bearded dragon acting really weird, getting very worried

[mafoo]

today at 10:30 the usual time i get my bearded dragon up i turned on his lights and left him alone for 30 mins so he can wake up like he usualy does as he is usualy grumpy in the mornings. its 1:36pm now and he still hasnt gotten up and out of his log that he usualy sleeps in. i decided to get him out and i lifted the log over him so he was out of it and then tried to pick him up and he puffed his beard out and tried to bite me! because he was grumpy i gave him 5 super worms which he went for since he loves super worms. he hasnt been moving like usual now and im really worried. i have him in a 50g tank with a reptisun 24" bulb inside the tank with a 150w basking bulb that keeps his tempetures up perfectly. i feed him 1 time a day and feed him as much as he can eat in 15 mins which is usualy about 50 crickets. i dont know how old he is but i got him in december as a juvenile at petsmart and he was pretty healthy. he is 15" right now and since he was 12" i started feeding 3 small supers a day and now im slowly uping it to 5 small supers and sometimes a bit more. he usualy eats a salad of collard greans, snow peas, and butternut squash which he likes and usualy eats most of it every day. i dont know what could be wrong since everything seems good but hes just been acting really weird this morning. any help would be appreciated, thanks in advance

 

[diamc]

Could you fill us in on the tank temps and what type of thermometer you're using? How often are you bathing him? Has he pooped within the last day or so and did the last one look normal, not runny, smelly or the urate hard or rubbery?

How often have you been dusting with calcium & vitamins?

 

[Claudiusx]

Hi there,

In addition to Diane's questions,

Is he pooing on a regular basis?
What substrate do you use?

150 watts seems WAY too much. Answering Diane's question about what you are using to measure temps would be helpful.
What exactly are your temps? Basking SURFACE, hot side, and cool side.

How old is your dragon?
Size and weight?

-Brandon

 

[mafoo]

i am using a stick on exo terra thermometer and his basking spot is 105. ill use my digital thermometer with a probe to get more accurate results but before they usualy were close to the same, but ill still check. he poops every day and usualy i dont bath him as he eats alot of veggys i thought the water in them would be enough. i dont know his weight or how old he is but hes 15" nose to tail. for substrate i just use a mat from the pet store. usualy his poops look fine. how often should i be bathing him? he was feeling better a while ago but now hes just back into his log and laying there.....

 

[Claudiusx]

I would definitely check the temps with your digital with probe.

You need to get the temps from three places: The basking SURFACE, the hot side, and the cool side. You need to leave the probe in each area for 45 minutes to get an accurate reading.

How old is the reptisun bulb?

Have you ever got a fecal done and when was the last time?
Do you dust with calcium/vitamins? How often?

-Brandon

 

[mafoo]

well instead of using the probe, i asked my dad and he happens to have a heat gun that he used for work so that should work even better. it turns out it was 117 in there! definately going to grab another light tommorow thats better, what wattage do you recomend? and for the other questions incase something else is wrong i just bought the reptisun bulb 2 weeks or so ago so i know its good. i dust with calcium and vitamins every day with the repashy calcium+. ive never ever got a fecal done since i dont have the money for that, although i probably should. how much would it cost do you think?

 

[Claudiusx]

Some vets charge around 20 bucks, some charge 50. You will want to call your vet and ask.

It sounds like your dragon was overheating in the tank. What were the hot side and cool side at?

I would start giving daily baths from now on if you weren't already, to help re-hydrate.

And I can't recommend a wattage. Everyone is different because there are many factors that come into play that dictate how hot a certain wattage will make a tank.

I would go to the store and pick up a few different wattages of normal household Bright White bulbs. They are really cheap so its not so hard on the wallet to buy a few different wattages until you find the one that works for you.

-Brandon

 

[diamc]

That explains why he didn't want to bask! Make sure that when you get a reading with the gun that you only hold it about 2" from the area you're checking. I would give him a bathe at least every day now for about a wk to make sure he isn't dehydrated. Then after that, bathe him 3 to 4 times a wk.

For bulb wattages, you could try a 75 or 60 watt, it depends on your room temps and how high the basking log or rock is. You can even use regular household bulbs.

Are you using calcium and separate vitamins or are they mixed together? It's hard to say how old your beardie is but sounds like he is under a yr old so you should be dusting with calcium with D3 for 5 days a wk but only 1 feeding a day and with vitamins 2 days a wk but only 1 feeding a day.

