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Ruth the Beardie

E

Eavlynn

New member
I'm the proud new momma of an adult bearded dragon named Ruth. I don't have much info on her, no age or anything. She was a rescue that ended up in the hands of the reptile breeder that I work for. She's a darling girl with metabolic bone disease. She doesn't have total control of her legs, but still manages to get around alright. I've wanted a bearded dragon for some time, but never took the dive until I saw Ruth. With proper nutrition, heating and UVB lighting, I'm hoping she'll show some improvement, although I doubt she'll ever regain complete motor function. She requires a smaller feeding tank, so she doesn't have to travel so far to catch her feeder insects. Her current home is a 4 foot by 2 foot wooden enclosure, which is temporary, due to the flaws in the build. Its not unsafe, or unstable, just not really aesthetically pleasing...at all. I hope to make her a "handicap accessible" enclosure more suited to her specific needs in the future (a basking spot with a ramp, etc).

This is the first and only photo I have of her thus far. There will be more coming soon! Without further ado...

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Wow! Ruth is a real cutie!! I'm so glad that there are some rare folks like you who see the value in a beautiful animal like Ruth!! You are awesome!!!
 
Thanks Axis! I feel pretty lucky to have ended up with Ruth. I couldn't as for a sweeter girl. I fashioned a Ruth-accessible lay box for her, since she's gravid. Apparently this isn't her first time laying slugs around breeding season. She has a new UVB bulb on the way, since the age of the current bulb is unknown. I want to make sure she's getting the most out of everything I can provide for her.

This morning I was lucky enough to get some quick photos! She even posed for her little photoshoot :) she's such a doll!
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Tonight is cricket night! Hopefully she eats without any issues. I offered some yellow squash last night, which she seemed very put off by. She hissed at them. So perhaps we'll try something else haha, I think I have a recipe I can use the squash in.
 
What a beauty! I love dragons. So much personality. I wonder if a trip to the vet might be beneficial, for nutritional supplementation info.

A 40 breeder makes a decent easy viv.

To get her to stop laying slugs (because she may continue, and it has to be negatively impacting her MBD) you can shorten her photo period. If she doesn't stop, and you have the funds, you might want to consider an oophorectomy. But I'd play with the photo period first.
 
I do have a spare 40 gallon, but its smaller than her current set up, and she uses every inch of the space that she has. I might not be a fan of the enclosure due to the cosmetics, or lack thereof, but she doesnt seem to mind. I'll definitely try a shorter photo period. I'd hate for her to deprive herself of nutrients for the sake of laying slugs. If I can find a solid reptile vet in the area, I'd like to take her for a wellness check, and get a price check on an oophorectomy if the shorter photo period doesn't do the trick. I have virtually no faith in the "reptile vet" I took one of my carpet pythons to. She was given a clean bill of health despite the issues I informed them that she was having and passed away shortly after.

Ruth is doing well. She ate some dusted crickets yesterday. Today I'm going to try to introduce some veggies to see what she will and won't eat. And then we'll see what she thinks of bath time!
 
Thanks Dollysmom :) she's very curious, and alert. We're going through some rough stuff right now, and having her around has brightened up my world. I hope to get her healthy and as happy as she makes me.
 
I'm so glad that she has brought light to a rough time. I fully identify. I know that you will do everything possible and get her as healthy as possible. She deserves the best and you are it!
 
Ruth started laying earlier today after a nice warm bath. She's pushed out 20 slugs so far. I have no idea where she was hiding them! She didn't seem that big at all to me.

Since Ruth is my first bearded dragon, and she has special needs, is there anything I should do for her when she's done laying?
 
It appears that there are some beardie forums around if you haven't found an answer to you're question. How's Ruth doing? Please update when you get the chance.
 
Ruth is doing well. Still a bit peckish with her food, but she's making progress. She has a new UVB bulb, and has been going outside for natural light. We also do outside bath time. She's been a little lethargic, but I think a lot of that is due to laying slugs and depleting her calcium stores. All of her food gets dusted with phosphorous free calcium and D3 powder to get her back on her feet.

Some outdoor photos. Her colors are starting to come out!
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And her outdoor play pen
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I'm glad to hear that she's doing so well! She's so pretty. Looks like she is starting to blossom under your care and attention.
 
I hope she continues to improve :) her colors are amazing! She gets more yellow everyday! She picks at her veggie salads, but she's been eating calcium dusted crickets like a fiend! I'm looking for wheelchair ideas currently. Her front legs work well, but her back legs are pretty uncontrollable. I think she'd be more active if I could give her some wheels to scoot around on.

This is a photo I took today of how yellow she's been getting :) I'm taking her color changes as a good sign.
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At first I thought she was opening her mouth because she was hot, so I took her inside for some couch cuddles and she did it again. I think it's her hungry face because she tore into some crickets shortly afterwards.
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Hmm, I might try to adapt some kind of children's small wheeled toy. The one wrap or sew on Velcro might be part of that equation as well. Just thinking aloud, here.

I would also let her try to use her hind legs as much as is practical. Hopefully, as she recovers a bit she'll regain some control and strength with practice.

She's beautiful in those last two pictures. She's like a flower that was growing in the dark and now you've got her literally in the light and she's blooming!
 
I just came across that earlier today! I think it was from 2010, but I sent them a message to see how they built that one. It looks like the page hasn't been updated in a while but I'm hoping that they respond.
 
I kinda want to rig up a small setup to put on her belly to prop her up with wheels, to encourage her to try and use all of her legs, but to take some of the weight off.
 
Makes sense. From what I just read it will help her mental state a lot, too. I'm learning more about MBD and Beardies every day just because of Ruth. She's one special girl and you are one special Beardie mama!
 
I see healthy beardies that climb all over the place and are very active. She has a lot of issues moving, and I'm thinking it could cause depression or something similar. But if I can make it easier for her to get around, I think she'll perk right up. The only thing she voluntarily moves for are crickets, and she struggles a good bit. I'm going to search for some good old fashioned legos, if they still exist in this day and age, and try to make something for her.

Ruth is very special indeed. I'm glad she's in print you as much as she's inspiring me. I'll be sure to keep you updated on her progress, and my hunt for a suitable wheelchair set up. You're support and kind words mean a lot to Ruth and I!
 
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