Has bubble wrap boils on side of face

I am new to bearded dragons. I have a 3 year old male. I just got him from a petstore a week ago and he was fine when I got him. I can never get my tank to reach high temps it stays in the 70s to 80s. He has calcium sand and I just got him a hammock off ebay a few days ago but it was new. He's shedding on his stomach but anyways I noticed a type bubble wrap rash on the side of his face. He has vet apt Tuesday but wanted to know if he would be ok that long. He's hyper still and eating. I give him calcium d3 once a week and he has lettuce and one strawberry and 6 medium sized crickets a day. If anyone can help me I would appreciate it. I do have a picture but didn't know if I can post or how to post it.

Hi. How far way from the lights is he? How are you taking the temps? That calcium sand is very bad. Should be replaced by non adhesive shelf liner, tile, paper towels. A picture of his rash would be good.

Hi there, here's how to post pics :
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload them

In addition to the photos of him and close ups of his face, as well as photos of his enclosure and his lights, can you list what brand/model/wattage and type (compact, coil, tube) of UVB light you have, and the same for your basking light? What size is your enclosure (dimensions or gallons)? And are you using a stick-on thermometer to take temps, or do you have a digital thermometer with a probe on a wire?

Your temperatures are way too low, he cannot properly digest his food or absorb any nutrients being that cool, and I'm going to assume that you're using stick-on, round or aquarium thermometers, which are usually off by up to 20+ degrees, and which you cannot use to measure his basking spot temperature. You need to go to Petco, PetSmart, or any pet shop with reptile supplies and spend $10 on a digital probe thermometer to accurately measure his Basking Spot, Hot Side Ambient, and Cool Side Ambient temperatures. You need to get his Basking Spot temperature up between 100-105 degrees, his Hot Side Ambient between 88-93 degrees, and his Cool Side Ambient between 75-80 degrees. You must always allow the probe to sit on the spot you're measuring for at least 20-30 minutes BEFORE reading the temperature, and do this every time you take a temperature.

The most important thing you need to do for your beardie is #1) Make sure that both your UVB light and your basking bulb are adequate and set up in the appropriate way, with his basking spot within the correct distance from the UVB light based on which light you have, and then after doing this, #2) get all 3 temperature zones within the correct ranges.

Bearded dragons have very specific lighting and temperature requirements because they are desert reptiles, and unfortunately there are very few UVB lights that are adequate strength and wavelength for beardies, even if they are labeled as such. So we can help you get a correct UVB tube and get it set up correctly. The only other light you need is a bright white basking bulb that is the appropriate wattage for the size of your enclosure. You should never use any colored bulbs at all, beardies see in full color, and colored bulbs cause a host of serious issues, so never ever use any bulbs that are red, blue, yellow, green, black, etc. You're also trying to replicate natural sunlight over top of his basking spot, and you accomplish this by putting an adequate UVB tube right alongside a bright white basking bulb of appropriate wattage to get the temps correct, both right next to each other and directly over top of his basking spot so he gets both while he basks. Both his UVB tube and his bright white basking bulb need to be on every single day for at least 13-14 hours per day, no exceptions. Too short a photoperiod will result in lethargy, loss of appetite, bone density issues, etc., as will an inappropriate UVB light, inappropriate or colored basking bulb, and inadequate temperature zones.

GET RID OF THE CALCIUM SAND RIGHT NOW!!! IT IS LETHAL TO BEARDED DRAGONS, AS IT IS MADE SO THAT IT TASTES GOOD AND SMELLS GOOD TO THEM, SO THEY WILL PURPOSELY LICK IT, AND ONCE IT GETS WET IT TURNS INTO LITERALLY CEMENT ROCKS!!! ONCE IT HARDENS INSIDE THEIR GASTROINTESTINAL TRACTS IT WILL CAUSE A HORRIBLE IMPACTION THAT PUTS PRESSURE ON THEIR SPINAL COLUMN AND CAUSES PARALYSIS OF THEIR BACK LEGS!!!! DUMP IN ALL OUT NOW, AND NEVER USE ANY LOOSE SUBSTRATES!!!

Bearded dragons are safest and healthiest on totally SOLID substrates, such as textured slate tile, non-adhesive shelf liner, reptile carpeting, newpaper, paper towels, etc. For right now please get that calcium sand out of there, completely disinfect his entire enclosure and everything in it, as that sand harbors tons of bacteria and fungi, and then put down clean paper towels, replacing them as they get soiled. You can worry about getting a permanent solid substrate like tile later...just as an FYI, bearded dragons are from the Australian desert only, which has no sand at all. It's a very solid, rocky terrain with vegetation throughout, no sand, gravel, etc.

Here is a picture of the tank. It's 50 gallons. Theirs more height to it. I was thinking of getting him a new tank. I'm using the digital stick on thermometers. I use the 10.0 uvb it's a zilla and then the day bulb exo terra and it's a 100 degrees and the light fixtures are zilla. I use a towel on one side of screen then I put fabric on the bank and side cause he kept scratching on cage and I read it stresses them out. The screen top doesn't fit right because I looked everywhere and they don't seem to make it for that tank. it's cloudy cause I'm not sure how to get the white stuff off of it.

That looks like a very nasty burn...what about the photos of your enclosure and lighting, and the details about your husbandry? He's gotten too close to a light or another source of heat and really burnt his face. Another reason to get the calcium sand out of there, you certainly don't want any loose substrates in his enclosure while you're treating this burn, they harbor bacteria and can stick to any antibiotic ointment or raw, unpasteurized honey you apply.

