All he needed was a little TLC ❤️
This past November, California residents Jackson and Rafael were scrolling through Craigslist when they happened upon a post about a bearded dragon in need of rehoming. It was immediately clear based on the photo of the lizard that he wasn’t in great shape.
Jackson and Rafael, two animal lovers, knew they wanted to help. They reached out to the bearded dragon’s owner, who agreed to give them the lizard.
“We just had this gut feeling that [the bearded dragon] needed someone,” Jackson told The Dodo.
When they met the lizard for the first time, they were shocked by how pale and emaciated he was. They learned he’d only been fed parsley and lettuce scraps, didn’t have proper lighting in his enclosure and had been rehomed several times over the past year.
“He was in much worse condition than we even expected based on the photos,” Jackson said.
The lizard’s new caretakers got to work right away getting him set up with a proper diet and enclosure. But they worried it was too late.
“On the first vet visit, it was very touch and go,” Rafael told The Dodo. “Not even the vet was really sure what the outcome would be.”
But over the next few weeks, the lizard began to transform. Jackson and Rafael started posting daily updates about the bearded dragon’s progress to Instagram, where he amassed a loyal following from around the world. The lizard’s fans voted to give him the name Reggie, and it stuck.
Slowly but surely, Reggie started gaining weight and getting his color back. One day, he was finally strong enough to take a proper step.
“To see him actually lift up his back legs and lift his front legs up to walk and not have his belly rub all over the floor … I almost burst out in tears just looking at it,” Rafael said.
It’s now been over 70 days that Reggie has been with his new family, and at this point, he’s unrecognizable. He’s nearly doubled in weight and has developed a sweet, outgoing personality.
“For a reptile, he’s, like, cuddly,” Jackson said. “He loves to hang out with us.”
Initially, Reggie’s dads had been planning on rehabbing him then transferring him to a permanent home. But after getting to know him, they decided they couldn’t say goodbye. After a lifetime of neglect, Reggie has finally found two people who will always be there to take care of him