Rhaegal, My New Rescue *PICS*

Well, as a first-time beardie owner, I've sure got my hands full with this one.

Rhaegal is 1 year old last month, and I knew she was on the small side before I picked her up, but I was unprepared for how far gone she seemed when I arrived to pick her up on Tuesday. Her former owner obviously meant well, but she'd been sitting in his garage with the door wide open, with no light at all on her, while he waited for me to come get her. For who knows how long. That was my first red flag.

When he handed me to her, he described her as "very docile". Lethargic is more like it. She barely even opened her eyes when he took her off her driftwood. She felt like bone and skin. I kept my mouth shut as he explained her setup and reached for her lamps, saying that at least one of the bulbs was broken. (When I got home, I found out it wasn't just one bulb, but all three-- UVB, Daytime, and Nighttime.) She had some stuck shed on the top of her head, and he'd been misting her rather than giving her a couple of short soaks a week.

I had to keep her at work with me until that evening, as he'd forgotten to provide her screen lid for her vivarium (unacceptable if I didn't want the cats to get her, not to mention there was nothing to set her lamps on. She stayed in the shoebox by my feet, barely stirring, breathing labored. I didn't think I'd have a dragon by the end of that shift, and it passed agonizingly slowly.

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/...psb391934c.jpg

As soon as I got her home finally, I scrambled to get her set up. I had to borrow the ambient UVB from Magnus' tank, as the lamp her last owner had given me didn't work. Luckily, I had a clamp-lamp already set up, so her basking light wasn't an issue. I gave her tank a very quick spritz, and like that she came to life, scrambling to drink the water dropping from the nozzle of the mister. I quickly set her in front of her water dish and she drank from it for several minutes. So dehydration was on the table now too.

I left the UVB on overnight to make up for the light she hadn't gotten all day. By the next morning, she seemed a little more energized, moving around the driftwood on her own.

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/...psdfe97f8f.jpg

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2d44b699.jpg

I felt a little more hopeful at this point, so I ran out for some baby food and collard greens, blended them together with some Zilla fortified kibble and Fluker's Calcium with D3. I want to keep her on a liquid diet until I see her first stool passage. Luckily, it only took one taste from the syringe to have her clamoring for more, so I gave her a little bowlful and she went to town:

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/...psbd321e5b.jpg

She's got a little bit of a belly on her as of this morning, I am relieved to report, as opposed to the ribcage under skin that I felt when I first got her. I even took her outside for some natural sunlight, and she perked up a lot, looking around at some blowing leaves and even examining me carefully. I don't think she knows quite what to expect from me yet, but she's willing to sit in my hand and see how things progress.

I'll be running out this weekend for butterworms if I can find them to add some protein and fat to her diet, superworms if I can't find butterworms. I don't think she's up for chasing crickets yet, but hopefully in the next week or two!

Congratulations and good job, Ava! She's a very pretty girl.

She is, and hopefully even more pretty once she gets proper nutrition! She has a slight underbite, probably the onset of mild MBD, but hopefully it won't get any worse with proper supplementation.

Looks like she's doing well now that she has a loving home. Beardies are a lot hardier than people give them credit for so with the right conditions, she'll give you many years of companionship. :)

Speaking from rescuing a Beardie of my own, I would say you should start to see a lot more activity in the next couple of days just with the added lighting alone.
It's lucky that she's willing to eat on her own though! My guy wouldn't eat without an hour of coaxing and he continues to only feed sparingly to this day which is incredibly unhelpful since he already has old age working against him. I'm sure you'll see a lot of great progress from this girl with a little TLC, good luck and good job! (:

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Originally Posted by MisterKyte

Speaking from rescuing a Beardie of my own, I would say you should start to see a lot more activity in the next couple of days just with the added lighting alone.
It's lucky that she's willing to eat on her own though! My guy wouldn't eat without an hour of coaxing and he continues to only feed sparingly to this day which is incredibly unhelpful since he already has old age working against him. I'm sure you'll see a lot of great progress from this girl with a little TLC, good luck and good job! (:

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I really do hope so. She's under a compact bulb for now, because that's all I had in the time crunch, but I will be ordering an 18" ReptiSun 10.0 to put in my Zilla striplight for her. It's just a relief to see her moving on her own, honestly.

