Under weight dragon + other problems please help ;_;

[ohlookitssatan]

So i need some help, im kind of newbie to owning a little dragon and a few days ago I bought my boyfriend’s bearded dragon, smog, from him since he was moving and also didn’t have the money to take proper care of smog. As far as i’ve been told smogs approximately 8 years old. He lived with my boyfriend for about a year but before that he was just passed from person to person. I don’t know much about his background, because of that but this is what i know; He didn't have a UV/heat light for long time (he just lived on a heat pad). Until i got him he lived in 78 x 60 x 60 cm (30 x 23 x 23 inches) cage. I’m not 100% sure if that was the cage he lived in all his life but that’s the cage the owners before my boyfriend had for him and that’s also the cage my boyfriend kept him in. I did build smog a new cage, i can’t remember the exact dimensions but its something like 130 x 65 x 65 cm (51 x 25 x 25 inches).
I’m not sure if its because of the cage but Smogs pretty small for a bearded dragon, I measured and weighed him yesterday and he’s about 30cm (12 inches) and he weighs 219 grams which is underweight. He is active though, so its not like he's being lethargic or anything. He does run around his cage at times.
He also has a strange looking tail, it looks kind of stubby at the end, not so much as pointy as other bearded dragons and it also seems to have kind of a ‘dent’ along it. My boyfriend said that thats how his tail looked like when he got him and it doesn't seem like its causing Smog any pain or discomfort.
Heres a picture of his tail:

Also here are some more pictures of Smog:

So my questions basically are:
- How much should a bearded dragon of his length weight?
- How much and often should i feed him?
- What should i feed him?
- Should i be concerned about his tail thing even though it doesn't seem like it bothers him? if so is there anything i can do about it?

Also another thing, i have been giving him greens/vegitables but he doesn't seem to be that interested in them. The only time i have seen him eating them is when he accidentally gets one in his mouth when trying to catch a worm. The only thing he really gets interested about is superworms (he doesnt seem that interested in normal mealworms either but he will sometimes eat them). Is there anything i can do to get him more interested in his greens?

also any other tips will be very much appreciated c:

thank you for reading all this if you have come up to this point, i really need some help

 

[BeerdedBiped]

Size chart

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=228542

Diet info

http://www.thebeardeddragon.org/bearded-dragon-diet.php



A visit to a herp vet would be super awesome.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, the poor guy has been neglected but at least he's alert + active. Somewhere along the line he had at least some proper uvb to have grown to his size with just the tail deformity. Thankfully that is not a problem, and although he's quite small , if he had his full tail and if he didn't have the kink he'd probably be close to 14-15". That's still small + stunted but now you can pamper him with the proper food and set up.

Don't be in a rush to " fatten " him up, that can shock his system so just give him medium sized bugs , 10-15 per day broken in to 2 feedings to be sure he can handle the protein. Offer a good salad, greens like collards, turnip, mustard, kale [ no spinach ] dandelion, arugula. Squash, green beans bok choy can also be offered. Offer water dripped on his snout to add extra hydration. If he likes being in the water give him a lukewarm 5-10 minute soak once a week [ pat dry right after + place him back in the tank with the heat ]


What kind of uvb lights will you be getting for him ? That's very important. The best ones are the Reptisun 10. t5 and the Arcadia D3 12=14%. I hope the little guy does well for you. Let him settle in + get on a feeding schedule before any vet visit, some vets are not great with reptiles and a visit can cause a lot of stress . Sonce he's eating he may do well for you.

 

[ohlookitssatan]

Hi there, the poor guy has been neglected but at least he's alert + active. Somewhere along the line he had at least some proper uvb to have grown to his size with just the tail deformity. Thankfully that is not a problem, and although he's quite small , if he had his full tail and if he didn't have the kink he'd probably be close to 14-15". That's still small + stunted but now you can pamper him with the proper food and set up.

Don't be in a rush to " fatten " him up, that can shock his system so just give him medium sized bugs , 10-15 per day broken in to 2 feedings to be sure he can handle the protein. Offer a good salad, greens like collards, turnip, mustard, kale [ no spinach ] dandelion, arugula. Squash, green beans bok choy can also be offered. Offer water dripped on his snout to add extra hydration. If he likes being in the water give him a lukewarm 5-10 minute soak once a week [ pat dry right after + place him back in the tank with the heat ]


What kind of uvb lights will you be getting for him ? That's very important. The best ones are the Reptisun 10. t5 and the Arcadia D3 12=14%. I hope the little guy does well for you. Let him settle in + get on a feeding schedule before any vet visit, some vets are not great with reptiles and a visit can cause a lot of stress . Sonce he's eating he may do well for you.

he doesnt seem interested at all in greens. although i have been giving them everyday to him so far. And as for lighting i have the komodo 125w solar D3 UV basiking bulb

 

[CooperDragon]

That's a mercury vapor bulb. How far is it above his basking area? I don't have test results for that bulb to know it's output but generally about 12'' is right for that wattage.

