Is He ok? Abandoned Bearded Dragon

[LilyKyrie]

His toes are fine, banged up but ive seen worse,…they bend and do weird things, he definitely needs his nails cut though, please listen to sadie about the lighting, its the most important thing, he can “survive” with his current uvb but he will not live very long with it, “coil”/compact uvbs either offer way to much uvb in a concentrated stream or little to none at all, they cause eye issues and dont prevent MBD, try to be tactful as possible when asking if you can have him, possibly show them this forum, it’ll show you care that you went to such an extent for their dragon, they’re easy to care for when some simple research is done… so in the meantime tie a string around his leg and take him outside to get some natural sun, give him the crickets with calcium and spray the salads, dont spray him we dont want any other issues developing, do they have a shop vac? Vacuum out ALL THE SAND please, that needs to go too , he’s probably eating it to get minerals, thats very bad, we need him to poop too , next one take a pic and show us, im hoping they give you him, you seem like a caring person.

I don’t know if I can change his habit that drastically without the owner permission. There is a LOT of poop in his tank so he seems to not be backed up at least. I already spent more money on him
Then I am making for watching the dogs so I don’t really have the money to spend to get new lights for him.

 

[LilyKyrie]

Not sure about that it could be just the coloring she didnt say anything about the color - are you able to get a video of the dragon walking - you can record on you tube then post the link on here

https://youtube.com/shorts/Z8hC_ZKS9l4?feature=share this if the first and only time I have ever seen him move at it was to hunt the crickets

 

[Sadie]

I don’t know if I can change his habit that drastically without the owner permission. There is a LOT of poop in his tank so he seems to not be backed up at least. I already spent more money on him
Then I am making for watching the dogs so I don’t really have the money to spend to get new lights for him.

Please get the poop out as much as you can -- this is how yellow fungus starts and if it it's not treated right away it will kill him-- there are many red flags going off here w/ these people and this dragon- get him outside for some good UVB - I am sure they will say he's fine because he's not showing signs of being sick - dragons will hide their illness till they no longer can its a instinct thing - one day he may be walking the next he's dragging his legs or having a seizure

 

[LilyKyrie]

Please get the poop out as much as you can -- this is how yellow fungus starts and if it it's not treated right away it will kill him-- there are many red flags going off here w/ these people and this dragon- get him outside for some good UVB - I am sure they will say he's fine because he's not showing signs of being sick - dragons will hide their illness till they no longer can its a instinct thing - one day he may be walking the next he's dragging his legs or having a seizure

I will try the best I can for him. I am not sure they will give him up but I will try, I will try to get him a clear bin and take him outside tomorrow. I also got him a night time bulb so I don’t have to turn his lights off at night.

 

[Sadie]

https://youtube.com/shorts/Z8hC_ZKS9l4?feature=share this if the first and only time I have ever seen him move at it was to hunt the crickets

Ok I will show my friend- please don't feed any more crickets in the tank feed in a plastic tote and DO NOT leave any in the tank they will bite and bites can cause infrctions

 

[Sadie]

I will try the best I can for him. I am not sure they will give him up but I will try, I will try to get him a clear bin and take him outside tomorrow. I also got him a night time bulb so I don’t have to turn his lights off at night.

Turn lights off at nite--- NO COLORED BULBS- Please take it back dragons like cool and dark --

 

[LilyKyrie]

Turn lights off at nite--- NO COLORED BULBS- Please take it back dragons like cool and dark --

I worried about turning it off because I turn the light off at 8-9 when I feel the dogs. The people who Check on the dogs are supposed to turn on the lights at 8am don’t and his lights end up staying off till 4pm when I come back and today his tank was like 65 degrees

 

[LilyKyrie]

Ok I will show my friend- please don't feed any more crickets in the tank feed in a plastic tote and DO NOT leave any in the tank they will bite and bites can cause infrctions

I will try but I have never held any reptile except a snake before.

 

[Sadie]

I will try but I have never held any reptile except a snake before.

Feed him the crickets in the plastic tote OR only feed 2 at a time- the colored bulb is going to hurt his eyes do not use it--- he needs 12 hrs on and 12 hrs off for photo period- he needs at least 2 hrs of basking after feeding so the digestion will start- please take that colored bulb back and get the digital probe thermometer I posted this is extremely important like the UVB -65 at night is good for nite time temps but he needs 95-100 for basking

 

[Sadie]

When you take him out DO NOT leave him supervise him you can do this multiple times per day - 15 minutes in direct sunlight will equal approx 4 hrs of uvb--

 

[Sadie]

This is what was responded to me about the video that you posted

That dragon has no visible health problems at all, looks alert + healthy right now. Something might happen as time passes but I don't see anything wrong now. The tank decor is fine, some dragons live a full long life like that and leaves us scratching our heads. There was a dragon recently posted here that was 16 years old, it didn't have perfect set up but it had good genetics.

