Someone please help me!

[AlphaDragons]

I rescued a beardie off of craigslist, He looked horrible in the pictures, he looks underweight to me, his sides behind his front legs go in a little bit. He just sits on his log sleeping a lot, I'd say 14 hours a day on that log. He is chewing slow, when he eats his collard greens he chews them up pretty slow. I'm feeding him salads daily, he has been not eating it here recently. I used to feed him crickets, but he refuses to chase them and they always escape out of my fingers when I try to hand feed him. They always hide in places where I cant even get to them and just chrip, non stop 24-7 He is an adult, but doesnt look it. He has a document saying he hatched in July of 2016. He isnt as big as videos I see of other bearded dragons. But on top of all this: my mom. My mom says we can't afford to keep buying him superworms everyweek (which isn't true). She demands a cheaper food option or we have to get rid of him. I am trying to convince her to let me get dubia roaches because they are smellless, quiet, cheap, and cant escape but she does not want roaches in her house period. I feel like I can convince her, I am going to breed the dubias if/when I get them. Please leave links of things I can use to care for the roaches for a cheap price (egg carton, food etc) I dont need a container,, I have one. Please help, I can't stand to see him like this, I love him so much. I also do NOT want to find a new home. But I know if it is the absolute best option for him, I would have to not be selfish and let him go. I can't send pictures at the moment, but I will be ble to soon, and I can give you a better description if you just ask. Again please help me!

 

[CooperDragon]

How long have you had him? If he is eating some on his own that's good. Since he's an adult, focus on veges. Keep up with the collards and try things like squash pieces and chopped up green beans. Adults eat mostly veges so that will wind up making your food bill much cheaper on it's own. Drip water on his nose so he can lick it up and make sure he's well hydrated. What do you have in place for lighting for him? It can take a lot of work and a lot of time to rehab a sick dragon but it's worth it if you can provide the care required.

 

[AlphaDragons]

I've had him for about 2 weeks. The lighting.. I for his basking I have a 100w Flukers light and UVB is a coil one with a blue light. How many superworms should he be eating a day?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

You will definitely want to switch out your coil UVB light to a higher quality one.
Some recommendations are either the Reptisun 10 or the Arcadia D3 12%, both are T8 tube
bulbs with good UVB exposure/emissions. You could opt for the T5 tube bulbs which are a
high output UVB with better quality.
Is the basking light blue? You will want to get rid of the blue light though, because they do
need a high intense bright white light. Do you know what the temperature in his tank are?
You can feed a few superworms daily, but definitely try to get other staples to mix in for him
also. The dubias are great, but will take some time to get the colony going. You can buy some
crickets in bulk, online, or silkworms, hornworms or phoenix/calcium worms for some variety.
Has he gone to the bathroom very many times since you took him in? Be sure his kidneys are
working well before going too heavy on the protein.
Pictures of him along with the setup would be helpful when you can get them.

Tracie

 

[AlphaDragons]

Hello,

You will definitely want to switch out your coil UVB light to a higher quality one.
Some recommendations are either the Reptisun 10 or the Arcadia D3 12%, both are T8 tube
bulbs with good UVB exposure/emissions. You could opt for the T5 tube bulbs which are a
high output UVB with better quality.
Is the basking light blue? You will want to get rid of the blue light though, because they do
need a high intense bright white light. Do you know what the temperature in his tank are?
You can feed a few superworms daily, but definitely try to get other staples to mix in for him
also. The dubias are great, but will take some time to get the colony going. You can buy some
crickets in bulk, online, or silkworms, hornworms or phoenix/calcium worms for some variety.
Has he gone to the bathroom very many times since you took him in? Be sure his kidneys are
working well before going too heavy on the protein.
Pictures of him along with the setup would be helpful when you can get them.

Tracie

The basking light is a yellow/white color. The average temperature on his basking log is around 100. The UVB light came with a card I put under the light to test the level and it says its High. He hasnt pooped very much. How many silkworms should he be eating a day. Im afraid he isnt eating enough of them.

 

[CooperDragon]

Yeah the blue tinted light is coming from the UVB coil which I agree should be replaced. Do you know what brand and wattage it is? Even the more powerful 26w versions aren't very effective beyond about 6-8'' and aren't effective through a mesh top. The cards aren't effective at detecting UVB, they are detecting UVA. To properly detect UVB output you need to use a Solarmeter. The Solarmeter tests are what I use to estimate general effective ranges for different lights. Due to his condition I would invest in a good T5 tube if you can as Tracie mentioned. I would continue focusing on keeping him hydrated and offer veges. You can offer some superworms and some silk worms but don't push them too much both because he is an adult and also because too much protein can overwhelm his system if his kidneys and liver aren't functioning optimally just as Tracie said.