Brown Crust Around Nostrils

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I noticed today that my beardie James, who I have had for over 7 years now, has developed a dark brown crust over/around his nostrils- I'm freaking out a bit, please help. I couldn't figure out how to post a picture.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Are you sure his nostrils are not getting ready to shed?
Does he exhibit any signs/symptoms of a respiratory infection?
Please review your tank setup such as the temperatures, substrate, UVB lighting, etc so we can be sure it is all correct.
How is his appetite doing?

Tracie
 

JamesTheLizard

Member
Original Poster
Drache613":2hzahmqi said:
Hello,

Are you sure his nostrils are not getting ready to shed?
Does he exhibit any signs/symptoms of a respiratory infection?
Please review your tank setup such as the temperatures, substrate, UVB lighting, etc so we can be sure it is all correct.
How is his appetite doing?

Tracie

I don't believe this is shed because some came off when I gently wiped it with a wet q-tip. What are the symptoms? I have a 40breeder with ground chestnut as sub, a 100 watt heat bulb over a basking log thingy, I have a uvb light, I haven't seen the temp lately though because the thermometer I had in there went wonky. His appetite doesn't seem to if changed, he goes crazy for super worms (also how many of those am I supposed to feed); but he has always been a little weird. He used to refuse food for up to a week at a time, hasn't in the past couple of years.
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
Okay, we need a photo of the area...Now, you've got some enclosure/set-up issues that are huge...

Please get rid of the loose, ground chestnut substrate immediately, he can become impacted very easily from it whether you feed him in his enclosure or not. It is also a breeding ground for fungal and bacterial infections, which could be what is going on with his nose. Use only solid substrates like ceramic tile, paper towels, non-adhesive shelf liner, reptile carpet, etc. Do that immediately.

What brand/model/wattage of UVB and basking bulbs do you use? How old is the UVB bulb? Is it a long tube? Is his basking light a bright white bulb? We need specifics, as these too could be causing skin problems.

And you need to get a digital thermometer with a probe on a wire immediately as well, you absolutely cannot go without knowing the 3 important temperatures in his enclosure: hot side, cool side, and his main basking spot. Move the probe to his main basking spot, let it there for 20-30 minutes, the read the temperature. Then repeat by moving the probe to the floor in the middle of the hot side, and then repeat again by moving the probe to the floor in the middle of the cool side. Make sure you wait 20-30 after moving the probe to read the temperature. Inappropriate temperatures can not only be causing the skin problems but also will absolutely cause digestion and appetite problems eventually. The digital probe thermometer costs $8.99 at Petco.
 

JamesTheLizard

Member
Original Poster
EllenD":hrcqbd0j said:
Okay, we need a photo of the area...Now, you've got some enclosure/set-up issues that are huge...

Please get rid of the loose, ground chestnut substrate immediately, he can become impacted very easily from it whether you feed him in his enclosure or not. It is also a breeding ground for fungal and bacterial infections, which could be what is going on with his nose. Use only solid substrates like ceramic tile, paper towels, non-adhesive shelf liner, reptile carpet, etc. Do that immediately.

What brand/model/wattage of UVB and basking bulbs do you use? How old is the UVB bulb? Is it a long tube? Is his basking light a bright white bulb? We need specifics, as these too could be causing skin problems.

And you need to get a digital thermometer with a probe on a wire immediately as well, you absolutely cannot go without knowing the 3 important temperatures in his enclosure: hot side, cool side, and his main basking spot. Move the probe to his main basking spot, let it there for 20-30 minutes, the read the temperature. Then repeat by moving the probe to the floor in the middle of the hot side, and then repeat again by moving the probe to the floor in the middle of the cool side. Make sure you wait 20-30 after moving the probe to read the temperature. Inappropriate temperatures can not only be causing the skin problems but also will absolutely cause digestion and appetite problems eventually. The digital probe thermometer costs $8.99 at Petco.

Ok, I will scrap the chestnut... its weird that it was a bag specifically for bearded dragons, originally I thought it was sand as I had used sand for years before this. I will test out the temps and get back to you- I actually found a digital probe thermometer I had lying around that I had used previously for hermit crabs. And when measuring his basking spot- am I supposed to put it up close to the light where he sits on his stick? Heat bulb is- Exo Terra Daytime Heat Lamp A19 / 100 Watt. I am unsure about UVB brand/wattage as I purchased the bulb and threw out the box, it is a rounded bulb, not the strip kind, I believe it is fairly knew but it really isn't that bright. To me, it doesn't seem like a skin problem more something coming out of his nostrils. If someone could tell me how to post pictures I would appreciate that.
 

