URGENT HELP..rescued a severely neglected dragon.

[pinkmonkey]

I really need some advice. We have just rescued a bearded dragon been told he is about 2. His previous owners basically left him and as ive heard he was only fed lettace and very very rarely live food. He is skin and bone. His fat pads have sunk in. My partner has had bearded dragons and we have had to syringe water into him as he wouldnt even open his mouth to eat. We have fed him some small locus and got some wax worms and meal worms he will have a few.then not bother having any more. He moves around but not very often. Also his eyes were all scabbed and closed we have bathed him and bathèd his eyes the seem better but will only open a tiny bit. We have a good set up with a good heat bulb and a uvb light bulb temp in tank is fine. He wont slim or barely move in water but does a bit. He has poo-ed once since we have had him. I really dont know what to do as i wouldnt know where to take him to get him better. Please help xxx

 

[CooperDragon]

Poor little guy. Mine was like that when I got him too. Try to get your hands on some critical care. You can syringe feed a little bit of that to try and boost his energy. Since that's high in protein, you may want to supplement with some baby food. I had good luck with sweet potato and green beans. You can experiment a bit though with that. If you can't find carnivore care, you can try mixing in a little bit of turkey or chicken baby food with the veggie for a bit of balance. Once you have a little more meat on him and get him stabilized, you can switch to a smoothie with a variety of greens and vegetables in it to provide a nice balanced diet.

 

[pinkmonkey]

Thank u cooperdragon. I will try that. Also any advice on his eyes. I will try take some pics tomorrow to show how poorly he really is. Im just trying to get as much water in him at the min as he wobt even have any from the bath. Clearly the owners were waiting for him to die. I actually cried when my partner brought him home. How somebody could let him get in the state he is now );

 

[Esther19]

How fortunate he is that you rescued him! Try some sterile saline solution for his eyes, without the contact lens chemicals. You can also put unpasturized honey on them, the kind from the health food store. Thin it out a bit with warm water. It helps heal infections. You may want to whir up some greens (collard, mustard) in the blender with some water. Strain it, then you can feed via syringe. he might be more interested in it than water. You can also add a bit of calcium powder to the slurry.
Stage one squash baby food is also good. Hang in there, and keep us posted on his progress.

 

[Twisteddragons]

OK this is what to do. Soak him in unflavored pedilyte for 30 mins twice a day make sure it covers his vents that's how he will absorb it. Then blend greens calcium powder and vitamins in a blender to a. Liquid and feed it throw. Syringe. And yes baby food I'd use as well. Make the temp around 120 while he is soaking. I have mine soaking now under a 160 mvb and reptisun 10.0 tube. About eight inches away. For 14 hrs away and then use purified water eye drops in his eyes threw out the day. And if you can get some antibiotic shots in him

 

[Gab122]

Hi, I hope your little one improves quickly! I had good luck with Carnivore Care and thought I'd share a link in case you can't find it locally. I found some at reptile/ exotic pet vets in my area (both were vets for dogs and cats too) but found the best price at amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Oxbow-Carnivore-Care-Supplement-2-5-Ounce/dp/B006H38VZ0/ref=cm_sw_em_r_dpt_L3oMub0P5RXTA_lm

wishing you the best!
Gabrielle

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Wow, the poor dear, I am glad you took him in. I don't understand how anyone can let an animal get so poorly either.
Hydration is so important early on. I would primarily focus on hydration initially to be sure his kidneys are functioning properly. So stay relatively low on the protein intake for a week or two until he has normal stools.
As suggested, the critical care is very good at helping with weight gain & nutrition.
Which UVB are you using?
I also recommend keeping him at around 80 overnight to help boost his immune system.

Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[Toxinom]

Hey Pinkmonkey, is the little guy doing any better?