You're going to have to get some antiseptic like Betadine (Iodine) or Hibiclens, dilute the antiseptic with warm water (the Betadine should look like a weak tea and the Hibiclens will look like a very faint pink water) and clean the burn very gently using a sterile piece of gauze. I'd tell you to soak him in the antiseptic, but I don't think it's a good idea since it's on his face/head. Once you clean the burn, gently pat it dry with another piece of sterile gauze and then apply either a triple antibiotic ointment, or raw, unpasteurized honey diluted with warm water. Do that twice a day, and you're going to have to be sure to keep it extremely clean because burns like this can become infected very easily. Do not put him back on that calcium sand with that burn, that's asking for an infection. And please add the photos of his enclosure and lighting, and then the details about your husbandry so we can help you figure out what caused this, and why your temperatures are so low.

Okay, I'm not sure how he burned himself, but yeah you need a new tank or a much higher basking spot. That Zilla 10.0 UVB is a long tube? If so, first of all there is probably a clear, plastic safety cover on the fixture that covers the actual tube, and it blocks all of the UVB light and must be removed immediately. Then here's your main issue, that tank is far too tall. To be effective at all, his basking spot has to be within 6" of that Zilla 10.0 UVB tube, and that's if it's a tube, if you bought a Zilla compact or coil UVB light it's worthless. The other issue is that the mesh screen is blocking up to 50% of the UVB light which is already really weak. So if you want to keep using the Zilla 10.0 UVB tube it absolutely must be mounted INSIDE the tank and under the mesh lid, and his basking spot absolutely must be able to get within 6" of the unobstructed UVB tube (meaning the clear plastic cover over it is removed). So your tank is basically way too high to allow his lights to be effective, and the Zilla UVB tube is very weak to begin with. Also, with a tank that is 50 gallons, a single, bright white halogen indoor flood bulb or a single, bright white reptile basking bulb that is either 100 watts or at the most 125 watts will get the temperatures within the correct ranges, the problem is that your tank is too tall to do this. And since he can't get within 6" of that UVB tube even when it gets mounted under the mesh lid, you will probably want to get a tank like a 40 gallon breeder tank that is longer than it is taller.

I would honestly tell you to return the Zilla Desert 50 tube, if that's what you have, if it's a compact or coil bulb you absolutely must get a long tube UVB, either 18" or 24" for a 40 gallon breeder. I know people who have successfully used the Zilla 50 10.0 tube UVB in the slimline fixture, but they have it mounted underneath the mesh lid, usually by poking holes into the mesh and using large zip ties to strap the slimline fixture underneath the mesh lid, directly over the main basking spot/platform, which is no more than 6" away from the Zilla UVB tube. The plastic safety cover is removed from the Zilla fixture, and they replace the UVB tube every 6 months like clockwork because it stops emitting any UVB light at that point (even though the light still turns on and lights up). Assuming you buy a 40 gallon breeder tank, which is the minimum size requirement for an adult bearded dragon, a single, 100 watt bright white halogen indoor flood bulb like you buy at Lowes or Home Depot or a reptile specific bright white basking bulb, like a ZooMed or Exo Terra that is 100 watt should get your temperatures within the correct ranges. The basking bulb needs to be right alongside the UVB tube, on the Hot Side of the tank and both directly over the basking spot.

You definitely need to get a digital probe thermometer as well, it's $10 well spent, and the only accurate way to measure his basking spot temperature. If his basking spot is not right around 100 degrees (adults like it between 100-105, babies a bit higher, but the absolute highest temperature in his tank should be a maximum of 110 at any spot, over that is lethal) he will not be able to digest live insects or absorb any vitamins or calcium that he's eating.

I don't know how you can possibly make that tall tank work, because there's no way to get his temperature correct but to use an extremely high wattage basking bulb, but if you do that he will never be able to get within 6" of the UVB tube, which is crucial to his health. And getting him within 6" of the UVB tube even when mounted under the lid will be tough anyway...even if you upgrade to a Reptisun 10.0 T5 High-Output UVB tube, which is strong enough to sit on top of the mesh, his basking spot still needs to be within 11" of his basking spot to be effective, and at 11" away the high wattage basking bulb you'll need to get temperatures correct will be too hot for him to get that close too....

Hi there, it is some type of trauma or fungus, possibly a burn but there doesn't seem to be any way for him to get burned.....is there a heat rock in there ? Is there anything that he could be rubbing or wedging his face on in there ? And are you positive that was not there when you got him but maybe you didn't notice ?

AHBD":fzrxy9m3 said:

Hi there, it is some type of trauma or fungus, possibly a burn but there doesn't seem to be any way for him to get burned.....is there a heat rock in there ? Is there anything that he could be rubbing or wedging his face on in there ? And are you positive that was not there when you got him but maybe you didn't notice ?

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I was thinking that too, I don't know how he could have burned himself with the lights so far away, but it really looks like a burn...Is there a fungal infection that looks like that?

Chemical burn? Have you used anything to clean the tank or to try to get the white silicone or whatever off the tank?

Only been using water. I was wondering that myself about the burns. Theirs no way he can get up that high. He has a hammock in their and a couple water dishes and the thermometer end piece keeps coming down but it's plastic and he has a log in their but it came with him and he didn't have it when I got him unless it was really tiny at the time.

I tried looking up.images on the internet couldn't find any images. This might help out too not sure if they are related noticed on his stomach when I got him he has a black scaly thing going on under his stomach. The petstore said it was cause he was shedding on his stomach

Please post some pics of his stomach, there may be a relation to his beard trauma.