Rocky the rescue

[LunaLupus]

Long story short:

At work I was discussing the bearded dragon that my daughter was getting (Big Ang in my intro post), and a co-worker overheard. Apparently her sister had a bearded dragon running around in the field behind her house. They managed to catch it, and were looking for someone to take it. I can't say no to a reptile, so I said we would take it in and do our best with it.

Last night we met near the WI border and picked up Rocky (Balboa). I'm thinking it is a male because of the size of its head. I haven't sexed it yet, because I don't care, and I don't want to stress him out more than he already is.

I looked him over last night and here is what I found; the first digit of his eight front 'fingers' is missing, two large scabs/wounds under his chin, ~two dozen scales/spines missing from various spots on his body, several shallow scrapes on the top of his head, no fat reserves in his tail, and he's about half the weight he should be.

Now, onto the positives; he has been very active today to the point where he actively went after me when I was transferring him to his enclosure, he defecated, doesn't appear to have mites (checked eyes, nose, vent, chin), and he did eat some turnip greens and some thawed corn (yes I know corn isn't the best, but it is a good way to get water into him).

He is currently in quarantine just in case he has any illness. I have one picture that I took with my cell phone this morning. I'll try to take some better pics tomorrow. If anyone has any advice or suggestions they will be greatly appreciated. We've done one other beardie 'rescue', but he was just being dumped, not living in the wild for months. Also, if anyone has any tips on how to calm him down and get him used to being handled I would love to hear it. My goal is to NOT get bitten by any of my herps. lol

Enough talking, here's Rocky!!!!

 

[Noella]

Poor baby! I feel so bad for the dragon. Well, at least he/she has you to 'tame' him/her. Have a vet check his 'poop' out to make sure there's no parasites and worms in him/her. Trust takes a little while to build with him/her. Good luck. The only thing I can think of is to wait until he/she's used to his/her surroundings and talk to him/her.

 

[Aleena]

Make sure you give Rocky a nice warm soak (about 15 minutes) to get some water into him as well, it's really the best way. Poor guy will need to get cleaned off of any possible bacteria and other things it could have on it besides mites. Good luck! Rocky is such a lucky dragon to have been given a home with you.

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

@LunaLupus...First let me qualify upfront that I am no expert when it comes to "taming" wild animals but I've had a great deal of experience with a wide variety of them both wild and domesticated. You said that you have done rescues before so there is no need in me explaining to you about that since you dont know exactly what this lil guys history has been that fact alone makes things not necessarily harder but more challenging from the getgo.
I think that in this case however bearded dragons generally having a predisposition of tolerance to human contact is going to work in your favor. It's simply a matter of patience and getting this lil guy to not see you as a potential predator. He has had an experience no doubt that most dragons in this country never experience and so it only makes sense that he would lash out at everything.
What I would do is basically the same I would do with any new "family" member.
Tend to his basics.
Set him up in the proper size enclosure with the correct lighting and heat that he needs.
Keep his enclosure furnishings simple and limited to a basking spot, food bowl and a cool side retreat hide. Simplicity equals less stress.
Get him on a regular feeding schedule.
And then I would try not to handle him period unless absolutely necessary for the first couple of weeks at least and if necessary try to make the handling as quickly over with as possible.
The purpose of that is to try and let him get acclimated to his new world.
If possible I would try and limit the amount of people he comes in contact with and preferably have just one person tend to his needs such as feeding or cleaning his house etc. Limiting the amount of people coming into look at him or trying to handle him and even limiting the number of loud voices he hears near him will make it easier for you or the person tending him to gain his trust and will help him see that he doesnt need to be on guard at all times as he probably feels now.
You said that you have him in a quarantine now which is the perfect opportunity to do all this.
I've worked with Zoo animals in the past and this is generally how they handle new animals. Assigning a sole keeper to the animal that is responsible for them and their needs through their acclimation period.
Once Rocky identifies that person as a "safe creature" he will chill out and it will be easier then when it comes time to introduce him to new people because he will have had a calm and safe experience with one human so he will likely not flip out as easily when the next one appears.
I hope that this is of some help to you and I have to say that I am envious of the adventure you have the opportunity at taking with Rocky.Its truly a rare one and I am sure will be rewarding for you both.
Patience will be the absolute key...I tell that to all new reptile owners but in this case it applies trifold;-)
Keep the updates coming and I look forward to watching your progress and Rocky's!
Enjoy your day in the morrow...it will be a good one;-)

 

[LunaLupus]

Thank you Mungi! None of your suggestions will be hard to do. He's currently in the master bedroom, so he'll only be seeing my husband and myself. I will make sure to handle all his care myself until he settles in. He's in a 40g breeder with a hide, basking spot and a water dish that he has already been drinking out of. I will make sure his feeding schedule is as regular as possible.

