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My beardie is 5 years old and was fine a week ago. Now he is very weak and cannot open his eyes. He is in a 40 gallon tank with a uvb lite and a basking lamp. He has stopped eating and drinking. I'm afraid we may be glossing him and I don't know what to do next.
Optional Information: Pet's Gender: Male Pet's Age: 5 Name of Animal: godzilla Already Tried: Changed uvb lite. Misting. Placed tank close to window for natural lite
Hello and Welcome to Justanswer,Can you tell me about the set up?
Diet prey/veggies?
Substrate/bedding?
Temps and how measured?
Supplements?
Is the UVB light a Tube or coil? How old is the bulb and strength?
Joan
He's in a 40 gallon tank with carpet.
He only eats mealworms dusted. He will not nor has never has eaten veggies or fruit.
It is a tube lite, brand new. i changed the bulb when I noticed he was acting funny. it is a desert 50 uvb.
Without the basking lamp, the temp drops to around 80 but is around 90 when its on
Hello,
You really need a Reptisun 10.0 florescent tube type UVB bulb as well as the bulb you have for basking. The 5.0 is a little too weak for a Dragon. Keeping the Dragon by the window will not do any good as sunlight cannot pass through glass as the glass filters it and looses the UVB rays.
The basking area should have 105*-110*F and the cool side of the tank in the 85* range. This is imporatnt for digestion and passing of stool. If the temps are not correct, this can also cause a problem.
On a side note, the UVB needs to be changed every 6 months, for it to be effective as they do loose potency after 6 months use.
The UVB bulb or MVB bulb should not have any plastic between it and the Dragon,it should not be no more than 12" from the Dragon. The lights should run daily for 12-14 hours a day.
Normal diet is finely chopped Collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, escarole and curly endives. Butternut squash and various berries are great for a treat. The Veggies should be put in fresh daily, and done about an hour after lights on.
They need 80% veggies daily and 20% live prey over a year old and under a year old the percenatges the percenatages would have been reversed. This is a nutritional chart that will help to give the proper ratio of calcium to phosphorus: http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutritionframeset.html it is color coded for easier reading.
The live prey should include crickets, silk worms, roaches, goliath worms and phoenix worms. Super worms and wax worms are like giving the Dragon candy. All veggies and prey should be dusted with plain calcium daily 5 days a week and vitamins 2 days a week.
For now we need to give the dragon a daily soak in 50/50 warm water and plain Pedialyte to prevent dehydration and add some plain calcium powder to the soak. Please soak at least 30 mins. I can locate a Herp Vet for you with a state. Since we do not know what we are dealing with all we can do is the first aid I suggested. This may be a dietary issue, infection, parasite issue and several possibilities.
Bearded Dragon Care Sheet
1. 0-3 months- baby 2. 3-12 months-juvenile 3. 12-18 months- sub adult 4. 18 months + -adult
1. A UVB light source-best is 10.0 Reptisun that runs the length of your tank. Your dragon must have this light to metabolize calcium. If not he will get metabolic bone disease, a serious condition. You can also take your beardie outside to bask in the sun for 15 minutes each day if your temps are 80 degrees or above outside. You can purchase cages or reptariums from your pet store. Never leave a beardie outside unattended. 2. A basking type light that puts out heat and warmth above basking spot. Your beardie must have warmth to digest food & thrive.
Babies: Warm basking log: 105-125 degrees F Cool side: 85-90 Adults: Warm basking spot: 110-115 Cool side: 80-85 Measure temperatures with a digital probe type thermometer or a temp gun-these are most accurate. Stick on thermometers unreliable.
*Beardies over the age of one year old during the winter months will go into a Brumation like most Reptiles and Herps. It is a form of Hibernation that is governed by the weather and time of year. The lights should be on a shorter period at this time. Fresh greens should be available during this period. Do not feed live prey during Brumation.
Water: Mist your little one with the spray bottle 3-4 times a day. You can also offer a small dish of water in your enclosure but be sure your dragon is not too small to drown in it. It is recommended that when your beardie is 2 months old you can bathe your baby in a small plastic container with warm water- not hot. It will help them to stay hydrated. As they get older you can move up to the bathroom sink and then to the bathtub. Very important for bath enclosure to be thoroughly cleaned and rinsed prior to bath time. Clean between dragons too if bathing more than one.
If you have any further questions feel free to ask. I like to start people off with proper husbandry and then see if I can further assist.
This is for fruits and Vegetables
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutritionframeset.html
This will give you an idea about Sand as a substrate:
http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/impaction/?page=3
Walnut shell Graphic: http://mrskingsbioweb.com/beardeddragngrossanatomy.htm
sexing bearded Dragons: http://repticzone.com/articles/sexingbeardeddragons.html
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Experience: I have been doing Reptile Rescues for 15+ Years