I don't know if she ate any today, I didn't catch her in the act. I may try to coax her to eat a little tonight, but I also don't want to mess with her light schedule too much, so it may wait til tomorrow.

Anyone who's followed my many threads about Magnus and his behaviors knows that I'm the most anxious herp mommy out there at times, so bear with me as I fret endlessly :D

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Originally Posted by Archimedes

I really do hope so. She's under a compact bulb for now, because that's all I had in the time crunch, but I will be ordering an 18" ReptiSun 10.0 to put in my Zilla striplight for her. It's just a relief to see her moving on her own, honestly.

I don't know if she ate any today, I didn't catch her in the act. I may try to coax her to eat a little tonight, but I also don't want to mess with her light schedule too much, so it may wait til tomorrow.

Anyone who's followed my many threads about Magnus and his behaviors knows that I'm the most anxious herp mommy out there at times, so bear with me as I fret endlessly :D

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She'll eat when she's hungry and is probably so thankful for the correct light that she won't care about it being a compact bulb. Besides, that's all my girl's ever had and at 12 y/o, she's still kicking so don't worry about it. They do fine with them. Beardies are one of the hardiest herps I've ever found so have a little faith in her. She'll be fine. ;)

Gave her a quick soak this morning to try to get rid of the pesky stuck shed on her head. She was definitely more sassy this morning, and got fiesty when I tried to take her out because she'd decided that she likes drinking bathwater more than the water in her dish. :P She's got some WEIGHT to her, which is so nice to feel. I'm gonna take her outside this afternoon when it's nice and warm, let her sit on my shoulder and soak up some rays. =]

Love to hear the happy endings. It's always the bad few that give the rest of us who do things right a bad name. Animals don't have a choice when they're in captivity. People do and when I see a neglected animal I see a person who chose to do this and it breaks my heart. I have never owned a beardie, but am in love with them none the less. I applaud you for giving this animal a proper home and am sure he will return the effort you put into him. I have rescued a number of pythons in the past and the rescues almost always seem "grateful" for giving them a proper home.

Congratulations and am sure he will do very well for you. And since he can't say it directly...THANK YOU.

First off congrats on your decision to get a Beardie. I have a little girl name Mushu and I love her to death. I have read hundreds of different articles and care sheets pertaining to Beardies but the most comprehensive care sheet I was able to find was here:

http://www.thebeardeddragon.org/bearded-dragon-care.php

Young Beardies will eat a lot of insects and they should be offered them dusted with calcium without d3 if you have powerful enough lighting and with d3 if you think that your Beardie is having troubles digesting. Another thing people don't realize is that Beardies don't naturally drink from a water dish so often this is somthing that you have to teach them to do. I like to use a water dropper or spray bottle and squirt it into the water dish. The Beardie will often get excited pertaining to the movement, explore, and once he realizes it is water will begin to drink. You sometimes have to do this several times to get them into the habit of using it themselves. Also I like to dust the insect with a vitamin supplement 2 days out of the week along with the calcium supplement. Heat and lighting (uvb and uva) are extremely important to the growth and digestive system if your Beardie. Without it your Beardie will become lethargic, can get sick (MBD metabolic bone disease) , may become malnourished and even die. Getting your mini dragon to eat insects typically won't be a problem. Growing beardies have a veracious appetite and seem to love chasing insects.... Not so much eating greens. Soooo if you do get a Beardie that will be the real challenge. To get he/she to eat greens throughout the entire growing process and into adult hood. Here is a video on a way that I decided was the easiest route to go when providing greens. It also provides some other info on bearded dragons. <---canned message

http://www.youtube.com/watch?nomobile=1&v=GC5eruXzbKE

Hope this helps!
Best regards from
Mushu and myself! :)
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/04/19/5umaza9y.jpg

