cracking popping sounds in jaw

Drache613":9s04zbei said:

Hello,

I agree, you could leave a shallow pan of water in during the day, but, take it out in the evening & overnight to reduce the chances of drowning or him getting chilled by laying in the water.
Please do review your tank setup with us, because husbandry plays a vital role in their health.
Are you using a UVB light for him?

Tracie

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So I went to the nearby reptile store and got him all his proper lighting and calcium + vitamin powder. I also told the guy my beardie hates veggies. He says some do that but it's not the end of the world so long as he's getting his food dusted properly and gets misted daily for hydration. He says if I wanted to get him to eat veggies to just starve him out for a week then drop some veggie in. He says "it sounds barbaric yes and cruel but if you want him to eat them you gotta use tough love. But he still seems young and might one day just David to eat them on his own. Keep trying you're doing good by him. And now that has got the right lights and dust he's sure to live now." I brought him in with me for them to see. They say he doesn't have MBD and other than lack of proper lighting he was totally fine. he also suggested I lower the water level in his pan at night so I he does decide to lay in it he doesn't fall asleep in it. But refill it during the day so he can cool off if needed. i just went in to check on him and he's sandy yellow again.

I'm using a uvb tube light that reaches 18 inches into the cage. The man said the light has to penetrate straight to the bottom of the enclosure. Now the instructions said replace after 12 months but the man said replace after 8months...when do y'all replace it.

I also got him a 100w basking bulb... Turns out a already had one in there but when I put the new one in it was 10x brighter.

I also inquired about a thermometer. He assured me so long as he's eating and deficating normally after each meal the temperature is good. He also said because of the size of my tank it will warm up quicker so to turn off the basking light at night. He also said if I wanted I could turn off the uvb at night.

Do y'all turn yours off at night? I left his on all night.

It's great that you're asking questions but I think it's best to get your info from here rather than a pet store. The job of the guy at the pet store is to sell you stuff. The people on this site want only for you to succeed and for your dragon to be healthy. The fact that the pet store guy disagrees with what has been said here and makes it seem as though you are right while everyone else here is wrong should give you pause. There are people here with a ton of experience and wisdom to offer. I would tap into this great resource and do right by your dragon instead of trying to prove that you are right.

I agree with the previous poster.
Please understand that this forum is full of many people that have years and years of experience and are trying to guide you in the proper direction for the well-being of your dragon. The gentleman at the pet store, though kind and helpful, is not the best source for information. There are many posts on this forum documenting the terrible and sometimes deadly advise given to them by the pet store as much as they are trying to help. Hell, I got bad advise from an exotics vet!

Your dragon does need a vet, and he does have signs of MBD. Please take this information seriously and do not dismiss it.
I am very glad you went and got the appropriate lighting, and it sounds like you grabbed a T5 bulb if it's saying every 12mo. Can you confirm the brand and strength? Photos would help.

As stated previously, REMOVE THE WATER PAN AT NIGHT. Do not just lower the level. Remove it entirely. Drowning isn't the only scare.

All lights go off at night. Both basking and UVB.
Please keep us updated on your progress with your dragon.

Hello,

How is your dragon doing today?
If you are using one of the UVB lights we recommend, either the Reptisun 10 tube or the Arcadia D3 12% tube, then you can replace every 6 months. If you are using the T5 tube bulb of either one of those brands which is a higher output bulb, you can get by with longer than a year for replacement.
Definitely let us know which one you purchased.
I agree, he should see a vet, so you can get an x-ray to see what his bones look like & get some liquid calcium for him also.

Tracie

My biggest disagreement with the pet store guy is that you really do need to get a thermometer so you can shoot for the proper temperatures that have already been mentioned. I use a setup that is designed for monitoring weather, with a "main console" that has three channels for wireless remote digital probes that measure temperature and humidity, and I put one at the basking site, one at the cool end, and one in the middle of the tank. That way you can be sure if your temperatures are correct at all times. Others recommend something called an "infrared temp gun" (?), but I have no experience with those. Avoid the little stick on dial thermometers -- they're not accurate. But you do need something to give you accurate readings on the temperatures.

I also use a UV meter to check the output on my UV tubes about once a month, so I can replace them when the output starts to drop. Either the Solarmeter 6.2 or 6.5 can work well. The 6.2 reads UVB in microwatts/square centimeter, and the 6.5 gives a UV index which can be more useful for determining if your beardie is getting what he needs, but either one is adequate just for deciding when to replace the tubes. Unfortunately, both of them cost about $250 (last time I checked), so you can get by without a meter by replacing the tubes according to the manufacturer's recommendations, but I have found that there is a wide variation between different tubes -- some of them have a lower output when they're brand new than others, according to the meter.

I think the most important thing (as others have said) is to get your beardie to a qualified experienced reptile vet and follow the advice that you get from the vet to the best of your ability. And the vet's advice should supersede whatever you were told at the pet store.

I hope we've all been able to do more good than harm with helping you to get your beardie happy and healthy and keep him that way.

And BTW, thanks everyone for bringing it to my attention that it's not a good idea to leave a water dish in your beardie's enclosure at night. I've been using an upside down frisbee (too shallow to drown in and helps with humidity since it gets very dry inside Alaskan homes in the winter), but it never occurred to me that he could lay in it at night and get too cold. He has never done that so far, but better safe than sorry. I'm going to try to get in the habit of removing the "water dish" (along with the stale salad that I replace in the morning) from now on.

