I'd like to introduce you all to Ruth. She's a rescue that fell into the hands of the reptile breeder I work for. Her original owner had no experience with bearded dragons, and did not take the time to educate themselves. Ruth now suffers from metabolic bone disease, and has impaired motor fuction in all of her limbs. She's doing much better with proper lighting, heat, and food, but it's unlikely that she will regain complete function of her legs. She is in a 4 x 2 enclosure, which I'm not particularly fond of. The buold is sloppy and not aesthetically pleasing whatsoever. I hope to replace it before too long with a custom enclosure more suited to her needs; a handicap accessible home so to speak :) basking platforms with wide ramps and railings to keep her from falling over the side, as well as custom hides with larger openings for easier entry. She requires a smaller feeding tank, to help her catch her crickets, but she gets around well enough, and still manages to keep me on my toes! Despite everything she's been through, she's an absolute sweetheart with a great personality. Handling is minimal, as she is gravid. From what we've been told, she lays slugs each breeding season. So she has a Ruth accessible lay box that she seems quite fond of :)
This was a photo taken of her at the breeder's, the first time I laid eyes on her.
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And some more this morning. If I didn't know better, I'd say she was posing for a photoshoot!
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