Please help with my new bearded dragon......concerned (pics)

Hi -

I'm a new bearded dragon owner ....as of last night =). She is 1 1/2 years old. about 13 inches nose-tail and very sweet. I have a few concerns though. As with any pet I decide or think about getting I always research and look at forums.

I've read a bit about droopy eye and took a look at my girl and noticed she may actually have this (or im just very worrisome). I don't know what a normal eye should look like though because I've never owned a bearded. I can't find a pic showing droopy/baggy eyes online either so I took some pics and hope someone here can give me some insight.



Another question I have is it normal when a beady goes to a new home to not eat for the first day or so? She hasnt eaten today. I offered her veges this morning (collard, turnip greens, and pasnip) Nothing so about 5 tonight I gave her some crickets.....nothing....then I tryed meal worms, again nothing. Any insight on this will be helpful also.

I have read some of the questions asked on here before a good answer can be given so I'm going to go ahead and answer them now.....I'll answer them based on what the previous owner was doing and what I "plan" on doing.


How old is your dragon? 1 1/2
How long have you had your dragon? 1 day
How long is your dragon? 13 inchs
What is the sex of your dragon? female (i think)
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? 40 gallon breeder
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? slate
Do you use UVB lights? Yes
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? Flouresant tube
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)? Was a ESU repti 7.0. I will be using a reptisun 10.0 which I bought this morning

How old is your UVB bulb? previous owner said it was about time for a change. Bought one today. (repti sun 10.0)
How close can your dragon get to the UVB? 6 inches (don't know previously)
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage? Yes not sure the make its 100 watts + I added another 60 watt today as the temp was only reading 86 F. I'm using zoo meds digital with probe. At first I didnt think it was accurate but I took my temp lol and it came up to 97.00 Maybe off my 1 or so

What are the basking temps? right now my thermometer is reading 91 with the new addition of the 60 watts

What is the cool side temp?

Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun? wire with probe end

Where exactly are you taking your basking temps? where she basks she doesnt go all the way to the top of the basking area that ive seen yet anyways

Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? no

What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific. Prev. Owner told me - parsley & other greens, meal worms, super worms, frozen pinky once a month, occasional crickets and bearded dragon pellets. I will not be giving the pinky mouse or any of the worms. I would like to feed her a variety of veggies, papya, mango, and crickets. Unless you guys suggest otherwise
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)? not sure
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc? Yes I am gutloading now useing a piece of carrot and turnip green
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them? pr owner said 3 times bone aid a week and 1 time dragon dust.
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)? not sure not today thoughb
Do you bath your dragon? How often? I bathed her today but not sure if previous owner did
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath? I will a few times a week
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon? no
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done? no

As for the eye, I don't see anything wrong.. but, that's just me. We can't compare it to the other eye. Maybe someone else can be more insightful about the eye-thing.

It is perfectly normal for her to not eat today. It may even take several days. Give her time, and space; don't handle her too much for the next few days. Just let her chill out, eventually she will get hungry.

NegativeCreep":4117b said:

As for the eye, I don't see anything wrong.. but, that's just me. We can't compare it to the other eye. Maybe someone else can be more insightful about the eye-thing.

It is perfectly normal for her to not eat today. It may even take several days. Give her time, and space; don't handle her too much for the next few days. Just let her chill out, eventually she will get hungry.

Click to expand...

the other eye looks the same -

should I have posted this in a differant forum? heath concerns? should I repost there or should I get responses in ths section also'?

I'm not sure, I'm not a mod. I may wait to see if anyone responds here.

Hello,

I know you posted in another forum regarding this.
As for the droopy eye, some dragons tend to have this. I believe that it is a genetic trait, but there is nothing wrong with the appearance of the eye however.
Your temps on the basking end are 97 then? If so, that is fine. The digital probes are accurate but you have to allow 45 minutes or so for them to fully display the correct temperatures.
Your setup looks fine, otherwise. Great job.
There is a great feeding chart at http://www.beautifuldragons.com Click on the nutrition link on the front page.
Mango & papaya are good, but not everyday. Berry varieties, & apples are normally used more often. Variety is the key however.
Crickets are fine, & smaller superworms would be ok, too. I don't know if she will grow anymore or not, but you never know.
The Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb is fine. Make sure it is within 6-8 inches of her for maximum UVB exposure.

Tracie

Thanks Tracie,

I just wanted to make sure she was ok.....I'm sure with time I'll know whats normal and what isnt. Good News is I got her to eat some papaya out of my hand tonight! Thats all she ate all day but atleast shes comfortable enough with me holding her to eat out of my hand - I havent handled her much because I want to give her a chance to get acclimated as I'm sure shes stress and she does have stress marks.

By the way - She's been on a ESU 7.0 bulb since she was a baby....after switching to the repti sun will there be any changes in her behavior or just her health in general?

And should I discontinue the monthly pinkies?

thanks
trish

Trish,

I would discontinue the monthly pinkies. I wouldn't totally cut out the superworms. They are a little easier to care for than the crickets. At her age I wouldn't expect her to grow much at all like Tracey said. But, I wouldn't be surprised if she continues to gain a little weight the next couple of months.

As for the change in bulbs. You may see a difference depending on how old the bulb is and how close the owner let her get to it. Those bulbs don't last much past 4 months. Which is when I recommend you change the bulb. The change can be in color, appetite, and even attitude. Reptiles don't see in the same spectrum that we see in. So if they don't have sufficient lighting they can get grumpy.

Good Luck

Ernie

my dragons eyes are like that,and when i first got him he would not eat a thing the first 2 days.

goodluck!!

his eyes have been like that since we got him. i wouldn't worry to much