Vandy

Member
It's prolly just from him digging around in the chestnut . Is the crust the same color as the chestnut?
 

JamesTheLizard

Member
Original Poster
Vandy":3qep3b7u said:
It's prolly just from him digging around in the chestnut . Is the crust the same color as the chestnut?

No its much darker. I still can't figure out how to post a picture.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

The loose substrate is definitely the cause of the brownish coloration on his nostrils. Definitely go for a solid substrate, it keeps everything so much cleaner, overall.
The basking temperatures are a bit low, did you leave the probe on the basking area for at least 20 minutes? It should be in a range of 95-110F with a cooler end of around 78-82. The ambient temperatures shouldn't exceed 83 or so because they can get heat stressed.
The UVB is a basking type of light, correct & not a spiral compact/coil light? It should have the brand stamped on it somewhere, on the base, this is important.
You can click on the XIMG button in the message box, to upload your pictures then paste them onto your message.
It is unlikely that this is a respiratory issue, especially if you haven't seen any symptoms like coughing, wheezing, or a mucous type of discharge from the mouth or nose, then he doesn't have any respiratory infection.

Tracie
 

JamesTheLizard

Member
Original Poster
Drache613":1uum2f0n said:
Hello,

The loose substrate is definitely the cause of the brownish coloration on his nostrils. Definitely go for a solid substrate, it keeps everything so much cleaner, overall.
The basking temperatures are a bit low, did you leave the probe on the basking area for at least 20 minutes? It should be in a range of 95-110F with a cooler end of around 78-82. The ambient temperatures shouldn't exceed 83 or so because they can get heat stressed.
The UVB is a basking type of light, correct & not a spiral compact/coil light? It should have the brand stamped on it somewhere, on the base, this is important.
You can click on the XIMG button in the message box, to upload your pictures then paste them onto your message.
It is unlikely that this is a respiratory issue, especially if you haven't seen any symptoms like coughing, wheezing, or a mucous type of discharge from the mouth or nose, then he doesn't have any respiratory infection.

Tracie

I ordered one of those reptile mats- should be here soon. I will also order a 150 watt to get temps up, it's what I usually have had in the past. I actually realized it is a coil type light- I will swap it out with a hooded light that I have on another tank. I have not seen other symptoms, but I will keep a look out. Thank you for taking the time to respond, here is a picture:
92441-7742288606.jpg
 

Vandy

Member
I think that is build up from him digging around in the chestnut. You should clean his nose than place him on paper towel until your mat comes in and see if it comes back
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
Yes, get him off of that crap immediately, paper towels are better. It doesn't matter if it says it's for bearded dragons, it's junk and it's harmful.

Please make sure that you ditch that coil UVB bulb and order a proper tube bulb. I don't know what length your hood is, but you need a 10% UVB tube, the best available is the Reptisun 10.0 (make sure it's 10.0 and not the cheaper 5.0, that's for tropical reptiles) T8 UVB, either an 18" or a 24".
 

JamesTheLizard

Member
Original Poster
EllenD":3e091jt3 said:
Yes, get him off of that crap immediately, paper towels are better. It doesn't matter if it says it's for bearded dragons, it's junk and it's harmful.

Please make sure that you ditch that coil UVB bulb and order a proper tube bulb. I don't know what length your hood is, but you need a 10% UVB tube, the best available is the Reptisun 10.0 (make sure it's 10.0 and not the cheaper 5.0, that's for tropical reptiles) T8 UVB, either an 18" or a 24".

I understand that it's harmful, that's why I ordered the mat, I will put in paper towels tonight. i will order a new hood and bulb too, I'm not sure what percent the one I took off of my hermit crab cage is so I will just have to buy another. Another question, how many super worms is it safe to feed in one feeding?
 

