Reptile & Amphibian Forums

When i had purchased my frilled dragon i was told he was CB but when he was delivered to me (at the pet store i work at) they told me that the one i had ordered somehow was not available and offered me another one and when i looked at him he was in such terrible condition(He had folds in the skin, pieces of unshed skin and TONS OF MITES! after much time and patience he has gotten rid of most of the unshed skin and ALL of the parasites and mites are gone.) and i was told he was one of the imported frilled dragons. Me being such an animal lover i felt bad for him and took him and have been trying to get him back to good health. He has a very large tank even tho its temporary until i can build him his 6ft x 3ft x 2 ft enclosure. He has all the neccessary lights (UVB and heat) temps are correct and i have the calcium and multivitamins and such. He eats fairly well but not as well as he should be and he is very skinny but i just dont know how to fatten him up...hes a sweetheart and is very lively and drinks like crazy! If anyone has suggestions on how to fatten him up it would be appreciated.

Here are some pictures of him:

I'm not sure what you're feeding him right now, but if you want to fatten him up, try superworms (king worms). They have a higher fat content than crickets and mine really go for them. Feed him those maybe every three days and use crickets the rest of the time. Also try electrolyte/appetite stimulant as this could help for dehydration as well as appetite. Good luck.

i do feed him the super worms but he just doesnt seem to gain weight...as far as dehydration goes, i doubt thats a problem because he constantly soaks and drinks in his watter dish which is more like a pool than anything else...thanx for the tips

Ive noticed that with my own frillie she will eat maybe... 8 crickets in one feeding once per day, but if i seperate the feedings she will eat about 3 sets of 5 crickets totaling 15 a day. Try to offer smaller meals a multiple times a day, Im sure he will endup eating more because his stomach can only fit so much at one time. This story of yours is really nice to hear, Im glad your doing this and the frilled is lucky to be in your hands or he probably would have died. I commend you on that and I wish you the best of luck. Hopefully it was just bad treatment before and not some sort of disease so that he can fully recover.

GOOD LUCK!

Its hard, but in the future I would avoid buying an imported, clearly unhealthy animal. All it does is support the practice, and encourage more cruelty.

Have you done a fecal check on him

no im goin to get one done next week...i have a feeling he has some sort of parasites

I would definetly get the fecal done. Until then be sure to keep that water clean and constantly available.

I've been given a few imports that's been in real bad shape. Most often, nothing is more important than proper hydration. From the sounds of the shed and skinfolds, your little buddy sounded pretty dehydrated. Just keep a bowl he can soak in available with clean water at all times, and mist him twice a day. I've had a few that won't drink out of a bowl at first. If you can easily get wax worms, my little frillies really seemed to like them, and they're usually a staple in my "frilled nursing".

Judging from your pictures, your little one seems to have some attitude to him though, and that's always a good sign.

i got the fecal done...he seems to have some parasites but not as bad as i thought..hes being treated now and his dehydration is somethin im still workin on...i make him drink from an eyedropper or a medicine cup and i bathe him every day for 30-45 min...its a chore but hes doin much better...heres some pictures today of his encounter with my cat pookie