Old dragon

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OpalAndZayde

Hatchling Member
Hello all! I have a 7 year old leatherback male. he is 17" from tip of nose to tip on tail. He has been not wanting to eat, not basking, and his eyes have looked foggy and half closed. And he's not been nearly as happy, whenever I go to touch him, he turns his back to me like a seaturtle when a shark attacks. I'm afraid he's getting to his end... Or could it be a possible burmation? he also has not been pooping... I'm really worried!
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
So what kind of set up do you have for him? Post some pics of him and his tank please - how long has this been going on? When was the last time he ate and is he hiding in his hide? It could be brumation but we need more info before we can figure this out --- what are his basking temps and how are you taking them? infrared heat gun stick ons or digital probe?
Karrie
 

OpalAndZayde

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
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Here is a picture of him, his eyes have been that way for the past couple days.
102727-865145754.jpg
Here is his setup, He has a Flukers basking bulb 150 watt. And he gets collard greens, apple, cucumber, carrot, radish, and I add different things on occasion. He also gets crickets, and some mealworms and I dust all his food with repti calcium with D3. I'm so worried, he has NEVER acted anything like this before, and I dont think it is impaction, cause when he was impacted a long time ago, and his attitude didn't change like this at all. :cry:
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Where is the UVB? And what are his basking temps and how are you taking them infrared heat gun stick ons or a digital probe? I am sorry but his tank looks so bland--- the cave / platform thing looks so steep for him to climb --- I would not feed radishes --- here is a website for nutrition http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
here is some other websites for things to offer a variety of staples feeders and treat worms
https://symtonbsf.com/these area staple feeder and dont need to be dusted
https://www.rainbowmealworms.net/
https://abdragons.com/login.php
I am sorry but he looks unhappy--- I would get some different decor for him Petsmart has great decor and good climbing logs so he can have different temps for basking its called a gradient -- you can change out the substrate if your tired of cleaning it and get this textured non adhesive shelf liner its cheap easy to clean w/ vinegar/ water in a spray bottle 50/50 --- you can get it from your local home improvement store
Karrie
 

OpalAndZayde

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
His basking temps are 105 at the driftwood piece, and he can easily get up on the hide, its not steep for him at all. He doesn't have a UVB light atm, and I am really trying to get him one. I have done a lot of research, and came to the conclusion that D3 in calcium is fine instead of UVB, However that may just be my Opinion. He has always looked way happier in this tank, he started looking like this very recently. He gets different heat levels on the hide/driftwood, so he's fine there ;)
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
The UVB is crucial to the overall health of your dragon----- you need to get this ASAP and I cannot stress this enough--- I would recommend you get this as most of us on this forum use these- Reptisun 10.0 either a T 5 or T 8 -- what size tank? I would get a 24" fixture for a tank that is 40 gallon up- if you get a T 5 bulb it can go on top of screen providing it's wide hole if it's fine mesh I would put it inside tank approx 12-15 inches from basking--- if you get a T 8 it needs to go inside tank 6-8 inches from basking--- how long has he been w/ out a UVB?
Karrie
 

OpalAndZayde

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
About a month without UVB, however the previous owners didn't ever have a UVb bulb on his tank. The screen is a wide hole one. And do you know if Petco/Pet Supplies Plus has a T5 or 10? With the fixture? His tank is a 4'x2'
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
beardeddragonnewbie":3qxusnp8 said:
About a month without UVB, however the previous owners didn't ever have a UVb bulb on his tank. The screen is a wide hole one. And do you know if Petco/Pet Supplies Plus has a T5 or 10? With the fixture? His tank is a 4'x2'
Ok so he's been w/ out a month that is why his behavior has changed-- he cannot absorb calcium or properly digest his food-- I know PetSmart here sells 24" fixtures and the T 8 bulb but I would recommend the T 5 since your tank I am assuming a 4x2x2--- I don't know what pet supplies plus carries- we don't have them here where I live
Karrie
 

OpalAndZayde

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Thanks. I'll definitely try and get one, around how much do they cost? And as far as new decor goes, what should I do there? And yes, it's 4x2x2
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
He's not old , 7 is above middle aged but not actually old. His decor is great, no need to change that. Just needs a uvb bulb like Karrie mentioned. You say that his previous owner had any uvb for him either though ? You can cut way back on the supplements, D3 can be toxic if given too often. Just use calcium twice a week once you get the uvb bulb, alternate between the type with D3 and w/out.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
UVB fixtures can be expensive and you need one w/ a reflector -- you can shop around on Amazon I hear Sunblasters are good -- I have a ZooMed 24" that I ordered from www.pangeareptiles.com com the bulbs are around $20 or so --- but you can look on line --- just make sure you dont get one the same length as tank -- you want him to be able to escape the UVB rays if he wants to--- as far as decor its up to you if you want to add to it --- to me I would give him more stuff to climb on -- and get something he can sit in different spots and different temps -- here is a pic of Blazes tank and just about everything came from PetSmart
97951-7863920475.jpg
Karrie
 

MCHRKiller

Hatchling Member
You can get MVB for your current fixture to provide basking and UVB for now...its as easy as swapping bulbs. The previous owners could have used MVB to provide both. Now IMO MVB alone isnt entirely sufficient for UVB there needs to be a separate UVB of some sort in the viv to provide a gradient of exposure just like temperature lizards need gradients of uvb. My dude likes to crawl up under his independent uvb and bask without heat a few times per day. It gives them options. But all of his symptoms are that of a reptile kept without UVB...with proper UVB you dont have to supplement D3 at all however 1-2x per week gives you some insurance.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
The one from Petco didn't come up but the one from petsupplies is good-- just make sure you have the 10.0 bulb and not a 5.0--
Karrie
 
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