Drache613":3750rril said:

Hello,

How is your dragon doing today?
If you are using one of the UVB lights we recommend, either the Reptisun 10 tube or the Arcadia D3 12% tube, then you can replace every 6 months. If you are using the T5 tube bulb of either one of those brands which is a higher output bulb, you can get by with longer than a year for replacement.
Definitely let us know which one you purchased.
I agree, he should see a vet, so you can get an x-ray to see what his bones look like & get some liquid calcium for him also.

Tracie

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He's much better now. I did take the water out at night his crickets started trying to swim in it.... ew. But the cracking has stopped. The warm side is around... 97-98 degrees and the cool side is 85. His color is now ashy lol he's about to shed. But I noticed he hasn't pooped in a few days so I put him in the bath tub with lukewarm water and out popped a large piece of.... chalk. Lol solid chalk. I went to grab it and for the first time ever he flared his blackbeard at me and hissed. i pulled back to give him space and Seconds later the water was filled with poo. He continued for 3 more water changes. Not 100% sure what that was all about but at least it's out. I've seen white poop in his tank before but it's never been like chalk. Do you all have any good methods on how to get him to eat baby food and if so what types. Because I'd really like to get this guy to start eating some vegetables of some kind.

[img ][/img] here's his home. I've recently taken the stickers off. But he lives in terminus lol

that's how he drinks his water. He gets in with his entire face submerged. Once he's done he gets out and sits on his rock. He has a in tube light now his color has come back quite nicely. And the cracking sounds have stopped. I had an iguana that I took to the vet once for MBD (it came to us like that. The guy said it was "muscular") but when it just stopped moving altogether one day I took him into the vet where he was given the MBD diagnosis. It was so bad.... they offered to put him down since be had become basically a vegetable. But lacking the money I did the only thing I thought would be the most reptilian humane put down... I put him in a Tupperware then put him deep freeze. I know its horrible... spare me.... but its done. This guy WILL NOT have the same fate I promise you all that! He is gonna live for 30 years! I'll make sure of it!! Besides Estaban was an *******. Ranger is far from. I wanna make sure he gets the best I can give. I LOVE him and so does my son. My son loves taking him outside to sit in the sun with him for a while. Ranger just falls asleep on his shoulder... mild intervals of mouth breathing to regulate the heat. On the 3rd mouth opening we head in.

(Btw thanks for giving me the photo link. I'm still rather new to this site lol)

"White poop" (aka urate) is normal for beardies. Lots of reptiles that live in desert environments are able to concentrate their urine into solid powder instead of liquid in order to conserve water. And the white stuff usually comes out first when they poop; that's normal too. And it can sometimes be white, yellow, pink, red, green, or look like chalk, and that doesn't necessarily mean that anything is seriously wrong.

Whether or not they blackbeard and hiss at you under whatever circumstances just depends on the beardie's personality and their relationship with their human slaves... :?

He looks pretty good, and the pictures of him cuddling with you little boy are adorable, but a visit to a good reptile vet would still be a good idea if you can swing it, especially if there are doubts about his calcium status and bone health.

He ate his first note of strawberry tonight. I sliced them thin and he grabbed the thickest of them chewed it up and jumped when he swallowed. Almost like ahhhh wth was that I just ate! Then walked away. He's never eaten any real food before that... willingly. Is a startled jump normal? He doesn't normally do that with bugs. perhaps it was because it was cold???

Sounds like maybe he was surprised by the taste, especially if he's never tried strawberry before, or possibly by the temperature. :?

This is my lighting. Is this enough?

beardedlady1":z1erb5zl said:

This is my lighting. Is this enough?

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From what I've read on here, the compact fluorescent bulbs are not good for them. If I'm not mistaken people have said it's bad for their eyes and can cause neurological problems? Don't quote me on that but I think I've heard people have problems with those bulbs. I recommend you switch to the tube version of the reptisun 10.0... until you make the switch, that UVB is better than no UVB

Nateb55":23p14yma said:

beardedlady1":23p14yma said:

This is my lighting. Is this enough?

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From what I've read on here, the compact fluorescent bulbs are not good for them. If I'm not mistaken people have said it's bad for their eyes and can cause neurological problems? Don't quote me on that but I think I've heard people have problems with those bulbs. I recommend you switch to the tube version of the reptisun 10.0... until you make the switch, that UVB is better than no UVB

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It is a tube light. They only had 2 types either a round bulb or the tube. It screws in like a lightbulb. I have a dual hooded light. And a single hood. I wanted to put 2 of these uvb tubes in but I just really couldn't afford it. I also got him a thermometer.... it's 90 degrees on the hot side. But my sister came home and shut off all his lights and threw a blanket over him.... she's asleep right now with her door locked so I can't get in to set him up for the day. Or check the temperatures. I'll have to wait till 1 or even 3 pm when she wàkes up. (She's at that age when you're up all night and sleep all day for no reason) she comes home once a month to feed her rats.... she's the worst pet owner alive. And she's nasty so if I go in I'll leave missing teeth. So I'm not even gonna go there... ?