miles round trip to work, so trust me, I was afraid i wasnt going to be able to juggle a sick lizard and a hectic life, but I did the soaks when I could and hoped for the best and its working! Listen to everyone here! Even my vet is impressed with the infor I received here. Good luck

 

[AHBD]

I'm so sorry to hear that she didn't make it ! It sounds like she was just too weak to regain her health... know your'e devastated, so take care, much sympathy to you !