Worried about escaped dragon kept too cold

[jajeanpierre]

Two or three weeks ago my dragon escaped in South Central Texas. Of course, he escaped the evening that temps went down to mid 30s for two nights in a row and the days were low 60s with no sun. There have been a few days that were warm enough, but in general he's been kept pretty cold. I think we had rain once since he's been gone.

Two days ago he was found about 3/4 of a mile (as the crow flies) from my house. He had traveled through brush and tall weeds, crossed two roads, climbed a steep cliff and was found and returned to me. He looked a little worse for wear, dehydrated and cold.

I got some tomato (for the water) into him that night but he really isn't interested in eating. I've showered him of course. To be honest, I don't think he has eaten very much since he came home. I believe he ate a bit of veggies for the person who found him.

I'm just not crazy about his condition.

He's much more reactive than he has ever been which suggests he might have gotten a scare or two in his adventures.

How long do I give him? He never really had a great appetite. Suggestions?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Wow, what a lucky break, your dragon actually being found. Who found him & how on earth
was he found? Poor guy!
Can you review your tank setup with us, so we can be sure everything is all good for him? For
now, I would keep him a little warmer overnight in his tank, around 80 or so for helping his
immune system right now.
If he isn't eating much, I would offer some chicken or turkey baby food, along with some squash
or sweet potato baby food. You can use a plastic syringe or plastic dropper to drip it onto his
nose to see if he will lick any food off. This can help his system out for nutrition & for hydration,
too.
Has he gone to the bathroom since you got him back?

Tracie

 

[jajeanpierre]

I added a ceramic bulb for night. He is good and warm in the day. I gave him some fluids today and also forced a big roach in his mouth which he ate. No, he hasn't had a bowel movement. His color is good--back to his bright orange. He's got scratches and abrasions on his face and head and he is keeping one eye closed a bit. There is an abrasion on the lid and it is smaller than the other eye, so he must be pulling it in because it is hurting--probably a minor scratch. I put some antibiotic eye ointment in it today.

Yes, I was lucky he was found. The woman's puppy found him on her property. He looked pretty rough when I got him. He's looking a lot better now. I have a picture of him in her yard but I don't know how to insert it into this post.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Here's a picture of him where he was found. He looks awful.

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/63264/full

 

[kingofnobbys]

Keep an eye on him , it's very likely he's encountered a cat been scratched or attacked by it. It only takes one small scratch or bite that breaks the skin for a cat to inflict a potentially lifethreatening injury (that becomes septic / a systemic infection).

Might be worth having a local reptile vet check him out and take some bloodwork to check for any infection (very likely he's had a confrontation with a local cat).

He's very lucky he survived his adventure and the exposure to such low temperatures.

VERY IMPORTANT HE BE KEPT WARM 24/7 to help his immune system fight off any infection he may now have.
Yes, he'll have been traumatized by his experiences , especially if he's encountered cats or dogs while lost, might taken a week or more for him to settle back down (kind of like relocation stress) so lots of TLC are likely a good idea.
Some HerpaBoost might be a good idea too to help him recover.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Thanks. I don't think he ran into cats as we are out in the country--ruaral Hill Country brush and forest. I think there are more foxes and raccoons than cats. Properties are very big and pet cats tend to stay very close to homes. And, yes, he and I are very lucky he was found in time.

I've never had a sick bearded dragon before. I breed a rare montane chameleon and have nursed dozens of mangled, beat up new imports back to health so have some skills.

What does a sick bearded dragon look like?

He's got a lot of facial abrasions and I believe the one eye he is keeping closed has a minor injury. His colors are back to bright. He's back to a bright orange. He doesn't look dehydrated like in the picture of him in the finder's back yard.

What color will a bright orange dragon turn if he is sick or starting to get sick?