I read through this thread and it seems like you have a pretty good handle on caring for your new little buddy so I'm sure you know the majority of what was is in that message but I shared it anyways because I wanted to pro IDE you with one of the most comprehensive Beardie care sheets that I have found. One again congratulations to you and him. :)

Provide* her*.... sorry for the double post.

http://www.drag-a-longs.com/

<---Another link for you to help make hot summer day outings a little safer. :)

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Originally Posted by Herpenthusiast3

I read through this thread and it seems like you have a pretty good handle on caring for your new little buddy so I'm sure you know the majority of what was is in that message but I shared it anyways because I wanted to pro IDE you with one of the most comprehensive Beardie care sheets that I have found. One again congratulations to you and him. :)

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Thank you so much for reassuring me that I'm doing this right. I got good at BP care, so learning desert animal husbandy is on the other end of the spectrum, but I like to think I'm doing all right so far. You guys are all affirming that I'm doing things right for sweet little Rhaegal, and that makes me really happy. I'm saving all of the resources that are provided to me, so trust me, any and all info will not go to waste! :D

And I am definitely considering getting her a harness. Just too cute, plus she really enjoys the sunlight, so definitely a good investment.

Not a prob. :) I'm excited for you. It's always cool to see a Beardie be brought back to health with good care. They always seem so appreciative. Experiment around with different foods to find out what she likes. There is a massive list of things she can and can not eat attached to the care sheet in the link. Please keep us updated on her progress. :))

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/...psb2f23e09.jpg

I think she's feeling pretty relaxed. ;)
(Taken last night before lights-out; she hadn't moved much by lights-on this morning. Heh.)

I feel bad now. She's much more alert today, so I offered her some dusted greens, and she took them willingly from the tongs, but now she has stress marks on her chest and tummy, I think overstimulation from the "zombie dance" I did with the veggies. :( should I just drape a towel across the front of her viv and let her chill, or what?

Put some greens in there cover it up and make sure there is a hide provided. Beardies act like narcoleptics. When they find a warm dark secure hole they dig in and crash out. My Beardie is most brightly colored right after she has had a nap. They just de stress well when sleeping. If that doesn't seems to help or fit her need and she seems bloated but still hasn't defecated give her a warm bath and it will help her pass the stool. A nice hide for her to sleep in is your best bet though. :). If the hide is on the cool side they fall into a deeper sleep almost as though its easier for them to charge down.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/05/05/jurujybe.jpg
Old pic of Mushu waking from a nap. :)

I am pleased to report that Rhaegal is eating on her own without any coaxing from me! How long should I expect to wait for a stool passage though? I have seen no evidence of her preparing to pass, though she doesn't seem bloated or uncomfortable. She's getting a nice warm bath tomorrow anyway, but she hasn't produced any evident urate or feces since I picked her up last Tuesday.

If the Beardie wasn't on a maintained eating regiment she may be storing the food in worries of when her next meal will take place. If she hasn't passed a stool give her a warm bath. If she begins to swim a bit this helps a lot in the process of passing a stool. You are going to want to pay attention to how often she defecates to make sure that she doesn't build up a urate large enough to become impacted. When she becomes a healthier weight and realizes that food is readily accessible there will be less of a risk of this happening. :)

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/...ps57dd4085.jpg
She's settling in quite nicely, and liked my one buddy so much that she gave a nice big smile for the camera while he was handling her. (Or, you know, thermoregulating, but it was an adorable photo op nonetheless.)

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That same evening, passed out on my chest. She loves having her crown rubbed.

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And a hazy picture from this morning. Look at that belly!

She's passed a few urates at this point, although she's still got some shed on her crown that we're gently working on. She's a great little pet, if a bit annoyed with the curious kitten, but I would be too in her shoes. (er, claws.)

So up until last night/this morning, Rhaegal was eating, drinking and behaving fine. Last night, after I cleaned her carpet, she settled down beneath her basking log to sleep. I didn't think anything of it, as I've seen her sleep there before, and she hadn't moved when I turned her lights on in the morning. Also fairly typical. I checked on her and she peeked at me, but no real change of position took place. I went out for the day.

