I found a bearded dragon (outside.)?

Question

While babysitting, I found a bearded dragon basking in the sun on their concrete sidewalk, (eventually) caught it, and brought it home. I've researched (via internet) what they're supposed to eat and everything.. But I was wondering:

1. Could you identify what type of beardie it is?:

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n166/iloveaustinf/rnadom.gardenbeardievids046.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n166/iloveaustinf/rnadom.gardenbeardievids047.jpg

2. Is it too thin?

3. (If it's possible to tell...) does it look healthy?

4. What should I watch out for, and

5. Has this happened to anyone else? lol

It's 19 inches long.

and also.. I read in a bearded dragon book that you could put one end of the cage in a window and the other in a shadier part, and it would do the part of a heat lamp plus have UVB rays... Has anyone done this?

I live in FL. He's definitely not native, lol

Answer 1

Looks like a Pogona vitticeps in a citrus flame color morph. He's definitely way too skinny, and the window thing would be nice and it would save money, but UV rays can't pass through glass... So he would get the heat but not the UV rays. If it got hot enough then you might be able to use your window for your main source of heat, but I would recommend getting a repti sun 10 (currently the best for UV requirements the repti sun 5 is good too). You knew what kind of lizard it was so I'm assuming you're not completely new to beardies... here is a good website though. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/pogona/ It's a yahoo group for beardie owners and it has breeders on there too, so they are awesome at answering any questions you have, and you can learn a lot just by looking at their previous posts. It doesn't look healthy, but I think that's just because it's too thin, and I'm not too sure you can tell if it's healthy just by looking at it. If it's active, and alert then those are good signs, but a vet would probably be your best bet... our reptile vet here (Ohio) only costs $30 for a general exam, so I don't think that's too bad. To answer your last question... wow nope I don't think I've ever found a beardie in the wild, although I have known people here locally to find Iguanas, and large pet snakes in dumpsters where people just didn't want them or couldn't take care of them any more and literally just threw them out! Good luck! I hope you can get this guy fattened up! If you want to check out my profile and look at my previous answer it's got a lot of beardie info in it that you might find useful... Poor guy... He looks just like my youngest, but skinny (mine are pigs) Oh... I just realized how big he is... At his (or her) size pinkies are ok especially for beardies that need some extra weight! You can get them from the pet store you will want a mouse pinkie (they are smaller than rat pinkies) I've also read that some worms are more fattening than others. Pinkies are supposed to be an occasional treat because they are super fattening, but yours looks like it could use some fat, so I would give him one once to twice a week. Mine get them once a month, and you can get them frozen so you just let them thaw and then give them to the beardie if you don't have the heart to give them live pinkies... And it's definitely old enough to be sexed http://www.repticzone.com/articles/sexingbeardeddragons.html If it's a female is it possible that she may have just laid a clutch of eggs? This would account for her being so skinny... just a thought.

Edit: I was just reading your first answer and they said no water, but I read another answer that says your beardie looks a little dehydrated, and I would be more inclined to lean that way... My beardies get sprayed with warm water, and they get soaks in the sink so they can stay hydrated... I would definitely soak him in the sink or tub a little. He was right about the fireflies though... I've read stories of beardies eating fireflies and being dead a half hour later. They have a steroid in them that is the equivalent of heart meds, and it stops their heart when they eat them. Also I said that maybe using the window for your main source of heat was ok... I guess I should have also added to that as long as you are measuring the temp. of the cage and he has an area to escape the direct heat if he needs to... I just kinda thought that was a common sense thing that I didn't need to add...

Answer 2

1. It is just a common bearded dragon; i can't tell exactly what kind, but it is definately not a designer dragon.

2. Is it too thin? he is abit thin; fatten him up with one pinky a week and some waxworms, then when he is a decent size switch to normal food items listed on www.beautifuldragons.com.


3. (If it's possible to tell...) does it look healthy? other than being thin and kinda dirty, he looks ok, but a vet visit certainly wouldn't hurt.

4. What should I watch out for, and (wash your hands before and after handling it; email me for more info. i will gladly answer any question at all that you may have. )

5. Has this happened to anyone else? lol

never happened to me! lol


do not place the tank partially in the sun for UV rays. the glass filters out the UV rays. buy a 40 gallon tank (minimum) and cover the bottom with reptile carpet, tile, or layered paper towels. dont use sand!!! add a basking light on one side of the taqnk; temperature here should reach 105-115 degrees F. Run a UVA/UVB light across the back edge of the tank; i suggest Repti-Glow or Zoo Med 5.0. Put a digital thermometer on the basking side of the tank and one on the other side of the tank. The non-basking side needs to be about 85-90 degrees. at night, unless your home temp. goes below 68 degrees, feel free to turn off all lights. UV and basking lights need to be kept on for 12 hours daily, so buy a timer. that's only a few bucks at walmart or target.
make sure to provide a sturdy log or rock for it to bask on. in the opposite side of the cage, you can put a water dish big enough to fit the dragon's entire body into. fill it up to the beardie's shoulders.
try handling him daily, and once a week give him a soak in a tub or bucket filled to the shoulders with lukewarm water.

if you have any further questions, email me! [e-mail].


