Need help!!

My highschool chemistry class has a bearded dragon. I don't really know how to care for them, but I don't think this is the way. There's water in a dirty bowl, some nasty substrate looking stuff, a regular bulb, and she's feeding it fluckers turtle food. How can I help the poor guy.?

Re: Help

He NEEDS, Clean water, Crickets, Veggies, Vitamin supplements, Hiding places, a basking area and a non basking area at the very minimum.

Who ever is taking care of the poor thing is being horrible negligent with it and has no place in my opinion care-taking for it if thats their best effort.

here is a good link to some helpful care facts.

http://www.beardeddragoncare.net/

sorry this is so vague but i'm no expert on beardies.

I've kept bearded dragons for over 10 years and this is what I've done...
Cage: long and low glass cage with screen lid. As long as the dragon is several months old I add a coarse sand on the floor of it. (Do not use calcisand.)

Lighting: regular household incandescent bulb of a wattage that puts the basking area temperature in the area of the high 80's to high 90'sF. The bulb is in a metal dome and placed at one end of the cage (where wood branches come up closest to it). Long linear Repti-sun 5.0 UVB light running along the length of the cage lid. Exposure to UVB allows the dragon to produce D3 which allows it to use the calcium in its diet. Exposure to proper temperatures allows it to digest its food properly and thus absorb the nutrients needed in the food.

I furnish the cage with branches that are wide enough for the dragon to sit on comfortably and a hide (although my dragons have never used the hides). You can put some rocks in the cage too if you want to.

I have never used a water dish but I do drip water on their noses every few days....and I make sure that the greens and veggies are wet when I put them in the cage.

I feed them an assortment of insects of appropriate size that have been gutloaded/fed well and dusted with supplements (see below for more on that).

I also feed them a salad of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet red pepper, sweet potato, etc.) and a small amount of fruit (apple, pear, berries, melon, etc.)

Since most of the insects we use to feed them have a poor ratio of calcium to phos. I dust the insects with a phos.-free calcium at most feedings to make up for it. (I use Rep-cal).

I also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder to ensure they get some D3 without overdoing it. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues. (I use Rep-cal).

I also dust with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A twice a month. Beta carotene will not build up in the system like the prEformed vitamin A will. (I use Herptivite).

Phos., calcium, D3 and vitamin A are all important players in bone health and other systems in the dragon and need to be in balance. When balancing them you need to look at the food the dragon eats, the food the insects eat and the supplements you are dusting with. Please be aware that different supplements have different amounts of these in and adjustments need to be made if you use them.

Perhaps you could print this off and give it to the teacher?

Well she knows what to do, just doesn't want to spend the money on it. So I don't know what to do.

What happens if they don't have a UVB bulb.?

mychamtini112012 said:

Well she knows what to do, just doesn't want to spend the money on it. So I don't know what to do.

What happens if they don't have a UVB bulb.?

Click to expand...

Maybe print this off and address it to the principal at the school? i would NOT sign my name if I were you. Ofter it call the local newspaper if it isn't cared for - that may get results. And if it comes to that the newspaper may be a good option. Again without ever using your name. JMO

This happens at my school also, and the worst part of it all, they are my former pet turtles. The person I re-homed them to brought them to the high school and dumped them off. Two adults and a mid-sized Western Painted Turtle... They now live in a 10 gallon tank. I have no idea on what to do about it either. :/ Good Luck on your journey with the critter.

mychamtini112012 said:

Well she knows what to do, just doesn't want to spend the money on it. So I don't know what to do.

What happens if they don't have a UVB bulb.?

Click to expand...

It will get metabolic bone disease and die a slow, painful death. I am serious.

What exactly is this teacher trying to do? Teach kids how to let an animal die because she's a cheapskate? I would print off some good care info (that site linked to is good), and get a parent involved. Teachers don't care when kids try to make a difference, but they do care when parents threaten to go to administration. If that is what it takes then that is what should happen. This is an absolutely terrible example to set for any of the students who see this poor animal every day. It's only going to teach them that it is okay not to care.

What happens if they don't have a UVB bulb.?

Click to expand...

Depends on diet and temperatures.

I am unfamiliar with flukers turtle food. Bearded dragons are very adaptable and forgiving when it comes to diet- depending on formulation of the turtle food, it may not be as bad as it might sound at first glance. If it has a decent formulation for omnivorous turtles, it is possibly not too bad for bearded dragons either. Especially if rounded out with fresh veggies and insects. But as I do not have experience with or knowledge of the food here is my advice-

You can help inexpensively by getting the lizard a bottle of rep-cal bearded dragon food and ensure it has plenty of heat (100-110 basking spot)- make sure it can escape the heat on the cool part of the enclosure down to at least the mid 80s.

These two ingredients (the pellets and the high basking temp) together will prevent MBD.

I know this from experience- I've been breeding since 1994 and have experimented with large groups using different methods of feeding and husbandry. Rep-cal pellets do not require UVB for the animal to get enough vit d3 to remain healthy and have good bones. BUT- I suspect strongly that warm enough basking spots are important for proper absorption of dietary D3. I would not count on the pellets without the basking temps I am recommending. You can tell if temps are correct because the dragon will be light or bright colored most of the day and only bask intermittently, often basking a little off to the side rather than the warmest part, except when first warming in the morning or last warming in the evening or after eating or drinking. Constant basking means he can't warm enough.

It is still better to ensure the animal has a UVB lamp as well, and it is best to offer a varied diet of fresh leafy vegetables as well as supplement dusted insects alongside the pellets. The insects can be fed occasionally to adults which can be mainly vegetarian or mainly pellet and/or vegetable eaters.

A bottle of rep-cal pellets can be purchased for $10 at petsmart. A box of 4 100 watt light bulbs can be purchased for $1 at walmart.

$11 would help.

For another $25 you could add the UVB lamp and fixture.

$6 you could add rep-cal with d3.

Maybe take up a collection from your fellow students and start with the pellets and light bulbs, move on to the UVB lamp, add a mealworm or dubia farm to the classroom and rep-cal with d3, and bring in fresh veggies (spring summer and fall can be free- clover, dandylion greens and flowers, plantain, etc from an untreated lawn are great).

And volunteer and get volunteers to rotate cleaning the water dish and tank daily.

A dirty tank has no place in a classroom anyway- not to mention the poor lizard.

Probably best results will be had if you or some outgoing classmate voices concern for the lizard in front of the class and volunteers to help correct the situation at that time. It will be hard for the teacher to not accept in that situation.