View Full Version : Ducky the Rescue Beardie
I work at a local pet supply store, and about three months ago a woman came in complaining about a bearded dragon she had purchased for her son. She had said she didn't want to take care of it anymore and that it hadn't eaten in a while. She mentioned that she "hoped the thing would just die" but that they must be very hardy because it wouldn't, so she bought ten crickets. I offered to take the beardie off of her hands and give it a good home. She shrugged her shoulders and left the store.
On Monday (October 15th) I received a phone call at my work from the same woman asking me if I was still interested in taking the beardie. I said of course and she brought her to me yesterday. When she dropped her off I asked some questions, to which I got no answers other than it hadn't had a heat bulb in some time (instead had a heating pad stuck on the side of the tank), hadn't eaten in a while, and was named 'Bob'.
I gave her an examination, weighed her, tested her vision, etc. and here is what I've found:
- she is not a he named Bob :P
- she is a very sweet girl
- two burns (one on right shoulder, one on left front leg)
- extremely thin (19" long and only 260g)
- signs of MBD (spongy jaw, legs, and spine)
- old stuck on shed
- trouble co-ordinating movements
She now has heat, UV, caloric supplement, liquid calcium, electrolytes, phoenix worms, and veggies. I haven't given her the worms yet as I don't want to over do it. She ate three crickets, a bite of butternut squash with the supplements on it and was full. She's now sleeping after the big meal.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8336/8110361007_966bb47725_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8110361007/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8110361007/) by Shayna Hartley (http://www.flickr.com/people/52861706@N05/), on Flickr
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8185/8110359571_847985510d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8110359571/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8110359571/) by Shayna Hartley (http://www.flickr.com/people/52861706@N05/), on Flickr
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8046/8110371302_2e94c1d653_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8110371302/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8110371302/) by Shayna Hartley (http://www.flickr.com/people/52861706@N05/), on Flickr
I will post more photos as she progresses. Thanks for reading her story. :)
beastul
10-21-12, 04:50 PM
Poor girl :(
Glad she has a good home now! Beardies are so sweet and lovable <3
Lankyrob
10-21-12, 04:53 PM
That bloody woman ahould be locked in a cage and fed barely enough to survive until she dies :(
Just a little update for anyone interested. Ducky ate 6 Phoenix worms today, and has a vet appointment on Wednesday morning.
Here are some photos from her in the bath today.
She acted like she was going to drink the entire container. I had to pull her out.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8044/8114823808_6bd23e9f5a_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8114823808/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8114823808/) by Shayna Hartley (http://www.flickr.com/people/52861706@N05/), on Flickr
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8332/8114821856_651cc6c945_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8114821856/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8114821856/) by Shayna Hartley (http://www.flickr.com/people/52861706@N05/), on Flickr
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8326/8114818312_44b3d77091_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8114818312/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8114818312/) by Shayna Hartley (http://www.flickr.com/people/52861706@N05/), on Flickr
Eyes are a little brighter. :)
Kavyrie
10-22-12, 08:32 PM
lol I always find it funny the way they drink. Beautiful beardie, glad she finally ended up in a good home
lol I always find it funny the way they drink. Beautiful beardie, glad she finally ended up in a good home
Lol, I've never seen it till now! It is cool! Poor thing, looks a bit emaciated. I'm glad it's in your care where it will get what it needs/deserves.
- h3
Zoo Nanny
10-23-12, 06:34 AM
That poor girl, thank heavens she ended up with you. I look forward to additional pics of her as she regains her health and weight!
Terranaut
10-23-12, 09:21 AM
Glad you got her. She is in good hands now. People suck!!
We just got back from Ducky's appointment and everything I suspected was true. She is obviously malnourished and has early stages of MBD, but other than that got a clean bill of health. She weighed in at 280g so she has gained 20g in the past few days. He dewormed her for me for free and said to come back in two weeks for another check up and deworming at no charge. :)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8055/8119212149_e37cac7a88_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8119212149/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8119212149/) by Shayna Hartley (http://www.flickr.com/people/52861706@N05/), on Flickr
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8047/8126459937_cf66a36b70_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8126459937/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8126459937/) by Shayna Hartley (http://www.flickr.com/people/52861706@N05/), on Flickr
Ducky went to the bathroom twice yesterday, it was undigested mealworms from her previous owners. Today she ate 10 phoenix worms, greens, 4 crickets, and 5cc of pureed green beans/blueberries mixed with her caloric supplement. She really took a liking to the slurry. :)
EmbraceCalamity
10-26-12, 08:08 PM
That poor thing. It's so good to see an animal that's suffered actually end up with someone who will care for them properly, as too often that doesn't happen. That bloody woman ahould be locked in a cage and fed barely enough to survive until she dies :(I like this idea! Let's do ett!
