Bearded dragon seems terrified. Might be blind??

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georgiamay

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Hi guys, I have an urgent question. Last night my beardie Bowie was acting really strange and it quite honestly ready upset me. He is usually very loving and affectionate, and will do anything for cuddles bless him. But last night he was acting absolutely terrified of the world and was extremely skittish. He was also running full pelt into walls and trying to scratch up them. He usually responds really well to me calming him down, but nothing was working. I even tried testing his eyes by seeingtheir reaction to a light but he didn' t respond. After about 30 minutes he finally settled, and he seemed to be acting normally again. Even his eyes seemed fine. What??
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
What kind of lighting do you have in your tank ? Brand and bulb of UVB? Do you have any colored bulbs? Usually behavior has a lot to do w/ their lighting ----
Karrie
 

georgiamay

New member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":bz8t7tn3 said:
What kind of lighting do you have in your tank ? Brand and bulb of UVB? Do you have any colored bulbs? Usually behavior has a lot to do w/ their lighting ----
Karrie
He has a Reptile One UVB 10.0, and two Exo Terra infrared basking spots. All have been in his enclosure since he moved in with us, and so are only 60% through their lifespans.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Here is some info on UVB's
Which UVB light should I use?
The best UVB light is a ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube HO (Or Arcardia 12% in the UK). Compact or coil bulbs do not emit the proper amount of UVB light for a bearded dragon, and should not be used. Other brands, such as the Zilla Desert Series and ReptiGlo have been known to cause eye problems and other health issues with bearded dragons, and should be avoided. The reason that some UVB lights (Zilla, ReptiGlo, coils/compacts, ect.) are considered dangerous is because the wavelength of UVB that they emit is shorter and more intense than the wavelength of the "safe" lights (ReptiSun, Arcadia). UVB lights should be replaced every 6 months. The T5’s are a strong bulb and only need to be replaced once a year – the T 8 every 6 months--- where as the T 8 are not as strong—they need to be placed inside the tank the T 5 10.0 bulb approx 10-11 inches from basking spot – the T 8 approx 8-10 inches from basking spot—the cover needs to be off the bulb for full effect of the UVB rays--
Karrie
 

SPandS

Juvie Member
If the exo terra infrared bulbs are those red bulbs please remove them as soon as you can. Bearded dragons can see the color red. Replace those with a bright white bulb, you can use a standard old fashion house hold bulb if you have any extras laying around.
 

georgiamay

New member
Original Poster
Thank you for all your information guys. You were semi-correct about the lights - we were given incorrect information by the breeder about the lifespan of the lights. We have since replaced his reptile one light with an Arcadia 12% as recommended by our vet. Yes, we do use the red lights, but since they are switched off at night the vet says it's not an issue. Finally, we discovered Bowie was born with poor depth perception in both eyes, and it's getting worse. All this means is that he'll need more assistance with feeding and what not. We're still not certain what his little panic attack was, but the vets guess was that it was a night fright similar to what you see in birds. This is especially plausible due to his poor vision. Once again, thank you for all for the help ?
 

SPandS

Juvie Member
Personally I would still replace the red bulbs. The purpose of a bright white heat bulb isn't just to provide heat it's also to allow the dragons pupils to constrict to block the usb rays from harming their eyes. A red bulb doesn't have the right wave lengths to do that.

How was it determined that he was born with poor depth perception and that it's not due to the wrong lights?

He may have seen something that just spooked him, not being able to see well he could have mistaken something as a predator and again not being able to see well to get away he was just freaking out.
 
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