Should I be worried?

[beardieman198]

My 3 month old bearded dragon Crystal has been acting really strange for the past 3 days. She just look plain miserable. She won't eat,bask, and is now at the bottom of her viv and is a little dark but faster breathing. I give her calcium dusted crickets everyday (about 20-30) and dandelion greens, green beans, red bell pepper, and more. I don't know what to do! I give her daily baths and give her fresh water from a syringe, so she couldn't be dehydrated. Her setup is 75 gal tank, reptiglo 10.0 tube (It's the worst, finally have enough to get the reptisun 10.0, will change ASAP) with basking temps of 98-102.5(measured with probe). She also has a swollen joint on her bottom left foot, but dosn't seem to bother her. I am really scared, and she has been doing amazing for the past week until this happened! I will take any advice from anyone who has something to say.

 

[Kalyn876]

Hello, sorry your going thorugh this.

Sounds like lack of proper UVB is starting to take affect, I would turn off the reptiglo for today and see if that helps at all. If she perks up you know thats the problem. Great that you are able to order a reptisun 10.0!

The best sites to purchase from are: www.petmountian.com or www.lightyourreptiles.com

They can take a turn for the worst very quickly. When Tryus was a baby I had the reptiglo and he suffered the exact same symptoms until I got hima reptisun to lay within 6-8 inches of with nothing in between. He bounced back in two days!

 

[beardieman198]

Turned off the reptiglo...he's already back up there! The thing about mounting the reptisun in the cage is that i don't know how... Also, he has suffered from mbd..so is it safe to turn off the reptiglo?

 

[Kalyn876]

When can you get the reptisun?

The reptiglo is known to cause burns to eyes and skin. I understand that the MBD should have UVB but excess UVB IMO is worse than too little. Not everyone will agree with me in that respect lol

I highly reccomend purchasing liquid calcium. I love it! I know exactly how much calcium my boys get and liquid calc is much easier for their bodies to use.

http://www.bug-de-lite.com has great prices and Tracie is awesome to work with. Quick shipping too! My boys both love the raspberry and banana flavors.

If you could get both the reptisun and liquid calcium he'll be on The mend in no time

 

[Kalyn876]

Oh and sorry to double post as for hangInf the light in the tank I have used mighty putty in one tank and command hooks on the other ill post pics in a moment.

 

[beardieman198]

Oh, he already is receiving liquid calcium daily, instead of powder. I got the banana flavor from that site! He loves it
Now...what can i do to make him eat?

 

[Kalyn876]

Hers the command hooks

And my mighty putty bracket

Full view mighty putty

 

[Kalyn876]

Do you have a petsmart near you?

If so Flukers sells an appetite stimulant called Repta-boost I used it when Tyrus developed MBD and it worked wonders. He would show no interest in food so I gave him half a dose of Repta-boost, 15 mins later he was chasing them down in short bursts to eat. I was amazed!

 

[beardieman198]

Yes, I have a petsmart near my moms work. I will try to buy repta boost asap. Also, Kayln, where could I buy these hooks? And have they ever fallen?

 

[Kalyn876]

Mine have been up for a good year now and haven't moved even a portion of a millimeter. They are pretty amazing hooks and the best part is they come off cleanly if need be. They are called 3M Command Hooks and you can get them at stores like walmart

You will need to get a weight on him to dose the flukers ; just a heads up

 

[beardieman198]

Thanks! I think he's about to shed again...he just finished doing that freaky eye popping thing

 

[beardieman198]

Got the reptisun 10.0! I will be mounting it inside the tank as soon as i can, and some repta+boost.

 

[Kalyn876]

Excellent! I think you will see a huge difference. I cannot wait to read the updates! The eye bulging always freaks me out lol

 

[beardieman198]

Hey, she is basking happily with no stress marks! I gave her some mixed veggies babyfood....How do you dose her on the reptaboost? I am not sure on exact weight, but she is definantly more than 1g...can I just give her the amount for 1g and see what happens?

 

[Kalyn876]

That's exactly what I would do, better to be safe than sorry. I'm glad she is basking and soaking up the "sun" :mrgreen: