His name is Pączki! He was born naked because of a genetic mutation, causing him to have no scales. Which is very very bad.
Luckily, the breeder I contacted inquiring about a different adoption offered him up to me for a 20$ after hearing that I had years of experience rescuing and fostering.
I had NO plans to get a “special needs” animal, but he tugged at my heartstrings, and we’ve been together for 3 years now! I learned so much about these guys (their care is wildly misunderstood, as not many people own them/can keep them alive for very long), and he is what brings me joy and happiness everyday.
Please do NOT support the practice of breeding or selling scaleless bearded dragons!! Their skin is very sensitive, and their need to rub on rough objects while shedding is… well, in their nature, so doing so without scales with damage them without proper diligence.
Pet your lil guys often. (:
Aww :)
I’m so glad you mentioned not to encourage the breeding of scaleless beardies, you are absolutely correct on that!
He is a lovely boy though!
Oh, absolutely. I would never advocate for more of these creatures. Even for an experienced keeper, dear god, they’re a nightmare! He has a skincare routine better than I ever will! Plus baths, aloe rubs, and consistent massages. He’s pampered, that’s for sure.
Worrying over this goofy fool has given me more grey hairs in 3 years than it has just living over 30 years on this planet!
That said, though, I love him dearly, and he’s my precious lil stinky angel.
Oh my, does he need a lot less UV than a typical beardie? I’ve heard that these guys are hard to properly keep because of their sensitivity. I have a leatherback, but her needs are more typical.
Nope! No less UVB.
However, he does have eye issues which I suspect are from the UVB, and almost every other silkie I’ve seen has eye/vision problems.
My assumption is that their eyes may be more sensitive to UVB than typical dragons.
And, yes, I’ve had to sand down corners and edges, pad parts in his enclosure that even stick out the slightest bit, and make sure my nails are short when I handle him.
Don’t get me wrong, he’s not fragile like paper! Just their skin is more prone to damage, literally no matter how many precautions you take! They’ll find a way to injure themselves.
