Shan-Shan's Strange Skin Condition?

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audreyrain

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Alright so, I'm obsessed with and love reptiles and I plan on being a herpetologist, I've cared for snakes and beardies but my 1 year old beardie has a problem neither I, nor my vet can identify!
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He has this strange discoloration of his scales and they get reddened or blackened and fall off it seems? But he is eating, pooping, and running around (he has always been very energetic and people friendly) and shows no sign of pain or irritation. He eats a balanced diet (with supplemented calcium), retains his weight, has a basking temp of 80-95 and a long ways UV bulb.
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Thank you for your help.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there, that is strange. Is it possible that he's getting burned ? Post pics of his set up showing exactly the placement of the heat bulbs ?
 

VenusAndSaturn

Sub-Adult Member
Definitely looks like burn marks to me from what i've seen before.... Definietly upload pics of his setup and lighting placement.
80-95 is a bit too cold for a basking species like this to have for a basking spot, may work for a snake but not for a beardie. Then again it may be correct temps but you just aren't monitoring them with the correct equipment like a temp gun or digital thermometer with a probe so it's showing the wrong temperature on the stick on thermometer or faulty thermometer.

Does he have a heat pad/heat rock inside his enclosure at all, or even the heat lamp in his enclosure?
 

EllenD

Gray-bearded Member
I agree, looks exactly like burns from a light...Exactly what UVB tube do you have, and what Basking Bulb do you have? (wattage, color)

Your "Basking Temperature? of 80-95 is very troubling, as Dragons need a Cool Side Air/Ambient between 75-80 degrees f, a Hot Side Air/Ambient between 88-93 degrees F, and then an actual Basking Spot/Platform SURFACE Temperature between 105-110 degrees F, which must be measured with either a Temperature Gun or a Digital Probe Thermometer, as no Stick-On Thermometer can measure a Surface Temperature...Without a high enough Basking Spot/Platform Surface Temperature, a Dragon cannot properly digest his food. Also, you should be trying to replicate natural sunlight over the Hot Side of his tank by placing a long UVB tube right alongside a bright-white colored Basking Bulb, so that they are both sharing the top of the Hot Side of the tank, and then his Basking Spot/Platform should be positioned within the Hot Side of the tank, directly underneath both lights, so that he is absorbing both lights at the same time while basking...Something is not quite right here..

UVB lights generally will not cause burns like this as they do not emit enough heat, however, if he's right up against one for a long time they could burn him too. Usually though burns like this are caused by the Dragon being far too close to either a Basking Bulb or a Mercury Vapor Bulb.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

I concur, it does appear to be burns for sure. Please review your tank setup a bit more
as to what wattage & type of basking lights you do use & how close they are to him.
You can get some raw, unpasteurized honey to put on the areas, as that does really help
with burns.
Most basking bulbs should not be any closer than 10 inches to your dragon, for safety.
Let us know how he is doing. I'm glad to hear he is still eating!

Tracie
 
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