 

[spambortner]

Update. I went to the pet store and got him some things. I don’t have much money I am just hired pet sitter but I did get him some crickets,( also food and a container for the crickets) and some supplements. I got him some sort of gel for nutrition and hydration. I also got him some flowers to put oh his food. I cut up his food in smaller sizes and I made sure to mist it with water. I also included pictures of his thermometer and pictures of the lights he had. I wanted to get him new lighting and new substrates but I didn’t have the money.

Many are going to hate this but I would take him, they don't deserve him.

 

[Emilia Thuet]

Poor baby if anything you can also call animal control or like animal welfare service in your area and inform them about this, and even send them in pictures and hopefully that could help get the little guy out of this situation and many times you can ask them if he can be released over to you as well. And I have to say he seems to be doing so much better in your care with all the little things you’ve done for him. Definitely brighter in colour and just seems overall more alert and happier. I hope the owners are willing to give him over to you. If anything let them know the proper care he should be getting and that you can give it to him and how you’ve already spent more money on the beardie than they are paying you. I don’t know just throwing out some ideas that could help give him a better life

 

[BOOTIECUTIE76$]

I am a dog walker and was recently asked to take care of a clients dogs while they are on vacation for the week. When I got to the house the first day I saw a small note asking if i could turn the bearded dragons lamps off at night and on in the morning. When discussing what was needed for the dogs previously the owners never mentioned a bearded dragon I was not given any instructions to feed or water the bearded dragon either. I took a look at him and noticed that he had no food or water and when I contact the owners they told me they had some carrots and lettuce I could give him if I wanted.

I ended up going to the store and getting him some butternut squash, collar greens, a bit of cilantro, some fresh lettuce and bell peppers. I have never had a Bearded dragon and I am not sure how much I should be giving him or if he’s in good or bad condition I would really love some advice on how to take care of him

View attachment 28451

Romaine lettuce here Charlie he likes gaming any questions your welcome to send me email [email protected] how ya baby doing today
Also no sand and anything as substrate just use newspaper or reptile carpet. I myself use scrapbook paper. It helps me know when he is coming in out of bromation.

 

[BOOTIECUTIE76$]

You'll be fine.. watch reptile guy to he rescue beardies. I never knew about sperm plugs ! Yup my dear welcome to a male world.

 

[Julee1971]

I am a dog walker and was recently asked to take care of a clients dogs while they are on vacation for the week. When I got to the house the first day I saw a small note asking if i could turn the bearded dragons lamps off at night and on in the morning. When discussing what was needed for the dogs previously the owners never mentioned a bearded dragon I was not given any instructions to feed or water the bearded dragon either. I took a look at him and noticed that he had no food or water and when I contact the owners they told me they had some carrots and lettuce I could give him if I wanted.

I ended up going to the store and getting him some butternut squash, collar greens, a bit of cilantro, some fresh lettuce and bell peppers. I have never had a Bearded dragon and I am not sure how much I should be giving him or if he’s in good or bad condition I would really love some advice on how to take care of him

View attachment 28451Hi; great of you to help and care for the Beardie. Please either adopt the Beardie from them or educate them!! This is horrible we rescue & rehome & he needs help. First of all is that sand substrate; if so it needs to be removed ASAP they ingest it. Use white terry cloth towels as a substrate it’s easy to keep clean & Beardies like their poop removed ASAP otherwise they can get Coccidia/major health issues form insanitary enclosures .

Hi we rescue & rehome; the Beardie is in bad shape!! Please rescue/adopt him from that family!! Beardies need Heat & UVB; both Lights are to be turned on on for 12-14 hours in the summer more like 14. In the winter both lights on for 10-12 hours more like 10. At nite turn all lights off. Always clear bulbs only; never use coiled or colored bulbs. The best heat one is the Zoomed clear basking bulb and for UVB he needs the Reptisun 10.0 T5 the length u order should cover 70 percent of the tank and needs replacing every 6Mnths. Rite now that coiled one I can guarantee you needs replacing. A Beardie will get brittle bones, unable to eat or walk MBD and eventually death without proper UVb or without replacing the Uvb light every 6Mnths. So yes order the long Reptisun 10.0 T5 and he needs a hideaway to get away from the uvb as needed. The temp should be 95-97 for an adult beardie & he needs a digital thermometer that’s the most accurate; the dial one in there now is trash. Also a digital hygometer to measure the humidity which is majorly off rite now; it should be between 30-40 never ever higher than 40 or he will get an URInfection or other Health issues; hygrometer should be placed on the hot side of the tank next to his basking platform an inch below the top of the cage. which he needs a flat platform cuz he’s older the branch trees are for younger Beardies. And the digital themmoter place the probe on the basking platform & the thermometer sticks to the outside for the enclosure.
The enclosure should be a 40 gallon at least, at his size he needs a 120 gallon or bigger but for now 40 gallon is ok; petssmart $170 doors open in the front. He needs a fresh bowl of water everyday placed on the cold side along a fresh plate of greens/veggies the ones u got are great. Do yellow squash it has lots of calcium also and cut all up into a bit smaller pieces. They love Mustard greens also. Tell them carrots is a big NO it is high in vitamin A which is toxic to a beardie, in moderation is ok like once a week but I wud stop it completely since that’s the main thing they been feeding him. Proteins every other day but he’s been neglected so I wud do 20-25 large crickets Place them in a large ziplock and sprinkle the REPCAL calcium powder like Salt on fries on the crickets & shake the bag & feed him. Only do the calcium powder once per day only & 4times per week u can sprinkle on the veggies/greens or on the proteins. Repcal from petco is the best one. Then feed him; only feed the proteins after he’s been basking for 1-2 hours at least they can’t eat until their body is at warmed up temp & it takes 2 hours for the food and calcium to digest and breakdown so he needs to remain under the lamps to absorb and digest, so that’s why u don’t feed rite before bedtime; I wud place the fresh greens an hour or 2 after he’s been basking and then feed the crickets or Dubia roaches those are the beat proteins u can add superworms as treats. But Never do mealworms it impacts them. He needs baths twice/week in lukewarm dechlorinated water for 15min minimum and more baths when shedding. Im a clean sink in lukewarm water means a sliver over cold not too hot or u can burn him and he won’t sit; u can Bath him in a clean sink or a clear low rectangular Tupperware that’s big Enuff for him; the water level should be way below his neck not to high or he can aspirate. Buy Reptisafe they are drips u place to kill the chlorine. Also most him 2-3 times a day with dechlorinated water. Here are pics of my enclosure the hammock with towel over is a hideaway. Here are pics of my enclosure & a sample platform for basking

