Possible URI? Not eating, slight clicking sounds, VERY young

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TigerBomb

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Bearded dragon newbie here.

On Monday my baby beardie (7 inches long, not more than 3 months old) barely ate, I thought maybe something just made her mad so I wasn't too worried about it. Tuesday she wouldn't eat all. Now today, Wednesday, she STILL won't eat. She will take water still and her last poop was on Tuesday morning (it looked normal and had a urate) but no poop today. She has started very rarely making clicking sounds when drinking water, and she clicked when I picked her up a few hours ago. She also looks slightly bloated even though she hasn't eaten anything. She is still basking, though in a very lethargic manner. She is still moving around the temperature gradient when too hot/too cold. She is so dark and looks so sad. I don't know what else I can do for her. She sees the vet tomorrow morning but I'm so scared I will wake up tomorrow and she will have passed :cry: Does this sound like a URI? Is there anything I can do for her right now tonight to ensure she makes it to the vet tomorrow?

Background: I was at petsmart 2 months ago and saw a sad all-black little baby dragon. Knowing nothing about dragons or even reptiles, but knowing enough to see that she was sickly/unhappy, I immediately bought a 10G tank kit at the (bad) advice of an employee, bought her, and brought her home. Over time I have been trying my best to learn about them and do everything I can for her. She has a thrive UVB lamp (bad I know, I have been trying to make up for it by taking her outside in direct sunlight for an hour every day, I sit with her) and a basking lamp in a 10G tank (the original kit I bought). Her temps stay 105 in her basking area and humidity stays 15-20% during the day, spikes up to about 45% at night. She eats primarily dubia roaches but gets crickets & superworms as treats. She can't be older than 3 months. She was under 4 inches when I got her, and near 7 inches now. Last Friday we finally got our tax return and have bought her a 40 gallon and are just waiting for the Reptisun T5 10.0 UVB and Hood to come in (already ordered) to set her up in it.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Ok good deal on the tank and UVB --- when it comes in post back on here so I can help you get it set up does she have any mucous coming out of her nose or mouth - any bubbles in the mouth --- ? Please post a pic of her and if you can get a video of the clicking noise -- record on youtube and post the link - we can have Tracie our vet tech mod on here listen and look --- the T 5 has certain placement so I want to help you get it correctly placed - she will go thru relocation stress so that could be a part of the not eating -- I am hoping shes not sick -- has her color changed at all ? How are you getting the basking temps these are extremely important along w/ the UVB -- temps should be taken w/ a digital probe thermometer --
 

TigerBomb

Member
Original Poster
Here are a collection of images I took just now https://imgur.com/a/UibCeqk

The only real color difference I noticed is that she got overall darker except for the tip of her face, which got lighter and yellower. The tip of her face used to be a sandy brown like the rest of her body, but now it's a weird yellow/white color.... Also I do not know what a digital probe thermometer is, I will buy one though if I need to if someone can link me 1

I tried to get a video but she didn't do the clicking when drinking water or being picked up this time. She's really only done it like maybe 2-3 times? Definitely not every time and she doesn't do it when she is just left alone

Edit: Forgot to add! I haven't noticed any mucus or anything like that either
 

TigerBomb

Member
Original Poster
Would a temperature gun work instead, like one of those non-contact infrared thermometers with the little laser?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I use all 3 stick ons ir gun and the digital probe thermometer the probe is the most accurate- I recommend both- make sure you have a digital probe hygrometer- place the probe on the back center wall- of your tank - optimal humidity is 30-50% -- you don't want it lower than 20 and not higher than 70%
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Also ir guns will not read off of certain materials like hammocks
 

TigerBomb

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Original Poster
After vet update: Turns out she has an impaction, from what exactly, I don't know! We were giving her superworms on & off so thinking that's probably the cause. The vet showed us where we can feel the impaction (it's definitely there) and gave us a laxative to put in her baths, instructed us to feed her 50/50 carnivore/herbivore critical care mix + gave her an antibiotic shot just in case something else is going on since she was having some clicking.

She said her mouth and nose both look good, and that she really couldn't see anything wrong besides the small mass on her lower right abdomen. Here's hoping we can get that impaction out of there with some baths, massaging and laxatives. No more superworms for this little lady
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I have not heard of laxatives in the bath but if you want to make her go feed her natural laxatives like unsweetened applesauce canned pumpkin seems to work really good -- feed it to her till she goes -- and to be given a antibiotic w/ out testing for infection like blood work that is ridiculous -- I would skip the shot -- its just going to stress her out --- if you want to get blood work to find out IF SHE ACTUALLY has an infection then I would give the antibiotic but just to give it NOT --how often is she making the clicking noise and did she do it at the vet???-- make sure she stays hydrated that will also help but she has to actually drink the water -- so if shes not drinking in the bath water she wont get hydrated thats where the dropping on the nose so she licks it or by syringe and give VERY SLOW so she does not aspirate --
 

TigerBomb

Member
Original Poster
The laxative she gave is dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate apparently, we already bathed her in it today and she did drink from the water, I have been giving her drops of water every few hours too anyways since all this started.

The vet did already give the shot while they had her, because of Covid19 I wasn't able to be in the office with the vet during the examination so I'm unsure if they heard the clicking, but she has done it when picked up so it's possible. She didn't recommend bloodwork but did recommend an xray, but they wanted $200 for the xray. The exam + laxative + shots were already $230 so I just skipped the xray for now as $400 in one blow to my bank account is not something I can financially handle atm
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

How is your little one doing? She is too small for a blood draw though.
What type of shot did they give her, subcutaneous fluids?
You can also give some canned pumpkin along with sugar free apple sauce to help move
things through. You can also add a drop or two of coconut oil, too. She should like the taste
of it so just drip some of the mix onto her nose with a dropper or syringe.
The Reptisun T5 10% tube is a great bulb, too. I am sure that will help a lot.
Most of us use a combination or methods for measuring the temperatures.

Let us know how she is doing.
Tracie
 

TigerBomb

Member
Original Poster
Heya! The first vet yesterday gave her a "Doxycycline injectable (20mg/ml)" shot. I actually took her to a second vet today for another opinion as I saw an ad online that they were offering a very tempting discount for new clients (thank goodness for my phone listening to me, right? :lol: )

The 2nd vet agreed it was most likely an impaction as well, specifying she thinks it's in the colon, they palpitated her tummy for a while and then gave her fluids and sent us home. She actually seemed to perk up today too, still not eating bugs, but is taking water and critical care very well. She wasn't acting lethargic today & still has enough energy to fight me on baths as well lol :roll: This vet said to give her until Monday and if nothing happens by then she wants to see her again, we will relent & get the x-rays done if this isn't resolved by Monday. The little lump seems to have changed shaped and moved a bit, hoping that means it is on its way out the tail end.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
If it is impaction DO NOT let them do a enema -- unless its absolutely the last resort - they often end up in disaster --- feed natural laxatives like canned pumpkin unsweetened applesauce or even baby food prunes -- feed till she poops -- and keep her hydrated that will help move things along
 
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