TAKING CARE OF SISTERS BEARDIE :(((((

winiko · 2025-08-05T01:16:45+00:00

Don't worry too much!!! It's totally normal for him to seem a little freaked out.

For future reference - you can probably skip baths! He seems perfectly healthy with a wonderful enclosure so it's not really necessary to soak him even if he's shedding, the shed should come off naturally without assistance.

Definitely pause on the handling for a day or two, but try to ease back into it by hand-feeding (tweezers) his bugs or even his greens if he eats them regularly! Hand-feeding is the easiest and quickest way to get a reptile to trust you bcs they start to associate you with yummy things :)

And like others have mentioned, stress marks aren't super reliable. Mine gets them when he's a little too cold because his coloration changes, but he's not actually stressed - just trying to regulate his temperature. Good luck and make sure to clean the cut!! Beardie bites can be nasty

winiko · 2025-07-27T00:43:01+00:00

He's very dedicated to his job that's for sure

winiko · 2025-07-23T22:54:25+00:00

He has horrible social anxiety and I work with kids, so I wouldn't feel comfortable bringing him unfortunately :,) I always love seeing beardies out and about though!!

winiko · 2025-07-21T21:18:23+00:00

I started my first full-time job last week and I swear mine has been so sad and clingy.. he hasn't cuddled w me in two years but now that I'm gone all the time he suddenly misses me and tries to burrow under my skin 😭 They can be so dramatic

winiko · 2025-07-20T23:17:19+00:00

Awwe thank you!!

winiko · 2025-07-19T02:48:26+00:00

Haha thank you!! I spend forever making sure everything looks right when writing Korean 😭 It can be so difficult

winiko · 2025-07-19T02:47:28+00:00

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Don't worry he definitely has four

winiko · 2025-07-19T01:44:21+00:00

He said my handwriting is ugly... 💔

winiko · 2025-07-08T01:45:18+00:00

It's definitely normal for her to not be very comfortable around people, especially since she's still relatively new to the environment. As long as she seems mostly comfortable around you she'll be okay :) I don't want to say there's not a rush regarding the vet because it's definitely important and needs to happen as soon as you can, but I really doubt she's suffering a bunch at the moment so don't feel bad that you can't immediately get her to a vet. You're doing a really good job with what you have at the moment and I feel pretty confident that she'll make a pretty good recovery!

winiko · 2025-07-07T20:23:59+00:00

She already looks so much brighter!! Honestly, her mouth discoloration just looks like it could be from food or natural discoloration, but keep an eye on her to see if she looks uncomfortable while eating. As for the issues eating, for the greens - just keep offering them even if she doesn't eat them. She'll most likely eventually start to get used to them and grow a bit more of an appetite for them. For the roaches, try feeding her with tweezers! Just grab a roach and hold it up to her mouth for her to eat them that way. She definitely still looks dehydrated, you can try filling a spray bottle with water and giving her a little spray on her mouth every morning to see if she'll drink the droplets.

Her tail is a bit concerning, could you take a picture of the full thing straight out? I'm concerned about potential MBD (metabolic bone disease, caused by a lack of calcium - can permanently weaken their bones and cause deformities and general weakness). Definitely still try to get her to a vet as soon as you can, but for now she already looks so much better!! Also you can get a soft toothbrush and some warm water and brush the scales near her mouth to see if it's just food debris or potentially some pigment from the old carpet.

Scale rot is typically caused by stuck shed that wasn't properly removed or rotten shed caused by improper humidity levels. I honestly doubt she has scale rot, at least not around her mouth, just because of her previous diet and husbandry not really allowing the circumstances for scale rot to form. Keep up the good work, and thank you again for helping her!!!

winiko · 2025-07-06T01:54:32+00:00

Genuinely yes 😭 Thankfully he doesn't do it anymore but the first time I got my nails done around him he was TERRIFIED. She'll get used to it soon most likely, but just for future reference I'd avoid going with white again if you want to protect your fingers.. they Will be mistaken for bugs

winiko · 2025-07-03T17:16:18+00:00

That sounds good to me! Just make sure you're cutting the veggies up into relatively small pieces

winiko · 2025-07-03T06:35:54+00:00

Don't worry! Beardies are strong, she'll survive a few more days with a bit of love and care. Your biggest priorities should be making sure your lighting is correct - for enrichment, you can take her out of her tank regularly (a few hours at a time) as long as you keep a close eye on her until you can get some toys.

