Reptile & Amphibian Forums

listen to how dumb i am like seriously i hate myself right now. I've had a bearded dragon for almost two year, and i have possible been taken worse than anyone has been taken. My uncle for my birthday wanted to buy me one so we went to this pet store up in north east Philadelphia and my uncle was saying like how this guys knows so much about reptiles and all this stuff and i admitt he put on a good show i bit hook line and sinker for this guy. So we got a baby bearded dragon and like got the set up this guy told us to get, he sold us some bullcrap light that he said that gave off both heat and uva and uvb and told us to buy play sand and get few tree branches and feed him crickets and lettuce and all this good stuff so i was like alright i got this down i think i know stuff about bearded dragons, cause i really tried to before we got him i went online i read books i thought i new everything you needed to know for these guys. So today i took my bearded dragon to the vet i got put in my place sooooo bad, i had never taken him to the vet before in my life witch was just stupid on my part but today i found out my poor guy has pin worms, he hasn't gottne any uvb which helps digest all his food and make him healthy, he is too small and too skinny, hes basically malnuriest, he only weighed 294 grams for a 2 year old dragon, that he might have been sexed wrong, that his diet has sucked he shouldn't be give crickets ever anymore that he should be on all healthy leafy greens, and i just feel like such a jerk cause its like i thought i knew exactly what i was doing like i loved him to death and to find out hes been suffering for so long makes me feel like such an idiot cause its like i'm the one thats been hurting him and it just kills, but anyway hes gonna be at the vet for the next 2 weeks, and there gonna try and get him on the right track again but its just so rediculous how dumb i am i hate myself.

the fact that he said he shouldnt be eating crickets at all anymore and should be on a diet souly consisiting of greens is completely wrong, he still needs a protein source wether that be a pelleted diet or live feeders, an adults diet should be 80%greens and 20%animal protein. Did you take him to a reputable reptile vet? also the fact that he has pinworms is not at all uncommon with these guys, even the healthiest of dragons can get parasites and need treatment. Given maybe you didnt give the proper care, but now all there is to do is learn all that you can so when you have him at your home you can provide the best care possible for him. look here and start reading

www.beautifuldragons.com

there are tons of caresheets on the net just type bearded dragon caresheet in your search engine, then read as many as you can and compare information, come back and ask questions.

Im sorry that your dragon isnt very well, it isnt uncommon for people to keep animals and not know how to care for them properly, its a shame in the first place that the people selling them dont know about their care and they pass on their ignorance to others that they sell the animals to. Its great that you are coming here and asking questions, lotsa people here that are more then happy to help
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reiko
photos

ago and even today, many of the sites and books have poor information on them for the care of dragons. Most pet stores give out misinformation that is deadly.

Here is a site with a nice outline of things to care for a bearded dragon and many novice will follow it..... and kill their dragons... if you don;t want to read it, it tells you amoung all the good information.... to keep the basking area at 120 degrees F....... If someone reading this followed it, they would at best have a bearded dragon with kidney damage or stoke/brain damage, and at worst most likely dead within an hour.

How to care and kill your dragon

This is another example of the poor advice available on website and books to owners and as often happens, this one has the names of Vets and others to make it appear credible. I serious doubt that any knowledgable Vet or expert on bearded dragons said that or endorses it and I can guarantee none did it and advising others too..... the results would be deadly.

Matter of fact, and I will quote another very knowledgable person I personally know who does raise bearded dragons and has for many years:

Re: Bearded Dragons:

"Studies showing that 113° ambient air temps proving fatal to more than 50% of the adult test subjects in a 1 hour period, while others suffered neurological problems from over heating and had to be put down"

Don't beat yourself up over this with your dragon, at least you did find out now and are taking the steps to change it. I had eight dragons come in this month with exactly the same problems, those even weight less than yours at the same age( 135 grams and 150 grams and, 1 year old and 7 months old. Grimdog on here has two of those now we sent to him.

We have got all of them to increase in weight 60% to 100% in a month, so it is possible to turn them around and get them to where they should be. Your are doing what is best for yours now..... althought I do not agree with not feeding them any crickets ever again.

First on the vet issue. I think he isn't that knowledgeable in herp care. Dragons eat crickets all their lives. Less as adults but never none. Lots of Dragons have pinworms. Some dragons, especially girls, may only reach 300 grams. I think 300-700 grams is the norm. With 450-500 being average. If the dragon looks skinny for its body size there is an issue. We all make mistakes in our infancy of keeping herps. We can't know everything. Don't beat yourself up over it. Lots of people do a ton worse.

Onto the update of the dragons that i got from Cheri, a couple of weeks ago. They are both doing well. The bigger one that is about 1 year old, came in weighing 50 grams pretty sad. It was just a little bit bigger than my 3 month olds. Since I have had her she has gone up to 75 grams. She eats very well. The little girl that was 7 months old and came in weighing 17 grams is standing pat. She eats crickets and veggies. She just doesn't want to grow. Maybe she will snap out of it. Maybe not. She is the size of my 3 month olds. She doesn't look skinny for her body length. Don't know. Will post periodic updates. Things have just been a little hectic around here. Thanks again Cheri.
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Derek Affonce
DeKeAff Exotics
dekeaffexotics.com

plus my own 7 was a bit hectic!