~Maggot
It has been a week since Ducky came to us and she is doing so well! She has gone to the bathroom three times and is flushing out all of the yucky stuff she had in her stomach from her previous owners. Her weigh in today was a surprising 290g! She has gained 30 grams since last Saturday. :)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8043/8129001210_591edafbd0_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8129001210/)
DSC_1733 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8129001210/) by Shayna Hartley (http://www.flickr.com/people/52861706@N05/), on Flickr
YAY GO DUCKY GO!!!! super happy shes doing so much better!
Terranaut
10-28-12, 04:42 AM
That's awesome. Great work!!
Kavyrie
10-28-12, 05:47 AM
I'm glad to hear she is doing better! She is so cute.
Beardies look so intelligent. She seems to be doing great in your care. I'm glad she lucked out, so many don't. I hope she continues to improve!
Pareeeee
10-30-12, 07:30 AM
Good for you. Glad the poor little thing found you! She seems to be in very good hands. :) What an idiot owner 'hoping' it would die!
The pics of her make me sad though, that's what my beardie looked like before I had to put her down. She was so ill...I couldn't let it go any longer as she was not getting better no matter what I tried. I miss her, she was such a sweetie.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8331/8140189107_1615fcc7c2_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8140189107/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8140189107/) by Shayna Hartley (http://www.flickr.com/people/52861706@N05/), on Flickr
Here she is 10 days later. More alert, stronger, and brighter in colour. We still have a long way to go, but she is doing fantastic so far! She weighed in at 275g today. I assume the weight I got on her before was mostly water weight. She is still eating about 10 phoenix worms a day, along with squash and greens, and a few crickets for her to chase for exercise. :)
Platinumxero
10-30-12, 08:13 PM
I absolutely love what you're doing for this cute little girl! Makes me smile to see you spoiling her after she was neglected so badly. :) Keep up the great work!
alessia55
10-30-12, 09:06 PM
Wow, poor sweet Ducky :( I'm so glad you're giving her the care she desperately needs. Major kudos to you. She already looks more... ALIVE. Keep posting updates!!
Two weeks later and weighing in at 284g. She has a bit of a belly now. She's getting fast chasing crickets around, but her movements are very stiff. Second vet appointment is coming up on Wednesday so I will post another update then. Still lots of work to do with this little girl but she is doing great so far!
Pareeeee
11-05-12, 08:41 AM
Great progress! Glad she's still gaining :)
Zoo Nanny
11-05-12, 10:30 AM
It's nice to see her doing so well with you.
rmfsnakes32
11-05-12, 10:59 AM
Very nice glad she is making such good improvements
Just got back from Ducky's appointment and the vet said she is doing great! She is now 290g and he said that I can up her rations. He told me to keep doing what I'm doing and she will be a chubby little girl in no time. :)
Lankyrob
11-07-12, 11:35 AM
Great to hear of a rescue working out well - kudos to you :)
rochkan
11-19-12, 01:34 PM
Wow, this is just awesome to read!
You're doing a great job with little Ducky!
Faith in humanity: Restored!
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8490/8212861830_e3d2500ecb.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8212861830/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8212861830/) by Shayna Hartley (http://www.flickr.com/people/52861706@N05/), on Flickr
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8209/8212856542_4a1e524ef5.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8212856542/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8212856542/) by Shayna Hartley (http://www.flickr.com/people/52861706@N05/), on Flickr
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8482/8211771113_0da629e4c6.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8211771113/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8211771113/) by Shayna Hartley (http://www.flickr.com/people/52861706@N05/), on Flickr
One month later and here she is! From 260g to 339g in 31 days. She is doing fantastic and eating like a monster. I am still rationing her food so she doesn't get bloated but she seems to be most keen on wax worms and hornworms. :)
You can really see how much her colours have changed over the past month.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8061/8213086536_2704f3f9bb_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8213086536/)
collage (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52861706@N05/8213086536/) by Shayna Hartley (http://www.flickr.com/people/52861706@N05/), on Flickr
Little Wise Owl
11-23-12, 11:42 PM
She's looking awesome now :) Great job
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