I just got home, and she still hadn't moved. A little alarm went off in my head, and I picked her up to examine her more closely. She was pale, paler than I've ever seen her, and cold, like she hadn't even been up to her basking spot all day. She peered at me and stirred a bit in my hands, then began acting a bit more normal, so I put her back and left her UVB on, turning her day lamp off, hoping she'd stay there to warm up. She didn't, went back to a spot under the branch.

I did leave my window open today since it was so nice out, but that was the only change in environment, other than the spot-clean of her tank. Did the cooler outside air put her into a brumation cycle? Do you think she was just especially sleepy? I'm worried about my girl. =/

Ambient air temp should be 85 during the day. If the Beardie doesn't want to sit under the basking lamp it's typically because he wants a different temp gradient and currently isn't trying to Absorb UVA.

When my Beardie begins to act lethargic I try and reel back to pertinent behavior and interactions that may have caused it:
- did ambient air temps drop below 85? (During the hottest part of the day here in Northern California my ambient air temps will climb to 88 and then steady back out to 85 until the night light cycle. I use a 100 watt ceramic heat emitter and let it run 24 hours to achieve this. At nighttime temps stay 75-80.
- when is the last time my Beardie defecated? (Mushu rarely defecates unless I bathe her. If she seems bloated it may be time for a bath.)
-Is my Beardie going to shed? Unlike a BP a healthy Beardie sheds in sections. Mushu is typically a grump during certain sections of her shed and would rather just lounge around on these particular days.

"When you her hoof beats think horses not zebras" :)
Meaning when your troubleshooting odd behavior (<--- and it will happen every so often because they have so much personality) check the basics and try not to stress to much. These little ones will continually try and scare you until you figure out their particular personality. Please keep us informed. :)

Well that was wonderfully helpful, thank you again! The ambient temp almost certainly dropped below 85, and I hadn't considered it could have been lower than that all day-- I still had "65" bouncing around in my head, but they do need that daytime to nighttime gradient. I'll make sure to keep my windows closed and maybe put signs up so members of my family dot open them when I'm gonna be gone for more than a few hours. She seems content enough to be on the floor, although it's pretty distinctly out of character for her-- even when she's not sleeping on her basking branch, she usually ends up nodding off clinging to the outside of her half-log.

Her color's much better this morning, although she's still acting antisocial and giving me the stink eye whenever I look at her. But some attitude is better than none in this situation. Hah.

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Originally Posted by Archimedes

Her color's much better this morning, although she's still acting antisocial and giving me the stink eye whenever I look at her. But some attitude is better than none in this situation. Hah.

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Absolutely. :) My Beardie still surprises me with the locations she'll decide to lounge in. She did a lot of spot hopping until she acquired her favorite spots, but like i said I still sometimes find her sleeping or lounging in odd locations. :)

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/...ps26228ac4.jpg

Perching by the poolside...

She looks great. :)

I'd like to give a little personality update. Her name suits her-- she's incredibly regal and princess-ish. The only time she's satisfied with my touch is if I'm gently stroking the horns that lead from her cheeks to her crown. She loves squash, apple, and collard greens, and spends quite a bit of time with her front claws in the pool. Her favorite hobby is giving the cats dirty looks. :) she's a sweet girl, if a little haughty. :D

Miss Rhaegal got a bath today and HATED it. She did manage to relax for a few minutes, but she was quite sore with me when i was trying to dry her off. She'd much rather explore EVERYWHERE except where I need her to be. :D

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/...psc3396d6e.jpg
Just hangin' out. :3

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Just read through the thread. Nice work on the rescue. :gj:

Glad she is doing great for you. :)

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Originally Posted by Archimedes

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/...psc3396d6e.jpg
Just hangin' out. :3

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

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She's looking great! I love happy unions. :)

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/...ps10048468.jpg

I pulled the curtain back so she could see out the window. She's a fan.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

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Originally Posted by Archimedes

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/...ps10048468.jpg

I pulled the curtain back so she could see out the window. She's a fan.