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Health

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

He does look pretty good & is alert so he has a great chance of doing very well with you.
If given the opportunity, he will fill out. As suggested, go slowly with having him gain
weight so that it isn't too hard on his body.
He will hopefully start eating some greens, but it may take awhile. Since he most likely
hasn't eaten many then it will take some time for him to recognize them as a food source.
I haven't tested a Komodo MVB either. A 12 inch distance should be fine. Is it getting to
a good basking temperature for him also?
Once he gets all used to his new home then you can try to get him in to see a vet for them
to look at his tail. It doesn't look infected, but he has definitely lost some tail length. A lot
of dragons have partial tails, etc & it doesn't affect them at all.

Tracie

 

[ohlookitssatan]

That's a mercury vapor bulb. How far is it above his basking area? I don't have test results for that bulb to know it's output but generally about 12'' is right for that wattage.

I have it about 25-30 cm off the ground. The packaging of the lamp said at least 20cm

 

[ohlookitssatan]

Update: hes doing better, hes putting on weight and now is 280g. He has started eating carrots now and seems to quite like them but thats about it from veggies he will eat for now

 

[kingofnobbys]

That's a mercury vapor bulb. How far is it above his basking area? I don't have test results for that bulb to know it's output but generally about 12'' is right for that wattage.

Komodo brand UV lighting , including MVBs carrying the brand, are very poor quality. Definitely worth ditching the existing globe (it's very likely too old to given off sufficient UVA & UVB because your BF couldn't be bothered caring for Smaug).

The best choices are
>> Arcadia Reptile
>> Zoo Med
>> Exo Terra

Sorry …. with reptile UV lighting you pay for what you get , cheap means rubbish (poor quality, bad phosphors, bad UV spectra , poor durability and poor longevity) ===> a sick / deformed reptile.

 

[kingofnobbys]

So i need some help, im kind of newbie to owning a little dragon and a few days ago I bought my boyfriend’s bearded dragon, smog, from him since he was moving and also didn’t have the money to take proper care of smog. As far as i’ve been told smogs approximately 8 years old. He lived with my boyfriend for about a year but before that he was just passed from person to person. I don’t know much about his background, because of that but this is what i know; He didn't have a UV/heat light for long time (he just lived on a heat pad). Until i got him he lived in 78 x 60 x 60 cm (30 x 23 x 23 inches) cage. I’m not 100% sure if that was the cage he lived in all his life but that’s the cage the owners before my boyfriend had for him and that’s also the cage my boyfriend kept him in. I did build smog a new cage, i can’t remember the exact dimensions but its something like 130 x 65 x 65 cm (51 x 25 x 25 inches).
I’m not sure if its because of the cage but Smogs pretty small for a bearded dragon, I measured and weighed him yesterday and he’s about 30cm (12 inches) and he weighs 219 grams which is underweight. He is active though, so its not like he's being lethargic or anything. He does run around his cage at times.
He also has a strange looking tail, it looks kind of stubby at the end, not so much as pointy as other bearded dragons and it also seems to have kind of a ‘dent’ along it. My boyfriend said that thats how his tail looked like when he got him and it doesn't seem like its causing Smog any pain or discomfort.
Heres a picture of his tail:

<<<< the bedding he is living on is very bad for dragons …. better off cleaning out the substrate completely and replacing with a few layers of paper or paper toweling …. will be much easier to keep his tank clean and he will not be ingesting materials that will harm him.


Also here are some more pictures of Smog:

So my questions basically are:
- How much should a bearded dragon of his length weight? >>>> he looks like he's only grown to about the length of a juvenile about 12 months old , so between 350g to 450g for a healthy well fed 12 month old.

He'll never catch up with where his growth curve would have taken him had he been properly cared while he was still growing and developing.

He needs more insects in his diet to help build him up …. I recommend some high quality live insects each day.
This is the best guide for how to set up his diet and feeding schedule (when he's been rehabilitated) : viewtopic.php?f=18&t=236074

Chosen from the best quality insects here : (highest protein, highest Ca/P ratio) viewtopic.php?f=76&t=234999&p=1807834#p1807834
roaches, crickets, locusts …. these need to be gut loaded with good quality high calcium greens , will also help hydrate him.
silkworms will be excellent too …. he deserves being spoilt , as he's had a horrible past.

- How much and often should i feed him?
- What should i feed him?
- Should i be concerned about his tail thing even though it doesn't seem like it bothers him? if so is there anything i can do about it?

Also another thing, i have been giving him greens/vegitables but he doesn't seem to be that interested in them.
<<< keep offering them fresh each day , and what isn't eaten goes to gut load the roaches or crickets or locusts.

The only time i have seen him eating them is when he accidentally gets one in his mouth when trying to catch a worm. The only thing he really gets interested about is superworms (he doesnt seem that interested in normal mealworms either but he will sometimes eat them). Is there anything i can do to get him more interested in his greens?
<<<< if he likes superworms , offer one a day as treat. He'll likely go banana for silkworms and they are an superb feeder.

also any other tips will be very much appreciated c:

thank you for reading all this if you have come up to this point, i really need some help