Aleena, thank you! I soaked him a bit last night, and will probably do it regularly. He looks like he wants to shed, but is very dehydrated, so the extra water should help him a bit.

I honestly don't know how he survived in the wilderness for that long. In the area where he was found there were cats, dogs, coyotes, wolves, raccoons....in other words, lots of predators. At least I know he's a smart little bugger. lol

 

[Aleena]

He's a survivor. That's a good trait in a dragon!

 

[Chris Baez Jr.]

A Marine Bearded Dragon, neat...

 

[LunaLupus]

Here's a question....I know you normally limit mealworms due to their fat content, but would guys agree that this dude needs to add some fat? I was also wondering your views on pinky mice for a beardie in this shape. Thanks!

 

[Germ]

Personally, I would give it a few pinkies a week for a couple weeks to help bulk it up, as many would for a female after laying. Mealworms & superworms may be hard on it's stomach if it is tender at all, as they are a bit harder to digest. I would stick with an abundance of crickets or roaches & as has been suggested, warm soaks to aid in hydration. It is always a good plan to raise the temps a bit higher than normal for an ailing BD, seems to help the healing process.

 

[LunaLupus]

Well, he got crickets today. And he definitely knows what bugs are! lol He managed to grab and gulp three at one go. I did watch to make sure he got them down alright. I also picked up some pinky mice that I will try on him tomorrow. I figure the slow and steady method is the better one when it comes to introducing him to foods. I have no idea what he's been eating, so it's all trial and error. lol

Here's another crappy cell phone pic.

 

[Germ]

You will have him 'Beardie Smilin' in no time. Once again, great thing you are doing.

 

[Aleena]

I'd watch the humidity in the Viv though! Try to mist outside of the enclosure when you do.
Glad you've got your little one eating. That is way awesome!

 

[LunaLupus]

Germ, it's nothing special. It's something that needs to be done. I just happened to be the one available to do it.

Aleena, I know they are desert creatures, but I've been reading articles on them that show as long as they are kept warm they don't have any ill effects. When I do spritz him, it is on the hot side of his tank, and it evaporates fairly quickly. Right now my main concern is him developing a RI, so I'm keeping him a bit warmer. I also figure it is better to have him get the humidity in short/small amounts, then to stress him out by picking him up twice a day just so I can spritz him.

 

[Germ]

Personally I wouldn't mist him & stick with every other day warm soaks.

 

[LunaLupus]

Personally I wouldn't mist him & stick with every other day warm soaks.

The warm soak was an interesting experience tonight. He reacted fine to me reaching into his tank. Let me pick him up with no issues. I put him in the tub to soak and he was NOT happy! lol He puffed up, went after my hand, and generally made his dislike known. After a few minutes he stopped hissing, and just sat there. When I went to pick him up, he went for my hand. I actually used a towel, to keep his stress down, and me injury free. Once he was wrapped in the towel he was perfectly mellow and calm again. When I went to put him in his enclosure he tried for my hand again. Can beardies be bi-polar? lol

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

@LunaLupus....been my experience that even the most docile animals can have their psycho moments...lol...Our Mungi has begun his brumation naps..I interrupted his snooze this afternoon for his bath and immediately got the Evil-Very-Unhappy-You-Made-A-Big-Mistake-Messin-With-This- Dragon-Buster treatment...snarl snap tail whip and to accentuate his point he hooked a claw in me and politely extracted a sliver of flesh from me...lol...Even the easiest ones have their moments for sure

 

[Aleena]

It also takes about a week for acclimation. Give the lil guy some time. Also, mine started enjoying their baths much better when I got the water warmer. The water should be at basking temps.

 

[LunaLupus]

@Aleena, thanks! I think the problem was the tub itself. It's a cast-iron one, and I think it didn't warm up enough. Next time Rocky gets to soak after my daughter has warmed up the tub with her bath. lol

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

Makes perfect sense to me...I tend to be grumpy too when my behind hits a cold tub..lol

 

[Sunkiss]

I think it is great that you are getting to care for this lil guy.