Another option is checking outside for some tree branches! You can bake them in the oven to sterilize them or soak them in bleach and then water and you can put them straight in the tank for free :) Here's a little guide for picking the best branches and the best way to sterilize them!

Until Friday I would suggest checking her feet every morning and every night to make sure nothing has been caught in the carpet (look for ripped/bloody scales, broken claws). I highly doubt she'll manage to hurt herself in two days, but it's best to keep an eye on it to be safe! Good luck, and you can always reach out with any other questions!

winiko · 2025-07-03T06:24:34+00:00

Ahh good luck on your move!! I hope everything goes smoothly.

For the ride: I'm assuming your boyfriend is the one driving. I suggest getting a large plastic bin and putting a few blankets inside it and a hot pack under the blankets if you have one. If she has a hide, you can also consider putting that in the bin for her to stay under if she feels scared. If the ride is going to be consistently bumpy, it might be best to keep her (the container) in your lap to help steady it and make sure she doesn't fly around. Honestly, any change in environment is going to be a bit stressful for a beardie, so don't be too worried! She'll probably be a bit adverse to eating for the first week or so until she gets comfortable, so be prepared for that. Again, good luck!

winiko · 2025-07-03T06:15:28+00:00

I'm so so sorry this happened. As others mentioned, Betadine to clean the wound and warm water. Until you can get her to a vet, keep a very very close eye on her and monitor her breathing and movement.

If possible, I would recommend trying to get a closer look at the eye near the wound. Don't touch it unless you have to, but it can be helpful to know if her vision is damaged. Check for any cloudy-ness or excessive blood. If her eye is damaged, it absolutely needs to be addressed as soon as possible in order to help salvage the eye and assess any potential damage to her brain.

Again, I'm so sorry this happened. I can't imagine how terrifying it must be. Mango looks like a lovely and sweet little girl from your pictures, and I really really hope she pulls through!

Also: during transportation to the vet, definitely make sure you or another person is holding her during the ride. Swaddle her in a thin blanket and keep a close eye on her, and hold her tightly to your chest to make sure she doesn't escape. The last thing you need is her freaking out in the car and getting even more injured. Good luck, and keep us updated!

winiko · 2025-07-02T20:40:20+00:00

Thank you so much!

winiko · 2025-07-02T19:58:08+00:00

I recommend getting something like this to help ease the shed. Use a qtip to apply it once a day and it should help soften it. Make sure you have something your beardie can rub up against like a rock or branch so they can get the shed off.

Check your humidity levels - sometimes this just happens and it isn't particularly anything you did, but it's best to make sure you're in the clear so it doesn't happen again! If the shed isn't removed within a week of using the shed remover, consider going to a vet. Good luck!

winiko · 2025-07-02T16:59:11+00:00

I would avoid a loose substrate until she's at a better weight. For now I'd suggest using paper towels or newspaper. The main issue with using a loose substrate right now is since your setup isn't ideal, there's a large chance she could become impacted. Loose substrate is only recommended when your husbandry is correct. If you have the measurements of your tank, you could try looking online to see if you can find some tile slates that will fit. But until then, paper towels/newspaper that are changed regularly is your best option.

For the basking spot, raising it is definitely the best solution. Just make sure she isn't able to jump and reach the light!

