A co-worker told me he bought his children a bearded dragon that's been neglected so I took him in.

This was the condition of the beardie. He hadn't had any water for over a month, he stopped eating completely, he couldn't move at all... The tank was filthy... He had been in this pose that you see him in now for days. They thought he was going to die.

He had no natural sun light or UV lamp so he developed the notorious lump on his spine.

As soon as I got him, I rushed home to take him out of his tank and bathe him in warm/room temperature water while. He was as cold as ice and would not open his eyes. I cleaned his tank thoroughly with a bleach solution, cleaned the log in his cage and baked it in the oven at 250F for 30 minutes or so.

This is one week later after force feeding him and monitoring him very closely.

I created a paste with ground up super worms, calcium powder and mustard greens. Luckily he was strong enough to swallow but still wouldn't open his eyes or move any limb of his body throughout the first week. Prying his mouth open was very easy and he just didn't resist. I bought a high quality basking light.

Fast forward two months later

Much happier now.

The massive bulge on his back as receded dramatically.

He's fat and much happier now. So a bit of a warning to those considering getting a reptile a a pet... They can be a major inconvenience to your schedule and require actual attention. I'm not a vet nor do I have any prior experience with bearded dragons - I just care enough to do the research.