Baby beardie neck hard after eating

[kmariet47]

My bearded dragon is three months old, I got her about two weeks ago and everything has been going well. However, she threw up twice recently right after eating her greens. Now I noticed two days ago her neck was hard and bigger than usual (after she ate) late that night her neck was back to her normal size. Same thing today and yesterday but the swelling didn’t go down as fast and when she was basking I did see food in her neck. I have a vet app on Monday but in the meantime I’d like some answers if possible.

For greens/vegetables she gets collard greens, dandelion greens, mustard greens, butternut squash and bell peppers. For bugs she gets BSFL and baby dubia roaches. I gave her crickets once, they were 1/4 inch in size and she had 20 and then some baby dubia, and idk if this is related but I feel like all of this happened after those crickets which was a week ago. She still poops every day or every other day.

For lighting on the cool side I have the reptisun 18inch 10.0 T8 uvb 15watt and it is usually fluctuating between 85-95 with 30% humidity in the day. The basking side I have a 150watt bulb (not mercury vapor but I can get that if you think it’s better) and I have a heat emitter as well. The basking side humidity is 20-30% and temp 102-110. It does fluctuate between those degrees but never lower unless it’s nights and the lights are off and the temp is 75-80. I spoke with the breeder I got her from and she said it sounds like I’m doing everything correctly.

 

[KarrieRee]

I am wondering if she was hording food storing it in the beard they will do that and it does usually go down --- please make sure the distance for the UVB is inside the tank w/ NO clear plastic cover over the bulb and 6-8 inches directly over the basking decor -- temps should be taken w/ a digital probe thermometer - your basking bulb is fine --- you might want to set up another basking bulb one thats lower wattage that will keep temps in the 90's w/ the UVB --- can you move it to the center of the tank or closer to the hot side ?

 

[kmariet47]

Do you know why they do that? The uvb fixture has the reflective part in it but no cover. I do have another lower basking bulb I could use instead of the heat emitter. I do move the uvb around to either side to make sure she gets enough. Lately though she’s been mostly on the cool side.

 

[KarrieRee]

The heat emitter should only supplement heat if you need temps higher but for the most part it should only be used at nite if temps are dropping below 65 at nite--- your basking bulbs need to be used during the day as they provide UVA and start digestion- I would set up the UVB w/ a lower wattage basking bulb next to each other or behind the UVB fixture so she's getting both- you want 3 temps in the tank 80's cool side mid tank 90's and basking area 95-100 for a juvie/ adult dragon----- baby 105-110

 

[kmariet47]

She is eating greens on her own, before she would rely on me to hand feed. But she is still storing food in her neck all day. Today is the first day in four days where it looks like she got all of her food down but she was moving her body like she was about to throw up. I’ve had her for two weeks and she has thrown up her veggies twice a few minutes after eating and she still sometimes moves her body like she’s going to throw up and it’s only after eating greens not bugs. The vet can’t figure out why. She said it could be adenovirus but she’s not sure. Her symptoms don’t seem as extreme as adenovirus and the vet agrees.

Also, I noticed when she’s just hanging in her enclosure she randomly closes one or both or her eyes. Normally I wouldn’t think anything of it but it happens enough where I’m wondering if this is normal for a juvenile beardie. I spoke to the breeder who assures me I am doing everything right and I really feel that I am. Any answers would be helpful!

 

[CooperDragon]

It's not good that she was throwing up. Hopefully it is just because she was eating too quickly or too much. Have you noticed her eating a lot at once during meals?

It would be good to double check your temps. You want to measure the surface temps using a digital thermometer with a probe placed on the basking surface or an Infrared Temp Gun. Lighting should be adjusted based on surface temp reading. Shoot for around 100-105ish basking surface with areas around that in the 90s and a gradient down to 75-80ish on the cool side of the enclosure during the day. The T8 UVB should sit about 6-8'' above the main basking area for optimal output.

Can you post some photos of your dragon and her setup? You can upload photos here https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ and post them to your thread using the XIMG button when you reply.

 

[kmariet47]

I do have an infrared temp gun! The basking is between 100-110 and the cool side is usually in the 90s. I feel like either the basking side is too cool or the cool side is too hot. Im trying to figure that out still. Also, the vet called said she has coccidia, could that be why she’s having food and eye issues? I’m trying to figure out how to upload the picture lol

 

[CooperDragon]

OK good, a temp gun should work well. The cool side is a bit too hot. I'd probably bring the basking temp down to adjust for that. In the long run, you can just watch their behavior and make adjustments based on their preference. If they bask a lot in the hottest spot, then the temps can stay or move a bit higher. If they avoid the hottest spot or appear to be spending most of their time in the cooler areas, you can bring the temps down a bit and see how that goes. It varies a bit between dragons, but the temp recommendations we usually provide area good place to start.

Coccidia can be a bit rough on them, but it's treatable. Ponazuril usually does the trick in just a few doses. It's important to clean and sanitize everything that comes in contact with poop during treatment in order to prevent re-infection. Using disposable substrate like newspaper or butcher paper is a good idea during treatment. Minimizing items in the enclosure (so less to sanitize) often makes sense too. Keep in mind that Coccida won't respond to bleach and must be killed using an ammonia solution, steam (heat), or a veterinary disinfectant like F10.

 

[kmariet47]

She keeps going on the cool side so I figured it was too hot and switched to a lower wattage. Thank you so much this helps immensely!!!!

 

[kmariet47]

 

[KarrieRee]

Did you get the UVB re-adjusted? The T 8 needs to be unobstructed w/ the distance of 6-8 inches

 

[kmariet47]

With no screen you mean? I actually just ordered the T5 10.0 so I can continue to use the screen

 

[KarrieRee]

Yes--- as long as your screen is a wide hole type the T 5 will be able to sit on top --- screens block 30% of UVB rays -- so to be best effective for the dragon it needs to be properly placed --- but as of now that screen is blocking the UVB rays if its not unobstructed

 

[kmariet47]

Saw the vet today and I was asking about disinfecting the enclosure for coccidia because I have stuff in there that I made for it but it can’t get wet without being ruined. The vet advised me to use bleach but I was told that does not kill coccidia. Also, she never heard of F10 solution. Any research I do says F10 solution is good for cleaning but not killing coccidia. I’m at a loss here

 

[KarrieRee]

Go figure -- F 10 is really good --- I used it to kill the coccidia in my tank--- you can order it on line thru Walmart and it is spendy it last a long time and its concentrated so you will need to mix it w/ water --- F 10 kills about everything and coccidia is one of them --- my dragon has not gotten that stuff back so I dont know what to say