What do I do if my bearded dragon is coughing and his beard just turned black? Otherwise, he is acting normal and is

Hello,

This is Joan and we have worked together with your Dragon before. I would love to help you with Harry.

How long has Harry been coughing?

What type of substrate is Harry on?

What are the temps in his enclosure? Basking area, Warm side and cool side

How old is Harry's UVB light? Is it a florescent tube or compact coil and strength?

Has Harry tried to eat since he has been up?

How long did he stay under for Brumation?

What type of diet does Harry get fed?

Supplements?

Joan

Hello,

I am not crazy about the sand since it can cause impaction, skin and eye issues. The UVB light you are using can also cause some serious eye issues called Photo Kerato Conjunctivitis. I would suggest that since you just purchased the bulb, that you see if you can return that bulb and replace it with a Reptisun 10.0 linear tube that runs the length of the tank. The UVB is very important for health of the Dragon and to work with the calcium supplement. The Giant Meal worms and wax worms are like feeding your Dragon candy. The Giant meal worms also have a very hard outer shell which is hard to digest. I would switch him over to silk worms, phoenix worms, dubia roaches and crickets along with a good veggie diet. Harry being over a year old, should be on an 80% veggie diet and 20% live prey. All food should be dusted with a plain calcium 5 days a week, and a vitamin 2 days a week. What I would like to do is start some first aid since he just came out from Brumation, we need to get the basking area at 105*-110*, the warm side at 90's and 80's for the cool side of the tank. I would switch to cage carpet, tile, or paper to prevent any problems from the sand. Now to start the first aid I would like you to give him a soak in a 50/50 warm water and Pedialyte(infant electrolyte solution). When a Dragon comes out of brumation they are usually dehydrated and need a good 30 min soak daily to rehydrate them. I would start feeding the veggies about an hour after lights on and later in the day one prey item. For veggies, I would go with curly endives, escarole, collard greens, mustard greens, butternut squash, and various berries finely chopped. This would give a nice balance of veggies for a 3 year old Dragon. I think once the lighting, temps and diet is corrected and Harry is well hydrated his color should come back. I do want to say if the cough continues, then he should see the Herp Vet to rule out a parasite issue, or a Repsiratory infection. I would be happy to locate a Herp Vet for you with a State. Joan

Hi,

Super worms are the same, very fatty and high in chitin(the hard outer shell. I will not feed those to my Dragons. A Dragon should not be fed prior to bromation and during since the food can rot in the stomach causing a serious intestinal infection. Once they start coming out of brumation I start the daily soaks, since they need the rehydration. Joan

Hi,

Glad to hear harry is doing well. Please feel free to ask for me if you ever have any pet problems. Joan