Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have just rescued 10 baby bearded dragons from someone and they dont look in too good shape at the moment. A couple of them look a little weak and underfed. I have had them now for a couple of days but they dont seem interested in food. I have given them some chopped greens and some really small crickets dusted in calcium and multi vitamins but they arent really eating them. They had a few yesturday but havent eaten again today. I have just tried spraying them and they dont like that either. Any ideas on how to put some life back into them? Im running out of ideas. I put them under their basking light and they have stayed there and havent moved in ages. They just sit there and when i had a clutch hatch last year of my own they where all lively and alert and ate anything i put in there

Wow! ten baby beardies is quite an undertaking,I applaud you in your attempt to help these little guys. If you could post some pics of these little guys it might be really helpfull. How old are they? And what sort of condition do they appear to be in, other than a little dehydrated?

Lets see...

first of all I would seperate the babies, ideally each one should have their own enclosure, but if you dont have room for that break them into as small groups as possible. This will help minimize stress, agression, transmission of diseases etc. It will also make it easier to monitor food intake, fecal matter and behaviors.

I would soak all of them in warm water for a few minutes a day to increase hydration.

It would be very useful to get some fecals to the vet to see if they have parasites, of course this is hard to do if they arent eating, but as soon as you see some poopie, scoop it up and send it to the vet. If they were all living together its usually safe to say if one has parasites, they all do, and the vet can work with you on the best treatment for that.

Since you just got them it will probably take them awhile to adjust to their new surroundings. Soak them, set them up in their new homes and leave them alone for a few days. This may make all of the difference.

You can also drip some pedialite onto their noses and try to get them to drink it, this will help give them some energy.

For right now i would focus on getting a fecal sample and seperating them into more managable groups....

im sure others will have something to add as well....
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0.1 Bearded dragon
0.1 mexican kingsnake
1.0.2 Leopard Gecko's
0.0.1 Rose Hair Tarantula
1.0 BTS
0.0.1 Reverse Okeetee Corn
0.1 Bullmastiff
4.1 Cats

From my own experience i would say they are no more than 2 - 3 weeks old. They are the size mine were at that age anyway. TINY! Well i have seen some poo but not much as they arent eating and dont look too happy. Anyone else with anything to add would be great. Thanx

What an undertaking--you are indeed to be commended for your concern and efforts! My first guess would be underfeeding in their previous conditions. It can be hard to break the anorexic cycle in babies. I have had the best luck with Parazap and acidophilous drops, along with food supplementation where necessary, to get the appetite back up and make some inroads on parasites if present. Be prepared to be patient and to work at it several times a day. When necessary, I use Parazap solution 2x a day, and acidophilous 2x, for about two weeks straight, then taper off when the appetite improves. Diluted baby foods (chicken and squashes are good, as is a solution of moistened high-quality baby beardie pellets blended up with a little more Pedialyte until they are thickly drippable) or food replacements (check with your vet) can be offered 3-5 times a day. Force feeding is traumatic and usually not necessary if they will lap, but I have had to resort to it in extreme cases.

Make sure the lights are bright bright bright and of course, that there is optimally heated basking area for everybody. Ideally, of course, separate housing is recommended, but with ten, that may be a little difficult! Know any breeders or hobbyists with unused 10 gals and lights for the interim? Do you have a local herp society that could maybe help you out with supplies and/or other foster homes? Feed them separately at least, because you may see that you have one or two dominant feeders that have intimidated the others away from feeding. And of course, as they grow, which they will, you will want to avoid the risks of preying on each other.

Of course, as with any new aquisition, you can't overlook the need to simply acclimate before feeding responses get back to normal. Too much handling can have the unfortunate effect of further decreasing the appetite of already fragile animals--one more thing that can make treating underfed rescues such an enormous challenge. I do have (way too much ) experience at non-feeding rescues. If you would like to talk more, feel free to email me and I'll be happy to share whatever experience and tips I can. Best of luck to you and the babies!