new girl

[dipxdop]

so i just got a new beardie from craigslist. she was listed as 2 years old and needing someone who could give her more time and attention. i got her and she is very thin and walks around in a terrible jerky motion. however, she is incredibly alert, friendly, and loves being held. she has quite an appetite too so i expect her to fatten up very quick!

the only thing i'm worried about is the jerky movement when she walks. i am trying to get a video of it but haven't succeeded yet. i feel she was just malnourished. so far i'm getting her a variety of foods and dusting a bunch of it in calcium.. can anyone shed some light on her situation and what else i could do for her?

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[dipxdop]

i've been researching and it looks like MBD ... poor thing.. at least she is wonderfully friendly and active!..

 

[RyuuKirin]

she's so skinny! poor girl i am glad you have given her a new and loving home.

 

[Kristi23]

Lots of heat, good food, calcium, and UVB light should help her a lot. Good luck! I hope she gets better with you.

 

[dipxdop]

i cannot get over how friendly, active, and funny she is.. i bought 4 dozen crickets and i don't even know how many mealies for her and my 3 year old leo and between the two of them i have nothing left... she's also really excited about the squash i got her.. girl can eat!!

she got her uvb and heat lamps and i made a playpen for her to run around in until i can get her a bigger tank!.. i am absolutely in love with her already

 

[dipxdop]

also, i just noticed she is dirty or even moldy all on the bottom of her feet, tail, everything!.. she was living on dirty cage carpet.. i assume just having her live in a clean tank and give her baths often will clean that up?

 

[fl_orchidslave]

She sure is a pretty girl. You will be surprised at the changes in her over the next month, now having proper care. Her front legs do look curved, as in potential MBD. A good reptile vet would have something to stop the disease from progressing, and it may not be too late to correct in some areas. Glad you got her a UVB! Good luck with her

 

[dipxdop]

haha so i cannot stop thinking the owners didn't know what they were doing and upon further inspection, i am pretty sure SHE is a HE.. oh boy!! haha i've had it for 2 days and already have my hands full!

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Oops- a handsome fellow I love beardies and will be able to have one when one of my big tanks has an opening. I really like the reds but not long ago saw a solid white one that absolutely captured me. He bobbed his head every time I approached so I referred to him as my boyfriend. He like that even more and begged me to slip him a few superworms. The vendors next to us were very generous in allowing me to express my affection for their beautiful dragon.

Please keep us posted with progress reports and photos

 

[prettyinpink]

Hopefully you're able to get her strong with good husbandry.

Make sure you have a GOOD uvb bulb, some petstores will try to sell you what isn't good for your reptile but what makes them the most money. Repti-SUN 10.0 you can find for $20 online... that's one of the best ones out there. Heat about 97-100 for adults. Mine prefers it in the 97 range.

Good veggies (since he's older) is good for him rather then too much protein. And not too much calcium, too much vitamins is as bad as too little.

And MAKE SURE you don't feed him too much at once since the poor thing was malnourished it can put her system into shock, so it's better to start slow.

Squash is very good for him Good thing she already likes her veggies and is eating well, you may get lucky and she'll grow strong. Also I would pick up some nice greens for him (Kale, Mustard, and/or Collard are some good ones)

Give her a bath at least once a week, for about 10-15minutes, put the water up to his shoulders and make sure their butt is in the water...that's how they absorb the water

For the moldy/dirty feet you can wash them with baby wipes or wash her with soap all over, but don't get it anywhere near her mouth, eyes or vent. That should do the trick


Hope this helps! And you are so sweet for taking him in