Edit: sorry Brandon we were posting at the same time.

 

[mafoo]

ill start giving him lots of baths now that i know. ill buy a couple diffrent bulbs to make sure i get a good one. and for what im using there mixed together and ive heard good things about it. i put on a weaker bulb and he still hasnt come out but ill give him a bath tonight so he gets nice and hydrated. also another thing i got thinking about is i bought a ceramic heat emiter for night times since my house was getting a bit under 65. i asked the pet store and they recomended a 60w one so i used this last night. could it be possible that he just never got to cool down much in the night so he couldnt handle the high tempeture in the day that hes had for a while? ive used the 150w bulb for quite a while now and hes been fine. also i will probably get a fecal done sometime just to make sure he has no parasites. thanks for all the help, i feel alot better knowing whats wrong and that i can get it fixed right away. i just hope he goes back to normal soon.

 

[diamc]

Actually, we recommend separate calcium & vitamins because they need a higher calcium intake and too many vitamins can cause problems.

It is possible that he hadn't really had the time to cool down. If you feel the need to use the CHE, make sure it is at the opposite side of the tank from where he is laying. What distance had you held the temp gun when you got the 117 reading? A bath tonight & frequently after that would be a good idea. You could also offer drinks of water with a medicine dropper on the tip of his nose.

Would be a good idea to get a fecal done, sure can't hurt. Be sure to keep us updated on him, hope you see a difference as fast as tomorrow.

 

[mafoo]

when i got the 117 reading i had it about 3" away from the log he basks on right where the heat goes on. i tried giving him a drink and he wouldnt take it. the bath only lasted 5 minutes as the bowl i had him in showed his reflection and after 5 mins he started puffing his beard and head bobbing and all that and then trying to attack his reflection so i got him out and he wouldnt go back in the bath. ill give him another bath tommorow and keep that up for a while. ill try and find somewhere to get a fecal done and ill probably buy diffrent calcium and vitamin powder. after his bath he did run around the house and chill out on my lap with me for a bit so i think hes feeling better already. right now hes basking since i put my ceramic heat emeter and other weak bulb i had together and its getting close to the right tempeture for him so ill leave it like that till his bed time. today i tried to feed him again and he only ate 5 crickets and he wouldnt run after them like usualy, i had to grab them with tongs and wave them infront of him for him to take it. also is it normal for him to eat alot of salad at such a young age? im pretty sure hes not over a year old as hes only 15". well im glad i could get things pretty close to fixed so soon and hes already feeling a bit better, i was scared he was sick there for a bit! im definately glad i have this forum for things like these!

 

[Nathan1995]

It's definitely normal for him to eat his salad, well actually in some cases some beardies won't, but it's very good that he is!

I have a 50g tank just like you and I have 97F basking spot and 80F ambient temps with a 40watt bulb alone, and I'm in England, the land of rain! So make sure to try a few different bulbs like you said. Glad to hear you've got his problem sorted. I had that exact problem about 2 months ago, and he became very lethargic, didin't want to eat, didn't leave his house, it took me weeks to figure out the problem so it's a good thing you did. Now my little guy eats like a champ, give him time to adjust to the new temps and don't worry if he still isn't acting perfectly normal the next few days, due to changed in his house.

Also, in the bath you could try putting down a flannel or towel on the floor, this would give him grip on the surface and make him feel more comfortable, and possibly even hide his reflection from himself, worked for me, maybe worth a try.

 

[mafoo]

so i had a 40w bulb in the house and im trying that out right now. my beardie is already feeling alot better running around in his tank like usual and basking! im very glad i got this problem sorted out so fast.im shocked that it being to hot in there has so much of a impact on them, normaly id think he would just want to get out and stay away from the basking spot! also for baths, what do you guys put them in? right now im just using my moms big cooking bowl that she uses and its to small, but it works for now. should i just put him in the bathtub?

 

[Claudiusx]

I just bathe my dragons in the bathtub.

That is good that he is acting better. What temp readings are you getting with the 40 watt?

-Brandon

 

[mafoo]

i just checked it and it was only about 80 in there, and it was actualy a 60w. ill give it a bit longer to warm up more and check again but its already been on for atleast an hour. when i get a new bulb should i go for a 100w or would that be to much?