Read This: Beardie unexpectedly passed away

[sublyme]

Today my beloved Zeus has passed away. My beardie was 8 years old and one of the most amazing creatures i have ever known. Over the last couple of weeks he had not been eating much and sleeping often. I thought he might have been going into his 1st brumation but that was not the case. Then his beard started to turn black and basically stayed that way even after a soak in the tub which usually resolved it.
My conclusion is that he probably was not getting enough legit UVB rays. I changed out his bulb with another 10.0 bulb about 9months ago. I read that the lights are only good for about 6 months and then continue to emit light but no UVB. While I can only speculate on why he passed away. I will tell you that he was fine in the morning and when i came home he was looking very bad and his beard was black. After rushing him into the bath for a soak I dried him off and layed him in a towel. He took his last breaths last night and this morning he had passed. Learn from my mistakes.
Look for the signs. Your beardie cannot talk to you. So you have to pay attention to his or her environment very close. The fact that your on a forum means that you care enough to read up on it. So please please please give your beardie your time and attention. Stay on top of taking care of your pet.

1. cycle your lights UVB & UVA
2. keep them on a strict schedule
   
3. check your temperatures all the time.
   
4. read about proper food - variety
   
5. stay on top of hydration

I loved my beardie very much and I will never forget the good times we had together. Cherish these little guys as not many get the privilege to know how much character beardies truly have.

 

[Josh]

Oh my gosh, this is so sad. I am very sorry for your loss.
RIP Zeus!
You speak words of wisdom though. We can't speak to our beardies so we are responsible for monitoring them closely to ensure they live as long as possible. It sounds like you did everything you could with the knowledge you have. I'm so sorry Zeus passed.
Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge with the community. I have added a little to your thread title so that others can find this thread more easily.

 

[Mushuandcricket]

I am so sorry for your loss. Don't beat yourself up it may of not had anything to do with care. It is good words of wisdom for all of us. ((hugs))

 

[Juan the magic dragon ard]

Really sorry you lost your wee pal :-( RIP Zeus

Love from Mark and Juan xx

 

[PatsyB]

This made me cry . I'm so sorry for your loss. It's very hard when when they've been a part of our lives for so long and then we lose them. 8 is a good age though, sounds like you gave him a good life.

Thanks for sharing this with us. Even though we think and sound like we know everything, we really don't. We just all really need to pay attention to them so we can pick up on it when something is wrong.

{HUGS}

 

[Elemental Dragon Lord]

Tbh I think he lived his full life. Most beardies live 8-12 years and while it sucks he drew the short end of the straw it opened your eyes. I seriously doubt he had uv issues as 3 months would just start to effect him. I'm guessing his beard was black because he knew he was dieing and didn't want to leave you. Sorry for your loss

 

[sublyme]

Guys, Thanks to everyone for the very kind words!! It means a lot to me. Not everyone can understand how some of us love our beardies so much. I knew the people here absolutely would. I have met many beardies in my life. Some are funny, some are rowdy, some are sleepy, some are chill. Zeus was the beardie with a heart of gold. To know him was to love him. He was happy being around people and would do anything to be held in your arms. I still cannot believe he is gone and will never forget the lesson learned here.

I will leave you with a comic. It has a dog in it but you will get the picture. Yes it is sad so you may want to skip it if you dont have a tissue or a dry sleeve. But It really illustrates the way i feel right now.

 

[DragonLady504]

So sad, so sorry for the loss of your pal!
RIP Zues.

 

[Beardielizzy]

I'm so so so very sorry for your loss ! These animals are our best friends and family ! And I'm so glad you pointed out that they can't talk ! They do rely on us to care for them ! They count on it ! They rely in us to bath them , feed them and everything ! It's so important ! I'm sorry Zeus didn't make it ! Thanks for pointing the light thing too ! I think we forgot those things just cuz they are still burning don't mean they are giving them what they need !!! So sorry

 

[Knoteb]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I lost Danzi (she's the one in front) on 10-30-14. She was the sweetest girl ever. It still makes me sad and now Jesse (the one on the log) is loosing the pep in his step. They're all 13, nearly 14 but it hurts to lose them regardless of age. There is never enough time with these amazing creatures.