To find out if it is male or female: hold it in one hand and gently lift its tail with the other. send me a pic and i can tell you what it is. =]

Due to the large, triangular head, i'd say it is a male.

Answer 3

Erm...I'm assuming you're in Australia...otherwise, it doesn't sound like you were surprised to find the beardie....

It does look too thin.

They need warm temps. No water.

I'm having a hard time telling how large it is as there's nothing to compare its size to...generally, younger beardies eat lots of crickets and a little veggies (crickets: 80%, veggies: 20%) and when they reach adulthood it's the exact opposite.

Do NOT let it eat lightning bugs. Those are poisonous and will KILL the beardie.

I'd take it to a vet. Its thinness may be from lack of food or parasites. You don't want the parasites to spread to your other pets.

Answer 4

1. It looks like a common bearded dragon to me, not any designer type, although he (or she) does have some nice orange on him, that's no indicator of a designer bloodline.

2 & 3. My first reaction is, "Wow, that's a starved Beardie!!" He is definitely much too thin, on the verge of starvation--he's lucky you found him! Obviously you've done some research on what to feed, etc, but I would suggest feeding a pinky mouse about once a week until he's plumped up considerably (a healthy beardie should be more oval-shaped and have a fat tail base). Pinkies are very high in fat and nutritious for beardies, but not good as a regular food source once you've got him healthier. It would also be wise to look up a reptile vet or herpetologist and have him looked at, since life in the wild may not have been good to him and he may have parasites, etc.

4. I'd just say wash your hands after handling him, as you should with any reptile since they can carry salmonella. Handle him often and gently once he's acclimated to his new home; beardies are generally very tolerant of handling, but life in the wild for who knows how long probably has him pretty scared.

5. Never happened to me (although a friend of mine recently took a trip to Fort Lauderdale and saw two green iguanas and a red-tail boa within four days!), but if you're in FL (especially South Florida), it's not at all uncommon to find non-native reptile species just running around; too many people buy reptiles without researching them first, and when it gets too big or their kid gets bored with it, they figure it's alright to just let it go in the yard. Wrong! Obviously, your little friend was having a hard time surviving, but many other species of non-native reptiles (like pythons and iguanas) have been wreaking havoc on Florida's native plants and animals for years.

Good luck with your new pet!


Oh, and I wouldn't advise putting part of the cage in sunlight--it would get WAY too hot for him, and be very difficult to regulate. Get a UVB lamp and use a 100-watt household light bulb in a dome fixture and you should be fine, just be sure to check your temps. It is good for a beardie to get natural sunlight, though, so take him outside (contained somehow!) or let him sit it a sunny spot once in a while.

Answer 5

Lol, wow!!! I was ready to tell you it was a fence swift but it's definitely a little beardie!! Awesome! They make fantastic pets. It does look a little thin, but if it eats fine this will be fixed quiet soon. One thing I would definitely consider is taking it to the vet to be wormed.. I also recommend that you take in a sample of it's feces to make sure that it doesn't have any intestinal parasites other than worms. If you can't afford an exotic vet. (check the prices in your area some are pretty expensive) there is a kit that you can buy at petco and you can send the sample off to have it tested.

Answer 6

He looks to be in the red to yellow color morph division. He is way thin. You should feed him crickets dusted in a calcium dust, super worms, and greens(no iceberg lettuce) also dusted. To help him regain his weight back you can also feed him about 1 to 2 pinkie mice every week for a about a month. You should also dust them. To make sure he is healty I would recommend taking him to a vet and get him checked. Until then I would keep him on paper towels so you can monitor him better. Also they perfer high temps around 90 to 100 at their basking spot and they need UVA as well. The window will not give them all the UVA and UVB rays they need. So if you intend on keeping him I would set him with the lights. Hope this helps!

Answer 7

It is just a normal beardie, with some nice orange on him.

He/she is very thin. I can't see the tail, but I am betting it is not round and plump. as it should be.

He/she is also very dehydrated. You can tell that by the head being sunken in quite a bit. You need to soak him/her in warm water, but keep a close eye on him because he may get carried away trying to drink and forget to come up for air.

Feed him/her fresh veggies, roaches, crickets, and pinkie mice (for added fat).

Do not put the aquarium in front of a window, as it will create a greenhouse effect and fry the dragon. Also, glass filters the UV rays, so it will not help anything.

Answer 8

Bearded Dragon Florida

Answer 9

In the mood for some sort of hot meal? Make a enormous pot of veggie bean soup, divide into two-cup containers, and store from the freezer. Before bed, place a container from the fridge, then grab it before heading out the door each day.

Answer 10

1. It looks like an orange sand fire
2. yes lethargic
3. Eating habits veggies, crickets,giant mealworms
4. Mites
5. Not me