New adoption/rescue Beardie advice appreciated

[ChuWuti]

Wait and see if he poops now before offering too much more. If he hasn't eaten enough in a long time, which definitely seems to be the case, he needs to stretch his appetite a little slowly--not a lot, but don't overwhelm him. On the other hand, what he ate today may lead to much more interest in eating tomorrow!

Keep up the hydration--you're doing a great job!

Sandy

 

[DocFox]

Thanks!

I can't express how grateful I am for the community of support!

 

[crocky]

Also you may want to look into reptaid. I use it on my guys/dragons when I first get them to ensure the stress form shipping does not cause an increase in parasite count, or when they seem off. Although some folks think it is snake oil and really does not do anything I have seen good results with increasing appetite as well as just seeing a brighter overall demeanor. I don't use it often but when I have I have gotten good results. It is a ten day treatment and all natural. I had a very small baby come in one time much smaller/younger than expected and appeared very sick out of the box. She was just lethargic and would not eat. I put her on the ten day treatment of reptaid and within 3 days I could tell a huge difference. Before I sold her last year she had out grown even her siblings and was one of the most pugnacious little buggers... Just a thought.

Disclaimer ....I am not saying that reptaid is an alternative to vet care

 

[ChuWuti]

Also you may want to look into reptaid. I use it on my guys/dragons when I first get them to ensure the stress form shipping does not cause an increase in parasite count, or when they seem off. Although some folks think it is snake oil and really does not do anything I have seen good results with increasing appetite as well as just seeing a brighter overall demeanor. I don't use it often but when I have I have gotten good results. It is a ten day treatment and all natural. I had a very small baby come in one time much smaller/younger than expected and appeared very sick out of the box. She was just lethargic and would not eat. I put her on the ten day treatment of reptaid and within 3 days I could tell a huge difference. Before I sold her last year she had out grown even her siblings and was one of the most pugnacious little buggers... Just a thought.

Disclaimer ....I am not saying that reptaid is an alternative to vet care

Oh, I'm learning something new here, Cammie! What is Reptaid? I looked it up, and it seems to be an herbal, maybe a homeopathic remedy? But I'd never heard of it before. It certainly couldn't hurt to try it, and if it helps, then great!

If you put it in her water bowl, it could promote healing. BPs like to soak fairly often, especially when they're going into shed.

Sandy

 

[DocFox]

Reptaid ordered!

Think I'll try it on my veiled cham too. He's such a picky eater, and so skinny.

So he had a really good BM today in the bath, and the color indicated those feeding pellets are out of his system. But are they supposed to have gas? Collards hard on him?

 

[crocky]

Oh, I'm learning something new here, Cammie! What is Reptaid? I looked it up, and it seems to be an herbal, maybe a homeopathic remedy? But I'd never heard of it before. It certainly couldn't hurt to try it, and if it helps, then great!

If you put it in her water bowl, it could promote healing. BPs like to soak fairly often, especially when they're going into shed.

Sandy

Yes it is an all natural product. I keep some on hand all the time. Luckily I don't have to use it often but when I have it has done well for me...or my dragons rather.

Think I'll try it on my veiled cham too. He's such a picky eater, and so skinny.

So he had a really good BM today in the bath, and the color indicated those feeding pellets are out of his system. But are they supposed to have gas? Collards hard on him?

When you say gas, do you mean how their poop smells or you actually smell him passing gas without passing poop LOL. Yeah I imagine that if he is not use to eating collards it could cause him to have a little gas...heck I am use to collards and I....oh yeah we are talking about dragons...LOL

One thing to try as well is mix a little green leaf romaine in his diet. This tends to be a little easier on them, but don't give it for long. I mix it in every now and then. Not good to give regularly as it is more water based. They love it though as well as cilantro. Again not something you want to give often. But my guys go coo coo for cilantro. I probably give it once a month and they take it right out of my hand unlike any other green. I may have mentioned those already though, I lose track sometimes. So glad to hear the little guy is still fighting back. I think he is going to be just fine!

 

[DocFox]

Thanks for the continued support- TMI

Okay, I know this is way TMI, but heck, that's what the nursing field is all about, right?

So, I had him soaking in the water. I'm using a 6 quart steralite box now, because I have a nice counter/sink area in my laundry room, so I can have him up waist level, and work with him other than on my knees like I had to in the shower. Plus, I can toss the waste outside. Remember, yesterday, no BM. Sunday, it was like a little pencil 1 1/2 inch long, very compact, did not fall apart. Saturday it was sand, and just a little poop. Both Saturday and Sunday, he went just seconds after the water hit him. Today, it was close to 10 minutes. I rubbed his belly some, fron to back as instructed. And I could feel what I figured probably was some gas. And by gas, I mean there were bubbles, lots of them. Forceful even. Before and during evacuation. Not after. And yes, this was a little startling, but not hugely startlling, because his belly did feel a bit that way.

