bearded dragon tail help needed

[Justin coffman]

Hello I just joined this forum. I have a few reptiles and 2 are bearded dragons. Both are rescues and in not so good shape one is almost back to 100% and the other is about 70% . Since the last 48 hours my best friends sister who works at petsmart. called me and said that some one came in and dropped off 2 bearded dragons in a tiny little prepaid post office box. So her sister took the female home. As soon as she put her in the tank she went spastic running jumping hissing snapping so I rushed over there they had no light no heat nothing just a cage and sand and 2 crickets. I asked if they mind if I could see if she would let me hold her. They said yes so i reached in she hissed then i grabbed her gently and pulled her out easily. She automatically started to calm do i took her out side in the sun she loved it. But my main reason is that the owners before me and my best friends sister they abused her. Her tail is snapped in 2 places is there a way to have a vet reset it or is it ok to leave it be it doesnt seem to hurt or bother her. but i have extra tanks and room and time so i paid 40 bucks for a rehoming fee and she is mad calm but she has so many layers of shed. i have some shed ease im going to try but im hopeing i can rescue the male she said it was way more spastic.

 

[Bushmaster11B]

First, you need to get those dragons some heat lamps and uvb going immediately. I would also let the shedding one (if not both) take a bath. A simple plastic tub with BD knee height will do. Make the water warm but not hot. Also mist the shedding ones a few times a month. This is what I would do right now. Remember BD's need 105-110 degree F for basking and their cool side should be about 85 degrees, never to drop lower than 75. It is vital that BD's have a basking spot and those high of temps for their digestion. The UVB is like our vitamins. I would also look around this site and get more info for yourself. BD's are simple to own but require a certain type and size of environment. I don't know about the tail issue, but if you are willing to pay a Vet to see him, call them first and see if they have ever treated reptiles (mainly desert type lizards) before. If a BD was abused, then it will take some time to domesticate. When handling and picking up, I would make an open hand, palm facing up with fingers closed position of your hand. Then place your hand in this position in front of your BD making sure your hand is low to the ground when approaching him/her. After your BD sees there is no threat (4-5 seconds) gentle slide your hand under the BD's belly lifting it up. In the wild, BD's have many arial preditors that attack from above. Most likely these BD's are afraid of a hand coming from above since they were abused. I hope this helps and gets you started. Let us know if you need more help or have more questions.

 

[Pat B]

I have read your post many times and my heart goes out to the little beardie that has been abused. Why do people do this???? She is lucky little girl that has someone now in her life that can give a good home. Be patient. It will take a lot of time and setting up everything for her to grow and be healthy. The shedding is a natural process. Give her warm baths to loosen the shed and it will eventually come off. Not too sure about the tail. You may want to take her to a vet to make sure she doesn't have any parasites. Good luck and keep us posted. If you can....post some pictures.