Special Needs Beardie Updated with picture

[April9876]

Hello I just joined today. I would like you to meat Lefty I just signed up and I"m not sure of how to load pictures here yet so I"m giving you my blog address so you can see him http://cadtaf.blogspot.com/2013/05/here-there-be-dragons.html

I work in a pet store and when he arrived we noticed something was wrong with his right leg. The vet took a look at him and said he probably broke his leg and it didn't heal correctly. After months of care the vet finally approved him healthy are ready for adoption. Well while caring for him I fell in love with his can do spirit and adopted him. I know the basics of caring for a bearded dragon but would love any advice pro beardie owners have in caring for Lefty.

Update:
Ok I think I got this picture thing figured out lets give it a try

 

[Goonie]

[Moved from Website Comments to Introductions]

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Hello and welcome to bd.org!

Congratulations on becoming Lefty's slave! It's so easy to fall in love with these little boogers, huh?

Feel free to ask any questions you may have. We're all here to help.

 

[zandi202]

It's a little daunting, all these questions, but answering them helps.

1. How old is your dragon?

2. How long have you had your dragon?

3. How long is your dragon?

4. What is the sex of your dragon?

5. What size enclosure do you have your dragon in?

6. What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank?

7. Do you use UVB lights?

8. If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb?

9. What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)?

10. How old is your UVB bulb?

11. How close can your dragon get to the UVB?

12. Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? Is it a white or colored bulb?

13. What are the basking temps?

14. What is the cool side temp?

15. Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun?

16. Where exactly are you taking your basking temps?

17. Do you use a heat rock or heat pad?

18. What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific.

19. How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)?

20. Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc?

21. Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them?

22. Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)?

23. Do you bath your dragon? How often?

24. Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath?

25. Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done?

26. Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon?

 

[April9876]

Ohh lots of questions lets see

1. How old is your dragon? About 6 -7 months

2. How long have you had your dragon? 1 week

3. How long is your dragon? humm about 8 inches

4. What is the sex of your dragon? I don't know

5. What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? a 20 long critter keeper with plans to move him up to a 40 when he gets bigger

6. What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? I chose calcium Carbonate sand I would have preferred the reusable terrarium liner but with his bad leg he has a hard time moving on it because his nails get caught. So he has a light layer of sand enough to be comfortable but not deep enough he would have trouble moving.

7. Do you use UVB lights? Yes

8. If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? Coil

9. What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)? Exo-Terra Reptile UVB150 Bulb

10. How old is your UVB bulb? 1 week

11. How close can your dragon get to the UVB? about 10 inches

12. Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? Is it a white or colored bulb? He has a white bulb for day time the wattage is 60 but I'm looking at going to a lower wattage cause he tank gets too hot. He also has a red night light.

13. What are the basking temps? I try to keep the hot side about 80

14. What is the cool side temp? around 70

15. Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun? I have a stick on Thermometer on both sides of the tank

16. Where exactly are you taking your basking temps? approximately where lefty would be located when in that area

17. Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? No

18. What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific. Crickets and mealy worms dusted with Beardie Calcium and leafy greans and squash.

19. How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)? In the Morning he gets his crickets he has a dish of mealy worms and veggie in his tank

20. Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc? Yes

21. Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them? I use Repahsy Calcium plus every day.

22. Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)? Good gravy is he ever

23. Do you bath your dragon? How often? I haven't bathed him yet .. How often is normal?

24. Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath?

25. Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done? Not yet

26. Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon? No he is my first dragon and with his bad leg I don't think it would be good to add another one.

 

[April9876]

[Moved from Website Comments to Introductions]

************************
Hello and welcome to bd.org!

Congratulations on becoming Lefty's slave! It's so easy to fall in love with these little boogers, huh?

Feel free to ask any questions you may have. We're all here to help.

Thanks and yeah he's adorable
My main question is if anyone has had experience with a beardie that has a bum leg and if they have any suggestions on making his home more comfortable he has a hidey log which I added a good sturdy branch so it would be easier for him to climb up closer to the basking light if he wants to. He has sand on the bottom and his food and water. Plus his lights of course. But thats it at the moment.

 

[zandi202]

6. Have you thought of slate tile maybe? Still better than sand, keeps nails trim, and he shouldn't be able to get caught on it or have trouble maneuvering on it.

9. Switch the UVB to a ReptiSun 10.0UVB which you can buy cheaply on Pet Mountain's website, it's a much better UVB. You can also get at Walmart and under-the-counter light fixture for $10 so you can put it inside the tank. When UVB is on the screen, the screen filters about 50% of the UVB.

11. He should be able to get within 6"-8" of it.

12. My suggestion is to buy a dimmer and a flood light from Walmart. The floodlights are lower wattage for higher temps and last longer than pet store basking and the dimmer makes it easy to adjust temps.

13. His basking temp should be 103. It needs to be at least 95 for him to properly digest.

14. Cool temp is good.

15. I would recommend removing those stink ons and replace with a temp gun you can get for cheap on Petco's website. The stick ons and the gauges can be way off on the temperatures, sometimes by 20 degrees.

18. Ditch the mealworms. They're bad feeders for beardies. Here's a good website to figure out foods for your baby. Take a look when you can http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

23. You should bathe him in warm water up to his shoulders for about 10-15minutes every other/every two days and every day when he's shedding.

26. In general it is never a good idea to house two beardies together, even if both are in tip top shape.

Hope this helps and good luck.

 

[RexTheBeardedDragon]

So cute!

 

[April9876]

Yes it does thanks alot

 

[April9876]

So cute!

Thanks and he's sweet too