(sorry if i write things wrong, im from Spain and dont usually write in English)
Hi, I am here because i want to learn and to do things better from now on.
The story starts in 2015, when I bougth my first bearded dragon. I was an irresponsible 18 years old boy who liked animals but weren't capable of thinking about the responsability behind a bearded dragon. I bought a enclosure that was like a palace for that 1 or 2 months old female beardie, but a bit tiny for an adult one. I bought too a basking lamp and a uvb 10.0 lamp. I feeded her with crickets, crickets with calcium and D3 3 times per week and put vegetables on her enclosure, like the seller told me.
With the time, i tried some new vegetables, fruits, feeded her with dubia and maleworms, but I did not include this in her diet. I know it isnt a proper diet, but i didnt know it on that time nor tried to inform me better. The 1-2 first years i spent much time with my beardie, i put her outside her cage, made a kind of stairs so she could get in and out when she wanted, while i were on the room.
One of the main problems came in 2017. The grade im studying in university required more and more of my time, stress came and the university started to be my second home. I started to spend less time with my beardie, keeping the same diet, even forgetting to feed her somedays.
The other main problem came a year ago, when a friend of mine who had baby rats and he couldnt afford to keep all of them. At this point of history i was more responsible with my things, altough because university i kept treating my beardie poorly. I had the great idea of trying to take care of two of this rats, because i had experience with hamster. That was a very bad idea. The rats came to my house and two days later became sick. I had to spent so much time healing them, that adding this with my university issues, i had literally no time left. You can imagine that the way i treated my bearded dragon became worse. I forgot about take her out of the enclosure and days where i forgot to feed her became more normal and the times i gave her calcium and d3 were the lesser. Time to time i gave her a bath.
When the rats healed, i started being aware of the fking bad bearded dragon keeper i was. I tried to spent more time with her, altought the university still take most of my time. Then i found something i felt really bad about. Her front toes have most of the fingers a bit deformed. Not to much, thats why the times i feeded her months ago i didnt notice. But the first time i took her out and saw how she walked with her front toes, i felt very bad. She does not seem to have problem walking but i know that is my fault and i will blame myself for that all my life.
Like 10 days ago, things with university went better. I had more free time, and the first thing i did was washing up her enclosure and giving her a bath. A week ago, i started to take my beardie out to the courtyard 1-2 hours, where it has sun and shadow. I am feeding her there so she can directly take the uvb for the digestion from the sun(i still have 10.0 uvb on the enclosure and every 6 months i change it for a new one). Im feeding her with crickets for now, this week gave her 2 times crickets with calcium+D3. She seems to be happy and active.
I will taker her to the vet in 3 weeks, due to covid it is closed and i cant go further with the travel restrictions on my city.
I wanted to know how you see my bearded dragon(5 years old now), and if you could give me any advices. It will be very preciated. Thanks to all of us that took the time to hear my story.
Do you think that is there something i can do to make her front toes look better?
Thats how is she now and how their toes looks like:
Hi, I am here because i want to learn and to do things better from now on.
The story starts in 2015, when I bougth my first bearded dragon. I was an irresponsible 18 years old boy who liked animals but weren't capable of thinking about the responsability behind a bearded dragon. I bought a enclosure that was like a palace for that 1 or 2 months old female beardie, but a bit tiny for an adult one. I bought too a basking lamp and a uvb 10.0 lamp. I feeded her with crickets, crickets with calcium and D3 3 times per week and put vegetables on her enclosure, like the seller told me.
With the time, i tried some new vegetables, fruits, feeded her with dubia and maleworms, but I did not include this in her diet. I know it isnt a proper diet, but i didnt know it on that time nor tried to inform me better. The 1-2 first years i spent much time with my beardie, i put her outside her cage, made a kind of stairs so she could get in and out when she wanted, while i were on the room.
One of the main problems came in 2017. The grade im studying in university required more and more of my time, stress came and the university started to be my second home. I started to spend less time with my beardie, keeping the same diet, even forgetting to feed her somedays.
The other main problem came a year ago, when a friend of mine who had baby rats and he couldnt afford to keep all of them. At this point of history i was more responsible with my things, altough because university i kept treating my beardie poorly. I had the great idea of trying to take care of two of this rats, because i had experience with hamster. That was a very bad idea. The rats came to my house and two days later became sick. I had to spent so much time healing them, that adding this with my university issues, i had literally no time left. You can imagine that the way i treated my bearded dragon became worse. I forgot about take her out of the enclosure and days where i forgot to feed her became more normal and the times i gave her calcium and d3 were the lesser. Time to time i gave her a bath.
When the rats healed, i started being aware of the fking bad bearded dragon keeper i was. I tried to spent more time with her, altought the university still take most of my time. Then i found something i felt really bad about. Her front toes have most of the fingers a bit deformed. Not to much, thats why the times i feeded her months ago i didnt notice. But the first time i took her out and saw how she walked with her front toes, i felt very bad. She does not seem to have problem walking but i know that is my fault and i will blame myself for that all my life.
Like 10 days ago, things with university went better. I had more free time, and the first thing i did was washing up her enclosure and giving her a bath. A week ago, i started to take my beardie out to the courtyard 1-2 hours, where it has sun and shadow. I am feeding her there so she can directly take the uvb for the digestion from the sun(i still have 10.0 uvb on the enclosure and every 6 months i change it for a new one). Im feeding her with crickets for now, this week gave her 2 times crickets with calcium+D3. She seems to be happy and active.
I will taker her to the vet in 3 weeks, due to covid it is closed and i cant go further with the travel restrictions on my city.
I wanted to know how you see my bearded dragon(5 years old now), and if you could give me any advices. It will be very preciated. Thanks to all of us that took the time to hear my story.
Do you think that is there something i can do to make her front toes look better?
Thats how is she now and how their toes looks like: