sick dragon

I bought my beardie, Crimson, a little over two weeks ago and he's been acting perfectly fine and eating well. Yesterday I noticed he was a little sluggish and wasn't eating, but I assumed maybe he was getting ready to shed and therefore didn't have much of an appetite. Today when I came home from work he was even worse...He won't eat, barely moves...just lays on the floor of his tank with his eyes closed. When I pick him up he moves his legs a bit and sometimes opens his eyes...but he is very lethargic. I've been trying to give him water with a dropper and gave him a warm bath, but so far it's not helping. I also noticed tonight when he pooped today it was runny and almost yellowish. I don't know a lot about beardie illnesses (my other has been perfectly healthy his entire life), but I think I should take him to a vet...if I can find one that will look at him. There aren't many who deal with reptiles where I live, and tomorrow is a Sunday.... Any advice? He's so sad...i hate seeing him like this...

hi, sorry to hear hes not feeling well.

what is your setup like?

what are the temperatures under the basking spot? what about on the othr side of the tank? what are his night-time temps? what are you using to take the temps?

how many lights or heat sources do you use? what type of lights are they(compact fluorescent, tube fluorescent, regular house bulb)? what are the namebrands of each of them?

what have you been feeding him? any vitamin supplements, calcium?


sorry to ask so many questions, but knowing these things will help us troubleshoot more effeciently.

Right now I have him in a temporary 10 gal because he's so small, i'm using a zoo med basking/heat light and a uvb slimline by esu reptile. The hot side is usually 95-100...the cool side 85-90...i picked up a small thermometer from the pet store when I bought him, but I'm not sure how reliable it is...I am planning to invest in a better one.

I've been feeding him small crickets and a combo of veggies (kale, romaine, mustard greens, peas), which he normally eats without a problem. I've even attempted finely chopped carrots and some strawberry juice the past two days, but he isn't interested. I use jurassical calcium supplement on his veggies.

I usually mist him in the morning and again when I get home from work, and give him a bath 1-2 times a week.

ive heard those ESU lights are no good. the UVB is too close to UVC and could possibly cause ill effects.

i had one to start with, i changed it out right away.

try to get a ZooMed reptisun 10.0 linear tube fluorscent. here is the cheapest place to order one online:
http://www.petmountain.com/product/fluorescent/504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-bulb.html

i would also say that your temps are abit high on your cool side. if the thermometer is unreliable then i would be carefull.

i would get rid of the ESU bulb and try to get a tube style(not compact or spiral)UV-B bulb by ZooMed, the 10.0 version. until you can get that other bulb, just use a lower wattage heat bulb. what wattage is it right now?

also, where do you live in the world? what is the night time temp? does it go below 60F?

Thanks for the heads up. They guy at the pet store actually recommended the ESU light...I hadn't heard anything so i assumed it was ok.

The basking bulb is a 75watt.

I'm living in Pennsylvania, so it can get a little cool at night. I keep the thermostat in my apartment turned up to 70-75ish though...I like it warm.

hello . from what ive read on this site and others, the only companys that have proven safe UV-B fluorescent bulbs are ZooMed with its Reptisun line of bulbs(2.0, 5.0 and 10.0) and arcadia(UK only) with its 12.0. ExoTerra's Reptiglo line isnt as reputable. the 8.0 is safe i suppose but is much weaker than the reptisun 10.0(its even weaker than the 5.0 i believe). stay away from ReptiGlo 10.0.

Yeah, I would ditch the uv light and get a better one, asap. You really should get her to a vet, though. The runny poo is what makes me nervous. Beardies can come with various diseases and/or parasites, so you should gather up her next poo and put it in a plastic zip bag for a fecal test.

Also, get a larger tank as soon as possible, plus a reliable thermometer (digital with a probe). You can get an AccuRite brand at walmart for about $12, it has a probe and measures humidity. A 10 gallon tank is nearly impossible to have a 'warm side' and a 'cool side'. I know, I've tried. But if you want some personal advice, buy the largest tank you can afford/want for your baby. If it's too big at first, you can block off part of it. But, I have spent too much money on tanks that end up being too small (for the Savannah monitor)! Luckily we have found some good deals, and she has a hand-me-down tank waiting (once Esham gets a larger cage).

Also, I understand it's much colder there than it is here, but maybe you can turn off the UV light until you get a better one. In the meantime, you can take her outside for a while each day for real sunshine. Maybe you can catch the sun shining in your window and can lift the window (UV won't penetrate glass); this way it might not get so cold..