JamesTheLizard

Member
Original Poster
Vandy":8stx6zo5 said:
I think that is build up from him digging around in the chestnut. You should clean his nose than place him on paper towel until your mat comes in and see if it comes back

Cleaning it off is easier said than done- but I will give it another go. Now that I think of it, it's probably the chestnut as I just swapped out his sand for that.
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
Yes, please buy a new Reptisun 10.0 T8 UVB and make sure his basking spot is within 6-8" of the light. UVB bulbs only last for 6 months, so you'd probably need a new one anyway, and I highly doubt that whatever you were using for your hermit crabs as a UVB bulb will be appropriate for your Beardie! Bearded dragons are very specific and unique in their lighting and temperature needs, particularly their UVB needs, and unfortunately pretty much ALL of their bodily functions are dictated by them getting the appropriate wavelength and amount of UVB light. So if you have the wrong UVB bulb it literally causes medical problems in every part of their being. Also unfortunate is the fact that out of the million different UVB bulbs out there, even the ones labeled okay for bearded dragons, only a handful (literally, like 4-5 UVB bulbs) are appropriate for bearded dragons. The Reptisun 10.0 tube is absolutely the best UVB light for Beardies available. An 18" Reptisun 10.0 T8 tube costs $37.99 at Petco (just the bulb, not the fixture, however Walmart sells an 18" T8 fixture for $10 and a 24" T8 fixture for $11, I own both). I don't suggest buying the Reptisun in a Petco or PetSmart store, but rather go to www.petmountain.com where an 18" Reptisun 10.0 T8 UVB tube costs $23.99, and a 24" is $25.99. Then buy whichever fixture at Walmart (if you decide on a 24" bulb buy the 24" blacklight fixture/bulb combo that Walmart sells for $11, if you buy the 18" bulb they don't sell an 18" flourescent tube fixture for $10) and also buy some 3M command hooks and mount the fixture INSIDE the back top of the enclosure, centered. This way you're not spending a small fortune buying a new hood (I'm not sure how your enclosure is but you cannot have glass, mesh screen, or anything else between the UVB bulb and your beardie, you will lose up to 50%+ of the UVB light to the glass or mesh) and the new bulb.

What are you using to try and get the brown junk off of his nostrils? Is it just stained or is there actually gunk stuck to his snout? I can't tell from the photo, but if it's stained it might just need to wear off, if it's actually gunk stuck to his snout you need to get it off, but you don't want to rip skin off with it. And for future reference, never ever ever use any of those damn loose substrates for Beardies, and spread the word!!! You should never put a baby, juvenile, or even sub-adult beardie on a loose substrate of any kind, and as far as adult Beardies, the only even partially safe loose substrate is SCREEN-WASHED PLAYSAND, the plain old tan playsand you can buy at Home Depot for $3.50 and get a 50 pound bag of. And you still have to rewash and screen filter the playsand before you put it in their enclosures. I had my male adult on playsand starting when he was around a year and a half old, and he was on it until he was 11 years old and he died of natural causes. But it was a royal pain in the ass! I never fed him anything inside of his enclosure, he had a separate feeding tank that had it's own duplicate UVB and basking light setup because sometimes he would take forever to eat his greens or his crickets/silkworms. And I had to scoop off the top 1/2 inch of sand once a week, at least, and replace it, and if it ever got really wet or anything it all had to go because the risk of fungal and bacterial infections is too great. So no more sand for me. And I can't tell you how many bearded dragons have died as a result of their enclosures having either crushed walnut shells, crushed chestnut shells, or reptibark or just regular bark, or any of the brands of Calcium sand (should be illegal, it's made to taste and smell good to them so they eat it and get their Calcium, but when it gets wet it turns to a clump of basically a clay-like substance that sits in their gastrointestinal tract and just clogs it, and won't move). The walnut shells and chestnut shells not only are a breeding ground for fungal and bacterial infections and keep the humidity in the enclosure way too high for a bearded dragon, but when it's eaten by them it never breaks down, it either just sits in their stomach or intestines and doesn't move, causing a fatal blockage, or if it does move even a little the jagged edges of the shells rip their insides apart.

As far as the superworms go you'll get varying answers. I'm assuming your beardie is at least 16 inches long from snout to the tip of his tail, he needs to be to safely eat superworms, but if he's 7 years old I would assume he is at least that long. As far as how many to feed him in one feeding, I wouldn't feed him as many as he will eat, because they should never be lone staple protein. They have very hard exoskeletons and regularly cause impactions. My girl now is only 7 months old but is nearly 18" long, so she gets a couple small superworms as treats but never more than 2 or 3 large ones at one time. She would sit and eat the entire container if I let her, but I just don't trust them enough to feed them to her except for a treat now and then. Her staple insects are Dubias, crickets, and Phoenix/Calciworms/Reptiworms when I can find them (I'm probably going to start ordering either Phoenix worms or silkworms/silkworm eggs online as her main feeders soon, they're the best feeders in my opinion, loaded with calcium, protein, and vitamins and minerals, and soft so they never cause any impaction worries). Hopefully someone else who feeds superworms as a staple insect can chime in and give you appropriate information.
 
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