Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi there , I am new to the Bearded Dragon forums but I share my Bearded Dragon Edgars story .
I first saw Edgar at a local pet shop , he was in a ten gallon aquarium with another beardie and no heat source . The substrate was filthy and they were feeding them cabbage . I asked to see him as I noticed he looked in pretty rough shape , but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw . He had three of his feet torn apart . The wounds were packed full of sand , full of infection and turning black . He was extremly week and thin .He looked to be full grown , he is around 11.5 inches that is without a tail . He was so cold it was like holding an ice cube . I felt so bad for him , but I knew if I bought him I would only be supporting the pet store and sale of unhealthy herps . I went home and all I could think about was that poor little beardie . The next day I went back to the pet shop and threatend to report then to the SPCA , so they gave him to me . I took hin to the Vet right away he was put on very powerful antibiotics and treated for internal parisites . He had to be bathed and have his wounds cleaned three times a day and have his meds twice a day . He had to fully lose his one front foot . We almost lost him a couple times .
Today Edgar is healthy and happy . He lives in a big aquarium with everything he could ever want or need . He is spoiled rotten and has me trained very well .The Vet that treated him was great , she charged me the lowest price she could and gave me all the medications at cost . The pet store recieved several complaints by members of the reptile community and rescues in our area and has improved there reptile department greatly .

Well sorry for the long post , but I thought I whould share Edgars story with you all . Thanks.

Thanks so much for your heartrending story, but most of all for rescuing Edgar. I'm sitting here with my little beardie on my shoulder, his name is Rishi, and he is also a pet store 'rescue'. I have rescued several leopard geckos as well from a local store, and in the process visited the store's website to report my concerns about the conditions under which the lizards were being kept for sale. These types of correspondences REALLY WORK. I know many people say not to buy pets from these stores, but I believe that my purchasing animals there, and writing to the store as a concerned customer made a difference in this particular store. I approached them in a friendly way, not laying blame on them or on any employees, and appealed to their reputation in the community as caring animal advocates rather than just a "retail pet outlet". Since these letters were written over a year ago, the conditions have greatly improved, and the expertise of the employees has definitely improved. Many of the employees there actually own reptiles themselves and have given me some very sound advice and information whenever I ask. Sorry for the long post, but I just wanted to say, don't give up on trying to educate! There really are people in these stores who care and want to do the right thing, and if the customer base advocates, it really does make a difference.
Peace and Love in the New Year to You and Yours

"These types of correspondences REALLY WORK"

- Thank you! My wife works at a pet store chain and it is so refreshing to hear a comment like that! Most of these places really don't want to mistreat the animals, they just don't know any better. Not saying it is right or that they are not responsible for making sure that the proper care is given, they just get so many different types in they can begin to look at it as they do other animals- hamster, gerbil, and guinea pig care and caging is basicly the same; as are fish (yes I know salt vs. fresh and temp differences, etc); as are dog and cat care... so why should they think it is different for reptiles (generally speaking)?
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Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Rescued Ball Python - Apep
0-1-0 Rescued Mountain Horned Dragon - Ki
0-0-1 Rescued Aggressive Bearded Dragon - Zeus
0-0-1 Rescued Non-Alpha Green Iguana - Bud
1-1-0 Rescued Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet
0-0-1 Rescued Dieting Panda Hamster - Mr. Fluffy
0-1-0 Rescued Little Angelic Kitten - Isis
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids