Look at this little face! How could I say no?
Plus he obviously has SEVERE metabolic bone disease.
This morning I met Roscoe's owners halfway between my house and their's-- a 2.5 drive one way for each of us. His bones-- ALL of them-- are 100% rubber. He had no solid bones in his body. :(
I immediately started a triage list in my head of things to deal with. First & foremost was to deal with the growing impaction in his tummy.
I held him most of the way home because that was the only way he would sleep and be calm. That's exactly how Newt, the MBD chameleon, was when I got him. It was so sweet. Roscoe went to sleep in my hand.
Once I got home, I followed my vet's step by step instructions and gave Roscoe an enema (my first beardie enema ever). It was quickly clear that something bigger was going on. Luckily, my awesome vet and his staff let me come over quickly just when they should have been closing.
Roscoe weighed 40 grams before he saw the vet. Dr Folland decided to flush out Roscoe's vent and that's when we discovered the nasties. Oh man, it smelled SO bad!
Roscoe's belly was filled with walnut shell (a commonly sold substrate bedding for bearded dragons). Most of it had been encapsulated by mucus and had formed such a large lump that he never could have pooped it out on his own. Did I mention how BAD it smelled? Like it was rotting in his stomach. Eeewww!
There is still more walnut shell in his belly but the hardened majority is gone. I will watch him to see if his guts can start working normally again to flush the rest out. After we were done, I weighed him again-- 36 grams. He had 4 grams of walnut shell in his belly (10% of his body weight!!)
The second step is to spend the next 2 weeks getting his calcium levels up and re-establish a good level of nutrition. Once his blood calcium level is in range, he will get 2 Calcitonin shots that will help his bones pull calcium back inside.
Then we will deal with the tail rot (probably through an amputation) and some mouth sores.
At least for today, Roscoe is done with the hard stuff. Poor guy is so weak and rubbery that he can't even hold his weight up on his arms. I'll give him Critical Care mixed with homemade Pedialyte later.
OK-- here's my Soap Box:
BABY BEARDED DRAGONS (under a year old) SHOULD NEVER, EVER, EVER BE ON SAND, CALCI-SAND, PLAY SAND, CRUSHED WALNUT SHELL, OR ANY OTHER LOOSE SUBSTRATE. EVER!!!
I don't care what it says on the package-- the company is trying to SELL you a product. Don't buy it. Don't get mad that they tell you it's SAFE. It's their job to make $$$$$ not educate you.
If your bearded dragon is OVER 1 YEAR, you are still taking a BIG risk using any loose substrate. I don't think it's worth the risk. EVER.
Paper towels, newspaper, tile, astroturf, shelf liner, slate-- there are many cheap options for putting at the bottom of your tanks that are easy to clean and will not impact or kill your bearded dragon.
Loose substrate can be just as bad for other reptiles too-- iguanas, geckoes, etc. DO YOUR HOMEWORK/RESEARCH. Don't just buy what the pet store tells you to buy.
OK-- here's my Soap Box:
BABY BEARDED DRAGONS (under a year old) SHOULD NEVER, EVER, EVER BE ON SAND, CALCI-SAND, PLAY SAND, CRUSHED WALNUT SHELL, OR ANY OTHER LOOSE SUBSTRATE. EVER!!!
I don't care what it says on the package-- the company is trying to SELL you a product. Don't buy it. Don't get mad that they tell you it's SAFE. It's their job to make $$$$$ not educate you.
If your bearded dragon is OVER 1 YEAR, you are still taking a BIG risk using any loose substrate. I don't think it's worth the risk. EVER.
Paper towels, newspaper, tile, astroturf, shelf liner, slate-- there are many cheap options for putting at the bottom of your tanks that are easy to clean and will not impact or kill your bearded dragon.
Loose substrate can be just as bad for other reptiles too-- iguanas, geckoes, etc. DO YOUR HOMEWORK/RESEARCH. Don't just buy what the pet store tells you to buy.
