Help please? (rescued from poor care)

[mmausloos]

Hi, my cousins had a bearded dragon for a while, but they are fairly young and lost interest and in turn the care for the lizard has been really poor. I just took him off their hands and want to take care of him right and help him get better but im new to lizards and hes pretty sick and i need any info and help i can get.

The dragon was not fed regularly and when i went to get him he was extremely thin, ribs showing and his tail looks really weird with it looking like its almost seperated inside. He can hardly move and constantly flails as he tries to move and looks to be almost arthritic or something. Another thing, hes actually around 4 years old but is only about 9 inches long with tail. He has a hard time getting crickets without me "disabling them" because he cannot move very well. I give him greens every day so far and some crickets but i also was given a calorie supplement to help him gain weight.

I just watched him crawl off his log and fall and hardly be able to turn over because he was too weak... i feel really sorry for him.

What else can i do? before leaving the house my little brother found a small piece of his tail in the bottom of the cage... like 1.5 inches in length that looks like just came off with no trauma... I can tell he is sick but i do not know what to do or if he has a chance. Will he be permanently crippled? can he get better?


Any info please. like i said, new to owning reptiles, but i have taken care of many other animals.

 

[Janelle]

Oh, wow. Let’s do what we can, but in that sort of condition...
Do you have any lights for it? Can you send pictures of everything you do have? Are you prepared to spend a decent amount of money to get what you need? If it’s eating, even with help, that’s a good sign. The tail, that sounds weird. Can you send pics of the beardie? How heartbreaking! Thank you for taking the poor creature in!

 

[mmausloos]

Thanks for the reply. It is very sad and i want to do what i can, but im not sure if there is much to do really. I have 2 lights, one black one for night time and one regular. 75 watts. Originally my uncle gave me a massive light that was really akward and i always noticed he would crawl to the other side of the cage so i figured the big one was too hot. Turns out it was too hot, because i put the log in the cage and turned on the light and it started burning, no joke. I just looked and it was 250 watts so im suprised he wasnt cooked before i got him!! I have a water dish and a food dish, the little hideout and some decor. (2 plants and a deer antler)


anyway here are a few pictures. he doesnt really use his hands to move, rather his entire arm and elbow, he is really weak so im thinking maybe some sort of vitamin D supplement for the bones? or calcium? not sure...

 

[BeardedHippy]

aww poor thing, he is so skinny its painful to look at. Well, good on you for taking him on. Sounds like his lighting has been all wrong, is there no UV light? That, plus lack of food and suppliments is probably why he is so small. First off you need to get those lights and temperatures right. Its going to take some time and effort to get him back to a healthy state (if thats possible at this stage). Please look at the following links,they are a good place to start
http://www.beardeddragonforum.com/threads/general-info-set-up-1st-timers.13863/
http://www.beardeddragonforum.com/threads/great-new-article-on-reptile-lighting.15482/
Patsy or Hdrydr will give you some feeding advice when they come online, you may need to feed slurries by hand for a time. I would advise ordering some small dubia roaches online instead of the crickets. Roaches can be fed in a dish (as long as it has smooth sides, they are crap climbers) so he wont have to hunt them down and they are highly nutritious.

 

[Janelle]

Oh, that is heartbreaking!!! I will never be able to comprehend people who will do that to an animal. For feeding him, yes, you need one of the pros helping. This is definitely beyond my experience range.
The links in the post above give you a rundown on the lights and temps, etc., you need. Feel free to ask any questions you still have! Thanks, again, for trying to do right by this little guy.

 

[mmausloos]

i bought some new lights that he actually enjoys sitting in now. i will check out those links as well.

 

[PatsyB]

First off this dragon needs a vet visit ASAP! Not sure if anything can be done for it, the damage is so severe. Start off by feeding veggie slurries only, with calcium and multivitamins added in. Bee pollen would be good as well as a bearded dragon probiotic. Do not give protein yet because it's too taxing on the body to process protein at this point. Take out anything in his tank that he can climb because he will get hurt if he falls. He most likely has MBD because he went for all these years without a UVB light. This is so sad, I don't understand how people let animals get to this point.

 

[mamaof2dragons]

That is so heartbreaking how anyone can do that to a living animal is just so cruel. Bless you for taking him in. I'm praying for your little guy.

 

[Jemma Ryder]

Poor thing, getting him to an exotic vet is essential at this point and will give him the best chance of survival, as someone who has rescued a horribly unhealthy dragon before I'll tell you they can bounce back from some crazy things given time. I'd let the vet know of his situation while scheduling the appointment. It's a miracle he's still alive, his pictures are heartbreaking. Good luck.

 

[mmausloos]

thankyou guys. would any of you mind explaining some of the terms you are using? such as slurries? and MBD? sorry im not quite sure what those mean

 

[Janelle]

For slurry, think green smoothie. With collard greens, turnip greens, dandelion greens, squash. You can feed it bit by bit by dripping it on his nose so he can lick it off.
MBD stands for metabolic bone disease. When bearded dragons don’t get proper calcium and UVB lights, their bones get soft and deformed.

 

[Oscarella]

I can't even look at the pictures....this is completely heartbreaking. I love my little baby so so much and the thought of not feeding your baby, is just heartbreaking. I do hope you are able to nourish him back to health. It may seem silly to some, but I am going to pray for you and this little guy.

 

[mmausloos]

not silly at all. i appreciate anything given. hes doing better. moving around and while he doesnt do it well, hes not afraid to do it. he doesnt look as thin as before either. appreciate all your guy's advice

 

[mmausloos]

okay Update. So he’s been doing really well except right now his beard is completely black and I think he squeaked? Any ideas?