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((Edit-- that slate is much sturdier than it looks, don't worry haha. I got it wedged in there good; it can support me pushing on it, so it can certainly support her weight.))

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

:) adorable pic.

So how common is it for beardies to just splash around in their water bowel for 5 or 10 minutes? Because I have photographic evidence of Rhaegal pretending to be a mermaid... I just got back from vacation and did a full cleanout of their water bowls, filled em up, then this princess sloshed a quarter of hers out the side. :P

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/...pse85a820e.jpg
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Can't answer your question cause I don't know but...

1. This is awesome. :gj:

2. Queue Jaws music.

3. Cool impersonation of a crocodile. :)

Some are huge fans of water and will actually swim during their soaking while others will hold it against you forever if you try to soak them once. Mine is the latter but I've seen others who love it. She may just enjoy playing in water.

Mushu used to do this in her water dish, But only in like 3 minute spurts.

what a lucky bearded dragon. i almost had the same situation but it took mine like a week to come back. the guy said he had never really fed it any greens only crickets and he had owned it for a year and a half so he was super skinny he has gained a ton of weight eating lots of greens and dubia. good luck with your awesome pet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bearded dragons are the absolute best!!! Good on you for rescuing her! They have the sweetest personalities. I fell in love with my boy the second I got him. :-)

It's so amazing that we have people in the community rescuing these little guys! I will never understand why someone would keep an animal and not care for it...

I think she likes her bandana hammock. http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/10/05/y9yjery3.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/10/05/4ajyda2u.jpg


Sent from my cool hide

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Originally Posted by Archimedes

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/...psb2f23e09.jpg

I think she's feeling pretty relaxed. ;)
(Taken last night before lights-out; she hadn't moved much by lights-on this morning. Heh.)

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Btw. That's called a "sexy leg" I kid you not. Google bearded dragon sexy leg and you'll see all sorts of sexy leg pics!!

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Originally Posted by Rawbbeh

Btw. That's called a "sexy leg" I kid you not. Google bearded dragon sexy leg and you'll see all sorts of sexy leg pics!!

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She must feel sexy all the time then! But then, she is my little Princess, so there's no reason why she shouldn't haha. Thanks for the info!


Sent from my cool hide

When my little cake was a baby she liked to pretend she was a super hero, much like yours likes to pretend she's a mermaid.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62.../SuperCake.jpg

So Cake's back shed but it was still attached around the collar of her neck. I didn't dare pull it off because she had this little cape for a couple days. It was too cute!

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Originally Posted by Rawbbeh

So Cake's back shed but it was still attached around the collar of her neck. I didn't dare pull it off because she had this little cape for a couple days. It was too cute!

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Oh my goodness, how precious! And that look, it's like you caught her mid-saving the world!

Someone's finally starting to fill out properly on good UVB, dusted supers, and pumpkin and collard!
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/10/09/symytabu.jpg



Sent from my cool hide

Well, this little sweetie has a new home with my best friend, since she likes her much better than me. Here they are together:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/03/a5a6eje8.jpg
She's started pooping regularly and eating better now that she's living elsewhere, so I guess perhaps I just didn't have the Beardie touch. My friend also has the time for her that I don't, so overall, it's a good deal. I still see her all the time, so I'm not heartbroken.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/15/ejujeheb.jpg

Happy Holidays from Rhaegal and friends!

How is she doing so far?

I just rescued one and your right its a handful. I'm just trying to get mine to eat on a regular schedule right now.

She's doing wonderful, growing by leaps and bounds! Dubia are her new favorite thing, and she spends tons of time exploring and antagonizing the dog. (Always supervised.) Every time I see her she's got a little more chub on her. It's great to see. Her personality has improved as well, she spends a lot less time looking angry and more time just being happy and curious.

Here she is just a few days ago:
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/...ps64963065.jpg

Nice bear die