The smell was noticable, but not bad. On a scale of 1-10, if Iguana is 10, and Cham or Anole is 1, this was about a 3.

I'll try the romaine, but don't know if it is strong enough to perform the 'getting his mouth parted with the food item itself' manuever.

 

[crocky]

Well, sometimes my guy will blow bubbles when he poops in the bath....LOL and let me tell you it aint no flower walk....LOL. Digested bugs are not pleasant. ...YIKES So yeah I think that is ok. The bubbles you felt, I am not so sure about. Yeah the romaine might be a little hard to do that with. Try some mustard greens too.

Glad the bath and tummy rubbing is working though

 

[laurie]

I am glad things are going better. The gas had me rofl here. You are lucky, it seemed like one of my dragons could let go in the water and I wanted to toss water and dragon. That smell will clear your nose for a week. Did you really say an iguana is lots worse? Please don't anyone ever let me smell iguana poop, I might drop dead.

 

[ChuWuti]

I was just reading back through everything to refresh my memory and I realized I had posted about BPs regarding the Reptaid, but this is about a beardie! Ack. So sorry!

How is he doing today? I hope you are continuing to see improvement!

Sandy

 

[StreetMoggy]

Think I'll try it on my veiled cham too. He's such a picky eater, and so skinny.

So he had a really good BM today in the bath, and the color indicated those feeding pellets are out of his system. But are they supposed to have gas? Collards hard on him?

I'm so happy to hear that this little beardie has found a loving home! They are hardy reptiles and can bounce back from a lot of mistreatment. It sounds like He will have a good life from here on in.

Collards make my dragon's poop STINK lol and it's the bulk of his diet, also a well hydrated dragon's poop will be a little runny. Sometimes runny poo is a sign of parasites, so it's good to get a fecal test done once a year, but most of the time it's just from lots of hydration.

 

[crocky]

Any update on the little guy?

 

[DocFox]

Update

Hi Crocky,
Thanks for asking.
He's still not eating on his own, but the 'wedge it into the lips" technique is working quite well for us. When he doesn't want it, it spits it out, when he does, he chews it right up and swallows. He's up to 170 grams (+24g).

Typical morning meal includes about a business card size portion of either collards or mustard, and 4 or 5 dubia. In between a few small wedges of apple and bell pepper. I repeat late afternoon or early evening. I generally continue to feed him until he spits each type out. Though I've been a little less aggressive the last couple of days because that one days I think I over did it, and his belly felt tight as a tick, and he had a lot of gas the next day, which couldn't have been comfortable.

I'm heavily dosing with calcium powder and multi-vitamin.

Bowels seem to be working okay, but I seem to have lost the timing of the baths, and am sure trying to get that back- much easier than cleaning up the tank.

We got the 10.0 lamp last Wednesday, along with the carpet. He's moving around his tank now some, but not much. With the carpet, though, he's able to when he wants to.

I started on the Repti-drop stuff (don't have it handy) for both him and Josh the Cham on Friday. Luckily, they really like the taste of it, so it's very easy to administer.

Neither the Waxworms nor the Phoenix worms are sufficiently rigid to to the wedge trick, so I think tomorrow I'll try a mustard leaf burrito.

We are making progress.

: >

 

[crocky]

Wow, that is good weight gain! Glad to hear things may be looking up for him! Kudos to you as well for taking time to help him. Probably the most attention to detail he has ever had!

 

[DocFox]

Wtf? Omg!

OMG what is this about?

Day before yesterday- in the afternoon, he was looking all perky, and kinda like maybe he was hungry. So I dropped a waxworm next to him, and with some effort, he ate it. Repeated. I thought, great, he might actually start feeding himself. But I haven't been able to replicate it.

But this morning, I thought, well, he'll be hungry- so let's try something different. So I turned the egg carten of dubias upside down in the steralite box, which exposed a bunch of roaches, and set him down on top of it a second carton next to it.

Almost immediately his hind legs started doing what I first thought to be spasming- which I'd never seen before- but just assumed I had set him down oddly. So when I picked him up to rearrange him I saw that his- well- male member was extended. I let loose right away, because I have no idea what kind of biting and holding accompanies mating for beardies.

His hind legs folded-feet-folded, like hands in prayer under him- yet nothing particularly was happening (as if I'd know, right? I- well I--dunno). So then I was back to the thoery- of maybe something about the texture or shape of the egg carton? So I took him back out and put him back down on the carpert- and it happened again.

Umm... is this a good sign? A bad sign? Normal? Freaky?

 

[DocFox]

I must have offended... sorry

Not sure why I got no responses to this question. I certainly didn't mean to offend anyone.

As an update, Buddy is now at 99 grams. I'm still having to feed him with a wedge-it-in technique. But I had a couple of nice sunny days, and took him outside. On the concrete, he got a little excited, and started licking. He ended up taking a couple of wax worms and dandelion leaves on his own.

The last couple of days he's done some head bobbing in the morning.