The one that came in weighing 50 grams was to you was 22 grams when she arrived to me on July 1, 2003 and the other that weighed 15 when she arrived to you was 5 grams when she came in on June 29, 2003.... so they already had doubled or tripled their weight before I sent them to you!!!!

One that came in I almost cried when I put on the scales, at 7 months old it did not move the scales!!!!! Now she weights 16 grams and is eating really well.

Rememeber all the pictures I sent you? The one called HK_2yr is gravid, we just noticed a few days ago and I am so worried about her being able to lay the eggs and survive, she has gained almost 100grams in the month I have had her, from 170 grams to 275grams but she sure did not need eggs! I will freeze the eggs, she was on Albon and panacur the first two weeks here and I would be too afraid the offsping would have problems.

We know the previous owner had her and the other one HK_2yr who was a male together before we got her and so they are probably fertile, I am just too concerned they would have problems also.

Wow ouch that could be bad. Yeah special need dragons are alot of work. Those two are doing very well. I need to build a new rack. I am up to 15 dragons with those two. I plan to keep one or two that I breed this year. This winter I plan to sell/give away a boy or two. I have too many boys. I plan to scale back my collection, but the first few dragons and the old girl I bought last year are untouchable. But some of the others that I bought to beed will leave. I am getting too many animals. I used to not believe people that had 30 animals, now that person is me.
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Derek Affonce
DeKeAff Exotics
dekeaffexotics.com

The 15 dragons are not all we have, we also have gecko's and russian dwarf hamsters, plus all week I have been babysitting a gravid Jackson Chameleon, a Veiled Chameleon and Flap Necked Chameleon and his Fattail geckos and leopard geckos for the owner of Neodesha Cages while he was in Kansas...... feeding and cleaning was taking me 3 hours at night alone besides the one hour for salads each morning!!

Thank God he found someone else to take care of the cobra's.... I really did NOT want to do that!

Yeah besides the dragons and their babies (of which I have about 50) I have tortoises, an iguana, frogs all of these get same food as the dragons (plus or minus some parts obviously). Then I have my snake collection that is approaching the size of my dragon collection. But snakes are easier. You check cages daily, clean and fill water as necesary. But feeding the snakes takes some time on saturday night. Especially as how i like to use frozen thawed. It is funny when your friends ask what you did saturday night, and you reply "oh I fed all my snakes"
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Derek Affonce
DeKeAff Exotics
dekeaffexotics.com

Whoa there... This is one of the most common stories in the world. You are definatly NOT the first to be given wrong info at a pet store. Just learn your lesson and move on. Since you care about your dragon what you need to do now is read!. I suggest The Bearded Dragon Manual by Philippe De Vosjoli and Robert Mailloux. They sell it at petco sometimes, but you can order it from amazon.com Here is the link to it USED on amazon. If you want it new it is 14.99.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/offering/list/-/1882770595/all/ref=dp_bb_a/103-9043036-2779830

What your vet told you is wrong. You should not take your dragon off of crickets. Even as adults dragons need crickets to grow. YOu do need a proper light. Make sure it has UVB, preferrably 7% UVB. Get RepCal Calcium powder with Vit. D3.

Does your dragon eat? Or is he sick? If he is eating for you there is really no reason to leave him at the vet. You vet can give him a calcium boost and send you home with him. With proper care he would be fine....as long as he is eating.
My dragons! Come see them.

Oh yeah... go here to read about dragons until you get the dragon manual.

http://www.dachiu.com/care/abeard.html
This is SUCH A GREAT SITE. Everyone SHOULD go here!

http://pub4.bravenet.com/faq/show.php?usernum=281553010&catid=778
This is the a FAQ that has some more specific, less care oriented questions..like Do male dragons wave? Can I keep dragons in groups? Should I offer my dragon a water bowl?

http://www.biology.lsa.umich.edu/research/labs/ktosney/file/BDcare.html
Another good care site! Even has a section to help you name you dragon.
My Dragons....Still here

My first bearded dragon died of MBD when he was only a year old. I had no idea what was wrong with him. He was getting UVB and some calcium - but it just wasn't enough. I didn't pick up on the signs (twitching) and didn't get him to the vet until it was too late. He had massive seizures and kidney failure and died in my arms only an hour after he started seizing. You are very lucky to have figured out what you were doing wrong and have the ability to fix it before it gets out of hand. Don't beat yourself up over this. It could be a lot worse...

Congratulations on taking the first step for a better life for you AND your dragon!

Veronica

RIP Egor... Aug. 2001 - Aug. 2002

Beautiful Dragons

I know of a store in Northeast Philly, but i've never been in it. However, i've always heard it's a good store. I don't know if I can say the name of the store, so i'll just say it this way. Is the store radical?

yeah well if were not saying the name saying its radical is deffinatly right its radicla and it sells reptiles, and i thought it was a good store till the owner dooped me

I know of a store in Northeast Philly, but i've never been in it. However, i've always heard it's a good store. I don't know if I can say the name of the store, so i'll just say it this way. Is the store radical?