This little guy needs our help

[sara24354]

MOds, if you want to move this please do,I just wanted it to get as much attention as possible!
I went to my local pet store today to get crickets and was approached by the owner and a worker to take a TINY beardie and try to help him.
He has had no UVB until 2 weeks ago when I said something about it and then they only put a reptisun 2.0 on him,no proper temps,weird diet schedule,sometimes crickets,sometimes baby meal worms,sometimes just salad.His feet are swollen but better than they were,at one point his toes were pointing upwards.
Anyone who knows me here knows that I know how to care for beardies(at least enough to have 2 healthy ones of my own. One of mine was just treated for pinworms and is regaining her weight nicely.Anyway,I have never dealt with a baby this small and any help would be appreciated.I know to correct the temps and UVB problems and diet no no's but any other help would be great. I am trying to contact a friend of mine who has bigger tanks so I can borrow one,this little guy is in a 10 gal tank,I need a bigger tank to get proper temps.I just got the beardie a little bit ago,so just trying to round up what I need.Thanks in advance.Here is a picture of him.

Sara

 

[sara24354]

Out of all the people looking,noone has a suggestion?

 

[edevildude]

i'd say if ur looking for cheap supplies check craigslist of something else like it in your area, usually there are tanks people are just dieing to get rid of, i got a 75 gallon with 2 logs, food and water dishes, 48" hood light, top, plants, all for like $80. A good cleaning and your good to go. Just something i did, donno if it's the kinda help ur looking for but figured better then nothing

 

[fez09]

Poor baby! Just make sure and get a Reptisun 10.00, feed her every few hours and get her hydrated if you haven't already! Good luck!

 

[junebug82]

I don't know what to do to help But thank you foor taking that little guy in! I said a prayer for you.

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Sara it is pretty much the same! Just make sure to feed him 2-3 times a day with protein(feeders) as much as he will eat in a 10-15 minute time frame. You will want the pinhead-1/8 inch crickets. And take any left overs out! Make sure you dust the same with the calcium and vitamins and still offer a healthy salad once a day and bathe him every other. Just make sure you keep the temps 98-109 in the basking side. And you have a good UVB like the reptisun 10.0. And give him something to bask on. If you need more help just ask! You will be fine.

 

[SierraandRhonda]

I couldn't tell you where to start. Mine wasn't that tiny and Sierra wasn't in that rough of shape. There was no uvb bulb, was kept below bird cages and the temp was in the 70s. After a few days Sierra was good as it gets.... I guess routine is the start but anything I know you would have known for a long while! I hope everything goes well and look forward to hearing more

 

[sara24354]

Okay ladies and gentlemen,I am so sorry for my impatience yesterday!!!! I just want to help this little guy if I can!!!!!He's so very tiny and I'm just lost. When my hubby asked to hold our little "Tom Thumb"(Mark insists that he have a name and plenty of love while he is here) I cleaned his cage and just wanted to cry,there were about 10 crickets in there and it hadn't been cleaned in a while.
I am going to pick up a bigger tank later and then I'll sterilize it good and put him in it,I have a reptisun 10 to put on him,and he already has a basking spot,just may have to make it taller.If anyone has any other suggestions please let me know.
Thanks,
SAra

 

[Freeie]

If you have the 10 gal just use a household bulb (60 watt to 75 watt) put it as far to one side of the viv as possable you can get it the right temps for short term but its a pain. Since in a 10gal they will get warmer than they would in a bigger viv try bathing him everyday. I found my little ones would dehydrate quickly in the 10gal. We had to house our 2 5 week olds in 2 10 gal for 2 weeks intill we could get their perm viv finished. he /she sure is a cute little thing.

 

[Gail]

Looks like he already has pretty bad MBD. Can you get a MVB and liquid calcium? Is he able to walk/climb ok? If you do raise his basking platform, make sure its wide and stable so he can climb it easier.

 

[spurlee01]

Hi Sara-
I've never had babies, so I can't offer you advice, but I do want to say good luck!

 

[vickson420]

Hi Sara
Glad you got to bring him home and with your care hopefully this little one will get through.Ok so what do you have set up so far?Did you do the routing bath,feeding,etc? Is he eating on his own? If not get him on a babyfood slurry as soon as possibly.Being as he has been without proper UVB I think your going to want to consider getting him on liquid calcium at least in the beginning,you can order it from beautifuldragons.com or even get some bone-aid if you feel there isnt time.What UVB is he under?Has he pooped for you yet?Also a little repta-aid critical care formula will be a good idea and you might want to add some pedialyte to his babyfood slurry.All of these things you probably already know but anything at all I can help you with please feel free to ask even if it seems silly.Good luck and by the way LOVE the name!

 

[sara24354]

Right now he is still in a 10 gal tank until tomorrow,the one was gonna borrow has not been cleaned out,I was just doing that but had to come home to get Timmy off the bus. I will finish cleaning out the tank and sterilize it in the morning. He only has a reptisun 2.0 on him but I'm getting ready to go ahead and balance the reptisun 10 light I have on his tank (it's 24 inches and the tank is not that big,but I really want to get UVB on him soon. I am giving him baby food,but gonna make a cricket,green slurry for him.I will ry to get liquid calcium tomorrow or bone aid.I am going back to the pet store tomorrow for feeders.Tomorrow i will have a 30 gal tank,reptisun 10,crickets(more)etc............

 

[vickson420]

Right now he is still in a 10 gal tank until tomorrow,the one was gonna borrow has not been cleaned out,I was just doing that but had to come home to get Timmy off the bus. I will finish cleaning out the tank and sterilize it in the morning. He only has a reptisun 2.0 on him but I'm getting ready to go ahead and balance the reptisun 10 light I have on his tank (it's 24 inches and the tank is not that big,but I really want to get UVB on him soon. I am giving him baby food,but gonna make a cricket,green slurry for him.I will ry to get liquid calcium tomorrow or bone aid.I am going back to the pet store tomorrow for feeders.Tomorrow i will have a 30 gal tank,reptisun 10,crickets(more)etc............

Well then my deat it sounds like you have it well under control. Anything in particular that you're worried about?

 

[diamc]

Awww, poor little thing, kudos to you for being there at just the right time to give him a fighting chance. Gizmo was only 3 1/2 inches when we got him so I know exactly how frail they look at such a small size. As others have said, be sure to keep him well hydrated and if he doesn't eat much on his nose, go with the turkey/chicken baby food and some squash. I would also say that liquid calcium is a must since he has been without any UVB and then improper amounts for a while.

In the picture, it looks like his left eye is a little irritated so using Saline solution would help flush it out. I suspect he was on a loose substrate so that may have gotten in his eye. Is he alert at all?