 

[Julee1971]

They said they feed him bugs once every two weeks. I was going to try and get him some crickets with maybe some calcium powder on them

REPCAL calcium powder once per day 3-4 times/week. Buy the one from petco it’s a good one. On a non calcium day sprinkle Herptivite vitamin powder once per day & once per week

 

[Dae]

Hi! I'm going to be the one telling you not to immediately start spending a ton on someone else's animal without first talking to them. Not to say that I don't think this beardie doesn't deserve it or that you shouldn't try to help him. But realistically, I don't think you should be responsible for all this. You should talk to the owners and politely tell them that their bearded dragon is not in proper care. He's underweight and that they really need to be doing more. And if you were to pitch the idea of you taking him, I would emphasize that.

I think the people telling you to just take him without asking don't understand how life and work.. work. You're a professional dog-sitter, and just up and stealing a client's animal is, not professional, to say the least. lol.

The best you can do is what you can realistically do. Sure, it would be awesome if they were to hand him over to you, but you said it seems unlikely. It always sucks to see beardies in these types of conditions, but a lot of times there's just not much you can do about it in the end except attempt to educate. Which I would try to do gently and empathetically as to not talk down to the owners and make them less receptive to criticism.

 

[Dae]

Hi! I'm going to be the one telling you not to immediately start spending a ton on someone else's animal without first talking to them. Not to say that I don't think this beardie doesn't deserve it or that you shouldn't try to help him. But realistically, I don't think you should be responsible for all this. You should talk to the owners and politely tell them that their bearded dragon is not in proper care. He's underweight and that they really need to be doing more. And if you were to pitch the idea of you taking him, I would emphasize that.

I think the people telling you to just take him without asking don't understand how life and work.. work. You're a professional dog-sitter, and just up and stealing a client's animal is, not professional, to say the least. lol.

The best you can do is what you can realistically do. Sure, it would be awesome if they were to hand him over to you, but you said it seems unlikely. It always sucks to see beardies in these types of conditions, but a lot of times there's just not much you can do about it in the end except attempt to educate. Which I would try to do gently and empathetically as to not talk down to the owners and make them less receptive to criticism.

Sorry to double post but I didn't notice I was necro-ing, I just received an email for this post and assumed since it was a new email that it was also a recent post ://///

But since I already went ahead and posted it, (If OP is still active) how did it go?

 

[Rusty]

I am a dog walker and was recently asked to take care of a clients dogs while they are on vacation for the week. When I got to the house the first day I saw a small note asking if i could turn the bearded dragons lamps off at night and on in the morning. When discussing what was needed for the dogs previously the owners never mentioned a bearded dragon I was not given any instructions to feed or water the bearded dragon either. I took a look at him and noticed that he had no food or water and when I contact the owners they told me they had some carrots and lettuce I could give him if I wanted.

I ended up going to the store and getting him some butternut squash, collar greens, a bit of cilantro, some fresh lettuce and bell peppers. I have never had a Bearded dragon and I am not sure how much I should be giving him or if he’s in good or bad condition I would really love some advice on how to take care of him

View attachment 28451

Your amazing for helping him,
Welcome to dragon ownership (i hope they give him to you) try to give him a bath, even put a dish of warm water in there for a litte while if your not comfortable picking him up, but should be like bath size for him, it just breaks my heart to see so many poor animals not get the care they need!