The Big Project

[Dreamless]

So I finally got the little guy my friend was taking care of poorly.. he's at least a couple months old and looks like a hatchling still. I almost want to cry at his condition but I know I can fix it. I have the money, time and experience to do it. I just hope you guys can help me out with this as well. I'll keep a record of his weight and hopeful progress. Currently my new buddy is unfortunately in a 10 gallon tank, but he seems perfectly sized for it. That's how small he is.. like a juvie leopard gecko size. Eventually once he starts getting bigger I'm moving him into the larger tank. He has UVB, heat, plenty of hiding spots and all the food he can eat. The other problem is he is extremely skittish. If you have any suggestions on weight gain or calming a dragon down please let me know (I already know about protein shock but this guy has been eating regularly with previous owner, just not gaining weight or growing).

Here's some pictures.

 

[CooperDragon]

I'm glad you were able to take him in =). As for the weight gain, I'd just keep offering food on a regular basis and let him eat at his own pace. It's a good sign that he is eating on his own. My guess is that he's just waiting on a growth spurt and will gain a lot in a short amount of time. Give him time on being skittish. That will just take him getting used to you and trusting you.

 

[Dreamless]

I'm glad you were able to take him in =). As for the weight gain, I'd just keep offering food on a regular basis and let him eat at his own pace. It's a good sign that he is eating on his own. My guess is that he's just waiting on a growth spurt and will gain a lot in a short amount of time. Give him time on being skittish. That will just take him getting used to you and trusting you.

It's just funny because I've been working with him on a weekly basis for 3 months in my friend's home. You'd think he'd be used to me by now. And so far I've only seen him sleeping, but I think that's because this is the warmest he's ever been. The tank he was in before basically had just a food dish and a piece of wood to climb on with a mercury UVB/heat bulb that was too far away for the heat to properly get to him. In this new tank he has tons of hiding spots and a nice warm basking spot plus a heatpad to keep him cozy in the warm side hide. I'm going to weigh him tonight sometime.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I am glad that you were able to bring him home now! He sure is a little cutie pie that is for sure.
He should eventually get used to you & to being handled more also. Just keep working with him.
At night you could wrap him up in a nice fleece blankie & place him on your chest so he gets used to your smell more. Though, he may become spoiled.....LOL
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[CooperDragon]

I agree. Give the little one a wrap in a blanket or towel at night and hold him. I just put my buddy to bed after doing that for 4 hrs while I finished working. It takes time though. I picked him up on Jul 5 and am still working on getting his trust. Just keep at it and be patient/gentle. It's worth the wait =)

 

[Dreamless]

I agree. Give the little one a wrap in a blanket or towel at night and hold him. I just put my buddy to bed after doing that for 4 hrs while I finished working. It takes time though. I picked him up on Jul 5 and am still working on getting his trust. Just keep at it and be patient/gentle. It's worth the wait =)

Oh trust me I know.. my little Honey is the absolute poster child for a spoiled beardie. I guess I gotta start all over and spoil this new one now. Huhuhu

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I guess you have your work cut out for you then. LOL
I am sure he wont mind the extra evening attention.

Tracie

 

[Dreamless]

Update.. I've weighed him. He's 12 grams. Ugh it kills me to type that number. To just make things clear, Honey and this new little one were purchased at the same time, at the same store, at the same size.. I assume they're the same age about and he is extremely tiny. Honey weighs at least 320 grams at this point.. I really hope I can boost his growth back to normal. Otherwise he's looking more active then yesterday and stress marks are disappearing slowly.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Wow only 12 grams, the poor dragon. That definitely isn't much!
I hope he gets to perking up more. It will take some time but go slowly with him, his system needs to catch up.
At least he is looking more alert & active, so he should start to grow now also.
Keep us posted on him.

Tracie

 

[Dreamless]

Another update.. the little guy started acting funny today. Before I went to school (night classes), he was staring upward and seemed to have a hard time looking anywhere else. I figured maybe he saw something he wanted to catch but couldn't and just ignored it. I came home he was on his side shaking, the only thing I could think that was happening was he was having a seizure. After that he wasn't breathing and his heart seemingly had stopped.. I attempted CPR but he's so little and frail I was scared to do it properly, the most I could do was clear his airway which was blocked by a piece of the mopani wood I have in his tank. I think he might have ate a big chunk and was choking so that was why he was looking up, he may have been trying to swallow it.. maybe the lack of air caused a seizure? But thanks to some quick thinking, I grabbed my TENS unit (it stimulates muscles into relaxing with small electrical pulses) and set it to the lowest setting. I attached one wire to his little chest and turned it on.. the only thing I could think was that it might act like a defibrillator and start his heart again. After a few tries and upping the setting once.. his heartbeat finally came back. Excuse the huge wall of text.. I'm just so shaken and relieved at the same time. I'm so glad I got his heart going again, he seems normal now.. like nothing even happened. Thank goodness he's ok.. I just thought I'd share my nerve wracking night with you all.

 

[Brezzy99]

Oh my goodness! Poor baby! That was quick thinking on your part. How is he doing now? I've seen a few post about adeno. Could it be possible he is adeno positive? It may explain why he is so small.

 

[CooperDragon]

Oh geez! Poor little guy. Good thinking on your part. I'm glad to hear it turned out OK!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Oh my, I am sorry you had that stress & that your dragon had a horrible experience!
That is quick thinking to use a TENS unit on him. That most likely did defib him so his heart could restart. They are very effective devices.
It is hard to do CPR on such small dragons, I agree. I am so happy he is ok now.
How is he doing this evening?

Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[Dreamless]

Thank you all for your kind words and concern. He's doing fine, he ate after the incident then went to bed after basking. I don't blame him.. must be exhausted after such a traumatic event. I'll look into adeno disease as well to see if any symptoms match and I'll check my area for a reptile vet that could possibly test for that. Tomorrow he's definitely getting some treats (unsweetened applesauce and mealworms, yay!), I feel terrible for not noticing the problem he was having sooner. But at least now I know I can use a TENS as a defib for reptiles, so that's a positive out of this negative experience.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

If you need to test, I have a site that supports testing & I send all tests through the Research Associates Lab in Dallas, TX.
Here is my site:

www.thepats.info

What was the setting on the TENS unit for the lowest one?
I am glad that he is doing ok, but I am sure he is very tired after such a horrible ordeal.
I would say that he definitely deserves several treats for sure!

Tracie