HELP! SOS

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Brigieeee

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Please please help me. I think that my Beardie Norbert is really sick.

Norbert is a 4 year old bearded dragon. I adopted him from another family a few months ago and he has been a dream. He loves to cuddle and explore and run around. But the past two weeks have been really concerning. I moved him to my new apartment where he got a tank upgrade. Hes now in a 75 gallon tank as opposed to the 40 gallon he was in. But once he got here, he started acting weird. At first I thought it was relocation stress but now I'm not too sure, he's not usually this stressed for that long.

On Tuesday 6/22 Norbert started coughing in his cage. I never heard a lizard cough before so I knew it wasn't good. He was coughing for about 4 hours off and on but calmed down when I took him out of his cage to run around. I saw his humidity levels were a little high in the new tank so I went and got a dehumidifier for him to bring them down.

Following that Tuesday, he has been lethargic and lazy and stressed. He is extremely dark in color and has stress marks all over. He has been eating his insects and some veggies (he's really bad with them) which will sometimes perk him up but not that much. I was leaving him in his cage at this time to try and get him acclimated and not stress him out more than he was.

Then on Sunday 6/27 I took him out to try and get him moving and just give him some cuddles. He was perking up a bit and wanting to crawl around which was great. But then he saw his reflection in the mirror and became super freaked out. He puffed up and went black and wanting to attack himself. I got concerned so I blocked off the mirror for him. I then tried to pick him up to put him back but he puffed up on me so I let him chill for a while. I tried again later and he puffed up but I picked him up anyway and put him back. He has never puffed up at me before.

Since then he has still been dark and stressed and lethargic in his cage. He isn't basking that much. He finally pooped after a week on 6/28 but he just was lying right next to it, didnt even move. And now today 7/1 I just walked in to check on him and he was asleep in his hammock at 1 pm. He never does that. I am really concerned that something has happened.

I have an appointment at the vet on 7/5 but I am worried that he won't do well over the next 4 days and will somehow die. I am also worried he won't let me pick him up to take him to the vet on 7/5 or that they will want a fecal sample and I won't have one because he doesn't poop too often (except he did poop last night) Please if anyone has any insight on what to do please help. I am so concerned.

Tank Set up:
75 watt heat lamp
T10 UVB bulb in tube form
75 gallon tank, 21 inches tall, 18 inches deep, 48 inches long
Current Basking temperature (measured with probe): 105 F, usually ranges between 97-105
Cool side temperature: 82 F
Humidity: 35%

Diet:
Protein: Crickets, Dubia Roaches, super worms, horn worms for treats
Veggies: brussel sprouts, clover, dandelions, zucchini, peppers. I try a lot of other veggies but he is absolutely terrible about it. He barely eats these.
Fruit: occasional flowers, blueberries, raspberries, mango, strawberry
Calcium supplements

I also should mention that on 6/16 Norbert did eat a honey bee while we were in my yard with our clovers. But he seemed fine afterwards and went to eat some more clovers and even tried to catch another (which I stopped).
 

Brigieeee

Member
Original Poster
Just for context, this is what Norbert normally looks like:
110517-5610491587.jpg
110517-2035851931.jpg

And this is what he looks like now:
110517-5955131967.jpg
110517-4608432092.jpg
110517-9294966892.jpg
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Please no more Brussel sprouts --here is a website for nutrition http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder
He will go thru relocation stress but I am thinking its the UVB placement
Where is the UVB I cant see it in the pic really good -- and please clarify a T 5 or a T 8 --- I am thinking the bulb is a 10.0 bulb --- lets get this cleared up first and go from there
 

Brigieeee

Member
Original Poster
Its a T5 bulb, its on the other side of the tank about 12 inches above his basking spot. It covers half the tank.

Good to know on the brussel sprouts thank you. They were the only thing he would eat so I thought it could be okay :(
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Ok so w/ that being correct and the bulb is new ? Not a year old or older correct? He cant see his reflection any more right ? you got that taken care of too? Humidity ? What is it in the tank? Optimal is 20-50% nothing under 20 and nothing over 70% -- I would get a digital probe hygrometer and place in the center back wall of the tank -- its going to read the whole tank -- the coughing concerns me -- can is he still doing it and if so can you please record on youtube and post the link here in the message box so we can have our vet tech mod take a look and listen to him ---
 

Brigieeee

Member
Original Poster
The bulb is about 4 MONTHS old. He cannot see his reflection in the tank anymore (when he saw it, he was walking around my living room and saw it in a floor length mirror). Humidity is currently 34%. I have 2 Digital probe thermometers, one on the basking spot and one on the cool side. I also have a thermometer in the center of the tank checking the entire conditions.

He hasn't been coughing since the 22nd but has gotten progressively more lethargic and dark. I just fed him some crickets though and he perked up to hunt them, lightening up a little but still filled with stretch marks. And he went to hide about halfway though eating.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Please go and buy a new UVB bulb -- it should of been replaced 3 years ago --- bulbs need to be replaced every year I recommend a month prior too - the dragon is getting NO UVB --- except when you take him outside -- this would be the cause of all the coughing but I am thinking it could be a RI please post the behavior next time you see him do it --- and get him outside for some good UVB 15 minutes in direct sunlight is equal to about 4 hrs of inside UVB --- Stick ons are no good for basking temps and I still recommend the digital probe hygrometer
 

Brigieeee

Member
Original Poster
And I normally take him outside at least once a day if the weather is nice but I haven't wanted to stress him out more.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Oh ok --- still recommend the digital hygrometer -- and please post the video as well -- do you have any water dishes in the tank ? and the probe your getting the basking temp where he sits on the hammock not on the side of the tank ? well w/ the UVB new that is not the issue placement is good as long as he can get directly under it ---
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
The basking bulb is a bright white bulb? Not a off color white or yellowish bulb ?
 

Brigieeee

Member
Original Poster
I have 2 digital hygrometers. And unfortunately I didnt get a video of him coughing. I do have a water dish in the tank. And I have a probe on his basking spot (opposite side of the tank from the hammock) and one on the hammock. The UVB is bright white but the basking bulb is yellow. Its the Thrive 75W light bulb
 

Brigieeee

Member
Original Poster
Okay great I will go pick the new bulb up in the morning at Pet Smart, thank you. And if he starts to do the cough again I will definitely record it and post the video. Thank you so much
 

Brigieeee

Member
Original Poster
WAIT! Do you think it could possibly be dehydration? Its been really really hot here the past couple of weeks and I haven't seen him drink in weeks. And he was at my parents house for a while and while I tried to give him baths when I could he didnt take too many.

If so, what do I do? I gave him a bath today for a little, just put him in water but then he wanted to escape really quickly and he didnt drink anything.
 
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