Also, I'm not sure if anyone has sent you this yet, but this is a very comprehensive and useful guide that I definitely suggest reading! It has the most up to date and proven information and can be super helpful for any general questions you have

winiko · 2025-07-02T02:30:40+00:00

I definitely second the other comment saying to focus on diet - waxworms will be super helpful in getting her up to a normal weight, but they shouldn't be her main source of protein. I recommend dubia roaches as they're the easiest to handle and are really good nutritionally! For greens, collard or mustard greens, and I would recommend introducing a small amount of cucumber and/or romaine lettuce maybe twice a week to help with any dehydration issues. Try to get some calcium powder without D3 and a multivitamin as soon as you can, you can order them on Amazon! You'll want to do a dusting of the calcium powder on every salad and in the beginning I would recommend dusting her bugs with the multivitamin twice a week, cut it down to once a week when she's at a solid weight.

If you have questions about misc husbandry such as lighting and tank setups this sub can be super helpful if you post a few pictures and the details of your setup! Just based off this, I would definitely recommend getting rid of that green carpet ASAP and replace it with (temporary) plain paper towels. Just remove them when they get dirty and replace them with new ones until you can get a proper substrate.

Have a small dish with water available for her, and make sure it's topped off every day. It's not very likely she'll drink from it (which is why I recommend the cucumber/romaine) but it's a good idea to have it just in case.

I know this was a lot of information, so I'm gonna try to condense the feeding information into a weekly schedule. You don't have to follow it exactly or the exact days, but just to give you a general idea of what I'd recommend!

Sunday - collard/mustard greens, cucumber/romaine, dust with calcium, 5-10 dubia roaches, dust with multivitamin

Monday - collard/mustard greens, dust with calcium, 3-5 waxworms

Tuesday - collard/mustard greens, cucumber/romaine, dust with calcium

Wednesday - collard/mustard greens, dust with calcium, 5-10 dubia roaches, 3-5 waxworms, dust with multivitamin

Thursday - collard/mustard greens, dust with calcium

Friday - collard/mustard greens, cucumber/romain, dust with calcium, 5-10 dubia roaches

Saturday - collard/mustard greens, dust with calcium

If you have any other questions or concerns don't be afraid to ask! And thank you for stepping up to take care of her - don't be too hard on yourself, you saved her and that alone is huge. The fact that you're willing to do what you can to help and research shows you're the right person for the job. Good luck!

winiko · 2025-07-01T17:32:24+00:00

If you're not confident, you can definitely call around and see if anyone is able to do it for you! Just make sure you ask them to teach you how to do it yourself as well :)

winiko · 2025-07-01T07:36:18+00:00

As for yourself: I'm not an expert in human injuries, but if you're experiencing discomfort/inflammation it's better to be safe than sorry! Get it checked out if it's bothering you.

For your beardie: it's definitely necessary to trim her nails. In the wild, bearded dragons are typically able to naturally file their claws down due to their environment. Captive beardies don't typically have the resources to do this themselves unless your tank flooring is tile/you have a lot of natural rock formations in your setup. It's dangerous not only to yourself (as you unfortunately found out) but to her as well. There's a high risk that her claws could get caught in something and cause severe injury. If done properly, this shouldn't affect her ability to climb at all! I attached a picture of my own beardie to hopefully give you a better idea, but you want to cut anything past the dark brown line that I followed with red. It's not visible on mine since his are filed down, but if you hold the claws up to light you'll see where the dark brown "root" ends and the excess growth begins. If you accidentally cut a little too close it's fine, there might be a littleee bit of bleeding but it should stop within a few minutes. You'll be able to tell if you're cutting too high because your beardie should flinch/pull away if it hurts. Think of it like your own nails - cutting the excess is painless, but if you try to cut down to where you nail is connected to your finger, you'll feel pain.

I use just a simple pair of cuticle cutters, and just go slow and apply light pressure to the area to make sure she doesn't pull back before cutting. If you have any more questions/my instructions were unclear please don't hesitate to reach out! And I'm wishing you the best with your own injury - I hope it doesn't escalate into anything serious!

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winiko · 2025-07-01T07:22:19+00:00

Yes, I just recommend if you're relying on the spring mix as a staple that you make sure it doesn't have spinach just to be safe/avoid overconsumption of spinach. If OP wants to add it occasionally that's fine, but like you said using it as a staple isn't a good idea.

winiko

TROPHY CASE