Help are my bearded dragons eyes ok?!?!

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Maddy5150

Hatchling Member
Hi I'm a new beardie mom to a 7 month old I'm concerned about his eyes are they ok? I know the eyes can be indicators of big issues.
108349-3911162894.jpg

Also when I pet his head or try to hand feed him his eyes close I've heard that's bad? And sometimes when he is basking he closes his eyes. Is he ok? Sorry for so much but I'm really scared he's not ok.
 

CooperDragon

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It is common behavior for them to close their eyes when basking or being interacted with sometimes. That in itself isn't cause for concern. I can't get a good look at his eyes and face in the photo. Can you post another with brighter lighting and a bit closer?
 

CooperDragon

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His eyes look fine to me in the closer photo. He looks pretty healthy in general. He is shedding his nostril though and any kind of face shed often gets them pretty grumpy for a little while (understandably). I don't see cause for concern.
 

Maddy5150

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Ok thank you so much! I just got him so I'm trying to make sure everythings ok also because I just got him he doesn't want to eat which I know is normal but what about the calcium and vitamin powder he wont eat so I can't give it to him right?
 

CooperDragon

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Don't worry about that too much yet. You can try offering some black soldier fly larvae and see if he goes for those. They are pretty nutrient rich on their own (but in general you want to offer as wide a variety of feeders as possible). If you'd like me to review your lighting and setup I'd be happy to do so. Information about surface temperatures around the enclosure and lighting brands/wattages as well as photos can be helpful.
 

Maddy5150

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
108349-6995571526.jpg

That'd be awesome thank you!! I have a MVB 100watt about 14to16 inches away from his basking wood, I have a hide, hammock, and some fake plants. The substrate is currently blue thick paper towels but I'm changing that to linoleum today. Also I have a thermometer and hygrometer meter that I feel aren't super accurate because it says his basking area is only 92.8 degrees which feels really low for a MVB so I ordered a temp gun but for while I'll wait for it im going to get a new thermometer with a probe.
 

CooperDragon

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That's a good setup. Same enclosure I have (Exo Terra). I do have some suggestions that may make things even better. The 100w (which brand? PowerSun? they all vary a bit) is a little bit too far to provide adequate UVB. The mesh top on these is really fine and intercepts both heat and UVB coming from the bulb. If you don't have any other animals in the house you might consider leaving the top off and hanging the light from an adjustable lamp stand. That way you can get it in a bit closer. Usually 10-12'' is about right for a 100w MVB. The downside is that you can't adjust temperatures independently. If you aren't getting surface temps on the basking site between about 100-105(ish) with the MVB in the 10-12'' range then you might consider getting a T5 UVB tube and then using a halogen bulb for heat. That way you can set the UVB at an appropriate distance and adjust heat independently.

It's good that you are getting a temp gun. That will help you get good surface readings. It's also good to have a probe on the basking site (and one on the cool side if you can) so that you can always tell the temp gradient at a glance. Let me know what the readings are when you have a temp gun and I'll be happy to help guide you from there and make everything just right for your buddy.
 

CooperDragon

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Just for reference, this is what I mean by hanging the lamps from an adjustable stand. They can just be hung from a metal pole that raises and lowers easily.

76248-4037503768.jpg
 

Maddy5150

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Awesome thank you so much for all your help I'm going to try lowering the light closer and hopefully that will help if not I'll definitely be getting him a different light set up but I'll for sure let you know about the temp gun!
 

Maddy5150

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Also the MVB I use is evergreen pets brand and what do you think about gut loading crickets with the flukers calcium cricket feed would that be too much calcium for my beardie?
 

CooperDragon

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I don't know that brand so it may not be reliable (I can't say for sure). and I don't have test results to know the appropriate distance but 10-12'' is an educated guess based on other bulbs. You might want to invest in a good T5 or maybe swap in a PowerSun bulb for now.

I don't like to gutload bugs with anything except fresh veges. Keep them well hydrated and eating veges and then just give them a light even dusting of calcium powder at feeding time (knocking off any excess in a small cup and that should do the trick.
 

Maddy5150

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Ok thank you! I was reading on a website called reptile guide and they said that a lot of beardie owners who use the evergreen bulbs say their the best ones to use idk though I'm really scared he's not getting enough uvb or heat.
 

CooperDragon

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Heat is easy to check with the temp gun or digital w/probe. That is pretty universal. The harder part is determining UVB output which requires a UV Meter and those aren't cheap (~$200). That's why we tend to follow the test results from uvguide.co.uk and our own sets of test results for approximating distances and recommending specific brands. It's not to say the Evergreen bulbs are bad, I just don't have any data from them (yet).
 
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