Sadly, it quickly turned into a rescue mission. The 3 year old beardie wasn't anything like what they were told. He was underweight, dehydrated, sickly, and suffering from Metabolic Bone Disease. I told them what I would do had I brought him home. They spent Saturday night giving him Pedialyte baths and calcium.
Yesterday, he took a turn for the worse. His joints stiffened, his beard & tail turned black, and he couldn't keep his eyes open. I had tears in my eyes as I gave them some "last ditch" instructions. Water & warmth were all they could do-- more baths and a nice warm light.
It was too little, too late for this guy. He passed away sometime yesterday evening. I applaud my friends for their valiant efforts to save this guy. In the end, in his final hours, he was loved and taken care of. He left this world with someone caring for him. What a priceless gift that is.
His death was completely & totally avoidable. His sickness and poor health were a result of lazy pet-parenting. Metabolic Bone Disease angers me. There is NO reason that any reptile should suffer from this E.V.E.R. It is a failure of prevention and education. Pet owners by a cute little beardie from the pet store and take it home in the oh-so-inexpensive tank the pet store sells, thinking they know everything to care for him. Pet stores too often fail to educate about the critical need for UVB and pet owners fail to continually educate themselves on how to best take care of their beardies. Education is as simple as a Google search or a book from the library. Beardies are among the easiest reptiles to take care of. They need UVB light, heat, & good food to be healthy.
This failure of education & prevention lands many beardies into rescue. I spend a lot of my time cleaning up the "messes" other people made. Sometimes, regardless what what I do, it is too little, too late.
And that is the dark side of being an animal rescuer.
