New Adoptee in need of some TLC

[Sky]

Hello everyone,
I recently adopted a 7-8 year old beardy who wasn't being well taken care of. Where he was before had the hot side of his cage at ~80 and the cool side ~60-65. He was feed maybe once a well if he was lucky and that was some crickets and lettuce.

I've since got the temps corrected to ~105 and ~80-85. He currently, and temporarily, has a CFL UVB light as well.

My questions aren't as much about his housing as they are about his health. His fat pads are non existent, he seems really weak when he walks, he struggled to climb up onto the hide for his baking spot, when I hold him he'll just fall off of me if im not securely supporting him.

He's getting a regular diet of various fruits and veggies along with a steady supply of dubias. I will moving him to a new 4x2x2 tank with reptisun 10.0 bulbs, floodlights and a CHE in the very near future so he'll have more space and better accommodations.

Other than just keeping him in roper environmental conditions and on a steady and consistent diet are the any suggestions to help this poor guy out?

 

[Eavlynn]

You're on the right track with his diet and care, time will be the biggest key to his recovery. The dubia will pack the weight on him over time. Supplements and the new UVB light will work wonders. It will take him a while to recover, and with any luck he hasn't developed MBD. He doesn't look great, but he could be far worse off as well. I'd give water via an eye dropper to get him hydrated and let his body do the rest.

It's good that you found him. He should have a good recovery and a much better life with you. Go slow, and don't expect his progress to be quick. Conditions like this take a while to develop, and almost as long to completely correct.

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[Sky]

You're on the right track with his diet and care, time will be the biggest key to his recovery. The dubia will pack the weight on him over time. Supplements and the new UVB light will work wonders. It will take him a while to recover, and with any luck he hasn't developed MBD. He doesn't look great, but he could be far worse off as well. I'd give water via an eye dropper to get him hydrated and let his body do the rest.

It's good that you found him. He should have a good recovery and a much better life with you. Go slow, and don't expect his progress to be quick. Conditions like this take a while to develop, and almost as long to completely correct.

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Great to hear, thank you. The dubias are from my colony that I keep for all my milk frogs so I know they're feed well and gut loaded. I also dust them with repashy every 2-3 feedings.

I am worried about MBD. The setup of his tank previously only had the UV on the cold side so I'm guessing his exposure to it was minimal at very best.

I know that he lived with a mate for about 6 1/2 years and has been declining since she passed. Would it be worth looking at possibly testing a tank mate (extremely controlled and separated via partition to start with) once he's in the bigger tank? Just thinking out loud.

There are times, not consistently, that he walks on his wrists with his front foot/feet folded under, this doesn't seem normal or right to me but this is the first dragon I've had. Also, when I pick him up he is basically limp, he never seems to attach to anything and fell off of my shirt (I caught him right away) the other day. Do these just seem like more symptoms of the neglect? Is the walking on his wrists a possible sign of MBD?

Sorry for the long posts. Just trying to make sure I cover everything.

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[Eavlynn]

I'd use calcium and multivitamin powders over repashy. What I keep on stock for my rescues:

Calcium (phosphorous free without vitamin D): I use this during the summer months when I'm able to take my beardies outside for natural sunlight.

Calcium with vitamin D (phosphorous free): I mix this 50/50 with plain calcium during the colder months. I observed that too much vitamin D can discourage basking behaviors.

Bee pollen: not an absolute necessity, but a dusting here and there is good for them. This can also help to stimulate appetite.

Acidophiliz: a good reptile probiotic to help get their digestive tract straightened out and maintain healthy digestion.

You won't know if he has any issues with MBD until he gains some strength. Once he has gotten some muscle tone back in his legs, you'll be able to see if he has any mobility issues. The walking on the wrists could be a sign, my girl Ruth does this. It could also be stemming from his muscle weakness. It's too early to say for sure.

MBD isn't a huge issue, to of my 3 have it. They can't climb like a healthy dragon, but with some enclosure modifications, it won't slow them down a bit.

I'd be very cautious about introducing a tank mate. It sounds like he had a bond with the female he was with and is depressed that she passed away. It's also possible that he went downhill because his neglect started once she passed. There's no guarantee that he'll bond with another dragon, and it could cause more stress. I'd focus on strengthening the bond between him and yourself and go from there.

You never have to apologize for asking questions. We want to see this little sweetheart succeed as much as you do. Ask away, brainstorm away, whatever you need to do

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[PatsyB]

I actually like the Repashy Calcium plus because it has everything in it. I second the bee pollen and the probiotic. The walking on his wrists could be MBD and his back right leg looks like it might show signs of it. Getting him a good diet will help him gain strength and stop any MBD from progressing.

They are solitary animals so I would say no to getting him a tank mate.

 

[Eavlynn]

I actually like the Repashy Calcium plus because it has everything in it. I second the bee pollen and the probiotic. The walking on his wrists could be MBD and his back right leg looks like it might show signs of it. Getting him a good diet will help him gain strength and stop any MBD from progressing.

They are solitary animals so I would say no to getting him a tank mate.

