Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok i work at petco and we got some really small hatchlings in...bad i know. one of them only had 3 feet. i felt pretty bad for the little guy and knew he wouldnt sell so i brought him home. i took my beardies cage and devided about a 1/4 off for the guy. but i have never owned a beardie so small so i had some ?'s.

im posative he can take small crickets though i havent actually seen him eat. i have offered many veggies just incase he cant really hunt cuz of his foot. hes really active but he just seems to look pathetic and i dont know if this is normal... hes almost always pretty dark. i have seen him light here and there so i know this is not his normal color. could he be cold? the basking temp is 95 with a low of 82 at night its 78-82. and his eye are almost always closed or half open. whats up with this? this is what makes him look so pathetic. he just looks constantly tired. i looked the other night at work and most the other ones his size are like this too. any ideas or input as to what is wrong are how i can better care for this tiny 3 legged fella?

Try upping the temp to 100-105F. Make sure his 'injury' is healing properly. He is probably very stressed from being moved around (and partially eaten by his siblings). Sometimes covering the sides of his tank with paper will give more security---gradually take the paper down after a few weeks...

If he will not eat crickets on his own, try hand feeding. You can also offer him diluted 'baby food' (Gerber First Foods Chicken or Squash)--use a syringe to place the baby food on the tip of his nose...he should lap it up. Make sure you mist him a few times every day. If he 'goes' then take the fecal sample to a vet--I'd really suggest a vet check anyways....

Several people on this forum have beardies who are missing at least one limb...they all seem to get around just fine.

Good luck on this little guy...please post any other questions and pictures if you can.

DM

actually the wound is completley healed... i believe it happened long before he was shipped to petco. hes a great climber. but does it sound like anything i should really worry about or is this somewhat normal behavior for a young beardie?

Here is what I would do. I would raise his basking temp to 110 F. He should have a dark rock for a basking spot. Make his enclosure very simple. Make sure that you are spraying him 3 times a day and giving him some pedialyte, acicolphiliz, and calcium in a syringe. Make sure to get him started on some probiotics(Acidolphiliz) just a drop in his needless syringe. Lastly I would try and convince your boss to have a group fecal done for the beardies, it shouldn't cost that much. Then you will know what if any parasites this guy has. If your boss says no then I would get one done yourself.
Good luck and I am sure I forgot some things.
Randy
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