My bearded dragon is a round 2 1/2 years old. I got her in January as a rescue. Recently she was real Lathargic and had a big bruise on her side. I took her to the vet and she got the all clear on worms/parasites. The vet gave me an antibiotic for her swelled eyes and told me it was just sinus problems. She got a little better but now is really bad. She is very dark and barely eating. She is twitching in her side and then she jerks it real hard. I’ve never seen her do it until now. Her belly is also really bloated. It seems she does not want to put it down. She is on paper towel as a substrate. She just took a big poop yesterday morning. The bruise has not gone away and she seems to be getting worse. I’m not sure what it could be. She has been healthy ever since i got her up until now. She seems to be in real bad pain and suffering. Just spent all my money on her to go to the vet last week so I have not a dollar. Does anyone have any ideas of what it could be? I feel no eggs. I’m lost on what to do. I have pictures and videos but don’t know how to upload
Bloated belly
- Thread starter Vannah02
- Start date
- Status
Hello,
OH wow, that doesn't sound very good.
To upload pictures, click on the XIMG here in the message box to upload your pictures, to the
Image Gallery. Then, just copy/paste the URL/IMG to here.
Can you run over your tank setup for us also, such as the type/brand of UVB Lighting, temperatures,
supplementation, foods given, etc?
Could she have fallen & injured herself by chance? Is her beard darkened any also?
Did they not do a blood test or any x-rays? It could be eggs because many times you aren't
really able to feel or see them. Or she could be having trouble with a ruptured egg, etc.
There is just no telling. A blood test would have helped to determine what could be going on
exactly.
Since she isn't feeling well, try to keep her tank around 80 overnight, to help with her immune
system.
Let us know how she is doing.
Tracie
OH wow, that doesn't sound very good.
To upload pictures, click on the XIMG here in the message box to upload your pictures, to the
Image Gallery. Then, just copy/paste the URL/IMG to here.
Can you run over your tank setup for us also, such as the type/brand of UVB Lighting, temperatures,
supplementation, foods given, etc?
Could she have fallen & injured herself by chance? Is her beard darkened any also?
Did they not do a blood test or any x-rays? It could be eggs because many times you aren't
really able to feel or see them. Or she could be having trouble with a ruptured egg, etc.
There is just no telling. A blood test would have helped to determine what could be going on
exactly.
Since she isn't feeling well, try to keep her tank around 80 overnight, to help with her immune
system.
Let us know how she is doing.
Tracie
She has always had a 10.0 reptisun t8 uvb bulb since i got her. Her temps have been running a little high lately but normally stay around 117. She is eating Dubia roaches and gets a mustard green salad. She also gets about 7 blueberries a week. It’s the only way i can get her to drink water and stay hydrated. She gets calcium with d3 2 times a week. Her beard is dark and she couldn’t have fallen. She has nothing in her cage for her to fall off
Hello,
She is pretty round there. When did the darker area appear, was it present when you had taken
her to the vet? I have not seen that before, other than darkening of the skin with fungal issues.
It is a possibility of liver or kidney issues. You mentioned she seems sore to the touch in that
area?
Could she have been bitten by something?
Which antibiotic did the vet give her & what was the dose?
Which UVB light are you using currently?
I think if that area is getting worse, you should try to find a way to get her back to the vets for
a blood test. Something is causing a lot of distress & needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
They can crash very quickly.
Please let us know how she is doing.
Tracie
She is pretty round there. When did the darker area appear, was it present when you had taken
her to the vet? I have not seen that before, other than darkening of the skin with fungal issues.
It is a possibility of liver or kidney issues. You mentioned she seems sore to the touch in that
area?
Could she have been bitten by something?
Which antibiotic did the vet give her & what was the dose?
Which UVB light are you using currently?
I think if that area is getting worse, you should try to find a way to get her back to the vets for
a blood test. Something is causing a lot of distress & needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
They can crash very quickly.
Please let us know how she is doing.
Tracie
Yes it was present when i took her to the vet. I was told it was a bruise and would go away. The medicine was metronidazole benzoate - 0.2 ml once a day. She has a reptisun 10.0 tube uvb. It’s a t8 and is mounted inside her tank. I don’t think she could have been bitten by someone. I don’t think anything could have gotten in her tank. She is sore to the touch on her side and her upper belly. I tried to upload a video of her stomach jerking but it wouldn’t let me. I’m going to trim it and then try to post it. The bruise hasn’t gotten bigger or darker. Her belly just started bloating and she’s not wanting to pu tit on the ground. Her back has never had a curve in it before and now all of the sudden she looks like a ball.
kingofnobbys
BD.org Sicko
How far away is the T8 tube from her basking spot and from the floor of her tank ?
Since she's ill , I'd be removing options to climb and moving the basking and UVB lights down , this will help prevent her from having a fall and will help boost the UV.