I forgot about repashy calcium, I thought of the crested gecko food when I read it haha.

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[PatsyB]

I forgot about repashy calcium, I thought of the crested gecko food when I read it haha.

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It's funny you say this, the Beautiful Dragons site is going to stop selling critical care in favor of Pangea complete crested gecko diet. They claim they have done some research and it's basically the same thing but is better in their opinion. The crested gecko diet has vitamins and nutrients in it and you can get it with bugs or without. I was on Amazon, I think, and in their description of the food it says it can be used for other reptiles. I've actually been giving it to Dolly because I've been having a difficult time finding all three of their good greens. She likes it, she eats a lot of it, and she's very active after she eats it.

 

[Eavlynn]

It's funny you say this, the Beautiful Dragons site is going to stop selling critical care in favor of Pangea complete crested gecko diet. They claim they have done some research and it's basically the same thing but is better in their opinion. The crested gecko diet has vitamins and nutrients in it and you can get it with bugs or without. I was on Amazon, I think, and in their description of the food it says it can be used for other reptiles. I've actually been giving it to Dolly because I've been having a difficult time finding all three of their good greens. She likes it, she eats a lot of it, and she's very active after she eats it.

It never would have occurred to me to give Pangea as a nutritional slurry, but it makes sense. I always have it on hand for our little crestie. Thankfully nutritional slurries are a thing of the past for everyone, but it's good to know just in case something else pops up.

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[Sky]

This is all great info! Thanks everyone!

My hope is starting to wain a little for my adoptee. He's eating about 4-5 small to medium dubias a day along with greens. He's getting soaked every other day, and getting water out of a droplet every day but he is just getting more and more lethargic. Almost like he's just having a failure to thrive.

He hardly ever moves from the floor of the enclosure and has a really hard time even climbing up onto the half log for basking. It seems like the poor guy has zero muscle in his legs.


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[Sky]

Here is a current picture of him.

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[Eavlynn]

He likely has MBD. We're you able to get him a better UVB bulb? Proper lighting is going to be a key player in his survival and recovery.

Also, you might want to try liquid food, like critical care slurries, until he gains some strength. I mixed up critical care, stage 1 baby food, calcium, multivitamins, and roaches for my rescues. The roaches had to be blended of course, but it gets them their protein.

These guys are really tough and can beat some seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Don't give up on this guy yet, he may surprise you. Focus on UVB, temps and nutrition, the soaks won't benefit him much.

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[Sky]

I'm not giving up on him yet by any means just hard to see him seemingly better one day then get worse the next day.

He was actually quite peppy and active (compared to how he has been) this afternoon.

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[Eavlynn]

It's always a roller coaster ride with rescues. It took about 7 months to get my oldest rescue girl straightened out, and I've been working with a baby for a couple months now with a long way to go. It takes a long time for these little darlings to develop issues this severe, and we have to work just as long to correct them. They really are tough though, if you provide your guy with what he needs, he'll slowly start to recover and thrive.

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[Hdrydr31]

Kuddos to you on this sweet one.. just keep doing the slurries, keep him hydrated, supplements, proteins greens it will take time.... Hang in there and keep us posted has he been seen by a vet?

 

[Sky]

He has. The vet said the same thing, maybe MBD but it's tough to say until he's stronger. Other than being super thin he's good to go he's been a lot more active today, looking around, holding his head up, eyes open, follows me past the tank at times. Good signs.

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[Eavlynn]

He has. The vet said the same thing, maybe MBD but it's tough to say until he's stronger. Other than being super thin he's good to go he's been a lot more active today, looking around, holding his head up, eyes open, follows me past the tank at times. Good signs.

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Fantastic signs it sounds like he's starting to perk up a bit. He'll start gaining strength before you know it. If he has developed MBD, don't get discouraged. It's unfortunate, but totally manageable, and doesn't slow them down once they've recovered, they just don't climb very well. I look forward to watching this guy make good progress!

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[Sky]

So the last couple of days Lex has had some seriously RANK, like clear the house, smelling poop. The last couple of days he's been eating between 5-8 roaches a day plus greens (he was doing about 4 roaches a day prior). He's still a lot more active and alert too.

My wife is very sensitive to smells and this just about pushed the limits of what I'm allowed lol. Do you think this could be a diet related thing? I haven't gotten a fecal done on him yet so I still need to do that.

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[PatsyB]

Get the fecal done. Very stinky poop is a sign of parasites.

 

[Eavlynn]

I second the fecal. He's been through a lot, and stress kills the immune system, leaving your little guy open to anything that could have gotten into his system. I remember the rank poos. It was my gal's first sign of coccidia.

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[Sky]

Well we went to the vet yesterday and the good news is that we are parasite free! Bad news is that we have a mass (it's unknown if its a cyst, tumor, calcium deposit, etc) in the intestinal/follicle region and we are officially in kidney failure (verified by blood work) :-(

He told me to just keep doing what I'm doing but ultimately it's pretty much Beardie hospice for Lex. Happy and comfortable, those are my main goals now for him

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