HELP!!! I've never owned a reptile

So, I started a new job at my university last week only to find a bearded dragon had been left there by a former worker. He left it there about 4 months ago in its cage with a heating lamp (that barely worked) and pretty much nothing else. My boss, being an old man, didn't know what to do with it... so about once every 2 or 3 weeks he would bring him some crickets. So, last night I took him home and bought him supplies from petco... but I'm very concerned. I'm pretty sure he is an adult but he is very sluggish. I got him a new UVB lamp that keeps him pretty warm but I dont know how close he needs to be to it. About an hour after he got under his new lamp, he pooped for the first time since i met him. Most of it was normal poo color but there was white stuff and some salmon colored stuff. Is that normal? Also he seems to repsond very well to blueberries, but should i limit the amount that I give to him? Can someone give me some tips on bringing an abandoned dragon back to good health?

Hi there! Kudos for taking care of this guy!!

Ok, first off, what kind of UV lamp did you get? Is it just UV? or UV and heat? Also, what kind of cage? and how are you heating it? He'll need temps of about 100 degrees on one side of the cage, 85 degrees on the other. Also, give him a bowl of water, but get a spray bottle as well, spray him down twice a day.

Second, Food: Crickets are good, but right now (if you can find them) roaches, meal worms, or superworms would be better. And greens, collard greens, kale, dandelion greens. NO iceberg lettuce though, no nutritional value. Blueberries should be ok. and strawberries, other soft fruits as well.

As far as the poop, sounds normal to me.

That should get you started, but I'm sure someone with more experience will chime in with better suggestions.

Everything he said sounds like great advice, I do not usually use water bowls they usually just get sand in them. I think you need to soak him in a luke bath. I do that with mine every couple days plus the misting that should be good. greens should be everyday. What do you have on the floor? You can use sand , I prefer tile less messy and no stink. Congrats on helping the lucky little guy. Best of luck with him.

Well, the new lamp that I bought is by "Zoo Med". It's 150 watts, and it says its a heat, light, and UVA lamp. The problem is, the cage is pretty tall. It's about a foot and a half tall, so I think not enough heat is reaching him. Should I hang the lamp from the inside of the cover? For bedding, I bought rabbit pellets. All he had before was a towel in there. Petco said rabit pellets would be good but it seems he has a hard time walking around on them. This could just be because he's missing all the toes on one of his hind legs. I gave him a bath last week and he seemed to really enjoy drinking the water out of it. haha.
I tried to give him a few meal worms last night, and he spits them out if they are alive. So, I smashed a few of them and he ate them. How much should he be eating in a day? Yesterday he had 5 crickets, a blueberry and a 2 meal worms. He won't eat veggies though... so i feed his veggies to the crickets in hopes that the nutrients end up in Burtle.
I'm also trying to get him to be more active and curious. I set him on the couch with me yesterday and he just cuddled in to the corner. Does having the TV on while I'm at work help stimulate him?
Anyways, thanks for the advice so far!

nicole

Originally Posted by nicolenoeld

Well, the new lamp that I bought is by "Zoo Med". It's 150 watts, and it says its a heat, light, and UVA lamp. Perfect! That's exactly what he needs right now!

The problem is, the cage is pretty tall. It's about a foot and a half tall, so I think not enough heat is reaching him. Should I hang the lamp from the inside of the cover? No, I believe 18 inches is the recommended minimum, so that's perfect. Also, if you put it inside the cage, he could burn himself on it.

For bedding, I bought rabbit pellets. All he had before was a towel in there. Petco said rabit pellets would be good but it seems he has a hard time walking around on them. This could just be because he's missing all the toes on one of his hind legs. Rabbit pellets will work. I'd suggest sand instead, its easier to clean up, you just sift the poop out with a scoop.

I gave him a bath last week and he seemed to really enjoy drinking the water out of it. haha. He's probably dehydrated. I'd let him soak for about 1/2 hour every other day.

I tried to give him a few meal worms last night, and he spits them out if they are alive. So, I smashed a few of them and he ate them. How much should he be eating in a day? At this point, as much as he wants.

Yesterday he had 5 crickets, a blueberry and a 2 meal worms. He won't eat veggies though... so i feed his veggies to the crickets in hopes that the nutrients end up in Burtle. That's called "gut loading" when you get the crix to eat the nutrients before you feed them to the beardie. He may only be interested in protein at this point to regain the weight, so don't worry too much about him not eating greens at this point. However, get a good calcium suppliment and dust the crickets with it before you feed them to him. He may be in the early stages of Metabolic Bone Disease, but calcium and a good UV source should counteract it.

I'm also trying to get him to be more active and curious. I set him on the couch with me yesterday and he just cuddled in to the corner.That's normal. Beardies just like to hang out with their humans.

Does having the TV on while I'm at work help stimulate him? No.


Anyways, thanks for the advice so far!

nicole

Also, If you haven't already, you might want to take him to a vet to have him checked over and have tests done for internal parasites.

And how do you have the cage set up? What you need to do is put the UV lamp at one end to create a "hot spot", then give him a hide at the other end so if he wants to get away from the heat, he can. That's called thermoregulation, which is what reptiles do since they are cold blooded (exothermic).

Well, the new lamp that I bought is by "Zoo Med". It's 150 watts, and it says its a heat, light, and UVA lamp. Perfect! That's exactly what he needs right now!

Re-read that one...

Originally Posted by Seamus Haley

Re-read that one...

What did I miss Seamus? I'm assuming she's talking about the ZooMed PowerSun 150, which is a mercury vapor bulb that emits UVA, UVB, heat and light.

Originally Posted by monkeywrench133

What did I miss Seamus? I'm assuming she's talking about the ZooMed PowerSun 150, which is a mercury vapor bulb that emits UVA, UVB, heat and light.

Or it could very easily be the zoomed incandescent basking lamps- spot or non.

Since she specifically mentioned the UVA and *not* the UVB- I think the assumption that it's a mercury vapor bulb is a massive leap past the avaliable information.

Well, I looked over the packaging and it doesnt say anything about UVB... so I think its just UVA. As far as him bathing... after about 5 minutes, the water gets cold. Should I keep refreshing the water? And whats the best way to dry him off afterwards? just a normal towel? Also he seems to hold his tail up, sticking the end straight in the air, whenever he is under his lamp. Does that mean anything?

Yes refresh the water, he will need UVB and UVA as far as greens go I have found if you put maybe mealworms in the salad to make it move around they tend to eat it much better, try different greens to see what he will like. He is probley just trying to get use to having heat.