A T8 10%UVB tube needs to be NO MORE THAN 6" from the basking spot, see posting.php?mode=edit&f=45&p=1864562
else you risk MBD. At 12" from the T8 tube in a reflector hood , the UVB falls to under 40 mW UVB / sq.cm which is totally inadequate for the production of Vit D3.
This is likely the cause of her current health issues.
Did the vet bother taking xrays ?
This looks like she's had nasty fall or something else has caused serious trauma to there her side , she may well have broken ribs and be bleeding internally from trauma to internal organs.
Needs to be properly examined and I'd be asking for pain relief for her to at least help manage her pain while she's being treated and is healing.
Since she's ill , I'd be removing options to climb and moving the basking and UVB lights down , this will help prevent her from having a fall and will help boost the UV.
A T8 10%UVB tube needs to be NO MORE THAN 6" from the basking spot, see posting.php?mode=edit&f=45&p=1864562
else you risk MBD. At 12" from the T8 tube in a reflector hood , the UVB falls to under 40 mW UVB / sq.cm which is totally inadequate for the production of Vit D3.
This is likely the cause of her current health issues.
Did the vet bother taking xrays ?
This looks like she's had nasty fall or something else has caused serious trauma to there her side , she may well have broken ribs and be bleeding internally from trauma to internal organs.
Needs to be properly examined and I'd be asking for pain relief for her to at least help manage her pain while she's being treated and is healing.
kingofnobbys
BD.org Sicko
Vannah02":2y5j58mi said:She has always had a 10.0 reptisun t8 uvb bulb since i got her. Her temps have been running a little high lately but normally stay around 117.
<<< 117F ( or 47 degC ) is WAY TOO HOT . See this
from viewtopic.php?f=5&t=233516
She is eating Dubia roaches and gets a mustard green salad. She also gets about 7 blueberries a week. It’s the only way i can get her to drink water and stay hydrated. She gets calcium with d3 2 times a week. Her beard is dark and she couldn’t have fallen. She has nothing in her cage for her to fall off
The vet did not take X-rays. When we went, she was ok and told us that there was no need for X-rays. I took her because her eyes were swollen and she said that it was sinus problems that made her eyes swollen. Other people told me it was internal organ problems. I wish i would have gotten and X-ray while i was there but she wasn’t like this a week ago. I can show you a pic of her tank. She doesn’t have anything to climb on, her basking spot is on the bottom of her tank. Her uvb is on the back of her tank and is not overlapping her basking spot. I was told it was fine the way it was. I will switch it now. There is absolutely no way she fell or hurt herself.
kingofnobbys
BD.org Sicko
Vannah02":2ylxjrpb said:
Swollen eyes (both eyes) can be an organ failure indicator, it can also be due to vitamin deficiency and other physiological problems.
I think the vet was incompetent , I'd be seeking a second opinion as a matter of some urgency from another MORE experienced REPTILE vet , especially since she is considerable pain and something very serious is going on that needs to dealt with.
Thank you so much for your answers. I am rehoming her today as I can not afford her vet bills and I don’t want her to suffer so I am going to let someone else take her. It really sucks and I feel like I’ve done wrong by her. I am going to inform the new owner and keep in contact with her to figure out what is wrong. Like I said before, thank you so much!
Sorry to hear all this Vannah, hopefully your girl will get a good home. You difd nothing wrong, 117 IS too high of a basking temp. but at least she would be able to get away from it to other places in the tank. You obviously care about her to have taken her to the vet. I agree that the vet really does not know what to do.
Is the " bruise " the dark patch showing on her left side in the picture ? If so, that's just a patch of unshed skin. They shed in uneven patches all the time, esp. adults. As for her bloating, she may be carrying eggs. I do wish you + her the best, don't feel that you failed her, you took her for help but her problem was not detected by this vet.
Is the " bruise " the dark patch showing on her left side in the picture ? If so, that's just a patch of unshed skin. They shed in uneven patches all the time, esp. adults. As for her bloating, she may be carrying eggs. I do wish you + her the best, don't feel that you failed her, you took her for help but her problem was not detected by this vet.
- Status
Latest resources
-
General Care Practical tips: A healthy brumating bearded dragonPractical tips to help keep your bearded dragon healthy during brumation
- Shinryu
- Updated:
-
-
Lighting Beginner Guide to Bearded Dragon LightingA basic lighting setup for any bearded dragon.
- Shinryu
- Updated:
-
Lighting Introduction to UV LightingMake a more educated purchase on your next UVB light.
- Shinryu
- Updated:
-
General Care Bearded Dragons - Care SheetAn all-in-one guide to caring for your bearded dragons.
- Shinryu
- Updated:
Latest profile posts
I just walked into my room and instead of looking at me, Swordtail's eyes darted directly to the ice cream drumstick I'm holding
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.