bearded dragon and he is having problems shedding his tail

[gulfbrzdawn]

Hi Mandie! Glad to hear the infection has not spread any further. My fingers are crossed that the Baytril and soaks are keeping it at bay.
Yes, you can give him a regular bath before his soak if you want.

 

[Denise Bushnell (RIP)]

Mandie,

As the owner of a bearded dragon who had to have 3 separate tail amputations last year in order to save his life, due to gangrene setting in because of the lack of blood circulation to the end of his tail, from retained shed, I was very glad to hear that that was not the cause of it with your beardie!

However, the next time he does shed his tail, if he seems to be having problems with his tail area shedding, you can try applying a thin coat of Olive Oil to his tail, which should soften the shed, so that it is easier for him to get off. Because the Olive Oil is an "all natural remedy", you can use it every day if need be, until the shed softens enough for him to get it off!

I'm glad that the vet that you took him to was knowledgable concerning his tail problem, but, unfortunately, he was very mistaken about Mealworms being better for him than the other feeder insects that you mentioned. Actually, Mealworms have very little nutritional value for a Bearded Dragon, as they are mostly hard shell, with very little meat on them. A much better choice for him, since he is an adult, would be Superworms, which look very similar to Mealworms, but they have a greater meat to shell ratio, which makes them a wonderful source of protein for him. Pinkies are also not very good for him, as they are much too fatty, which could cause liver or kidney problems for him as he gets older

For a complete list of foods that you can feed your little guy, along with advice on each food's nutritional content, and how often it can be fed, you can go to this website: BeautifulDragons.org This is a very comprehensive, printable list, and I think you will find it very helpful in planning his diet!

 

[mandiehoskins143]

on a 75 gallon tank should i use 1 10.0 repti-sun uva uvb bulb

 

[Drache613]

Hello Mandie,

How is he doing today?
Please keep us posted on him, & continue with the daily baths & aloe vera & antibiotic ointments. We are all pulling for him. I am happy that it has not spread any further. Keep a close eye on it though.

Tracie

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Hi Mandie,

How is Phaty doing today? How's his tail look?
Denise gave you some great advice. As for your Reptisun, yes, you only need one tube in the tank. It's best if the uvb is at least 2/3 the length of the tank. I know you mentioned yours was not, but that you have a couple of the Reptisuns. I don't know if it is possible, but could you put two of the bulbs end to end in your tank? If not, just use the one tube and put Phaty's basking bulb next to it(parallel with the Reptisun). This way he will be able to bask and get uvb at the same time. He needs to be within 6-8 inches of the Reptisun to get the most out of it.
Hope this helps!

 

[mandiehoskins143]

phaty is doing fine today, still active and alert and running back and forth thrue his cage, he is shedding right now but not his tail, so i think that is th reason why he is only eating a little bit, so i am still worried, i think i am going to be worried, until this problem subsides,,,,,,,,hopeing i am doing everything right, going to post a picture, and can someone use paint on it to mark where his lights should be,,,please and thank u..........so i know that it gets done right.......

and the looking in is cage, is how he likes it, he hated a lot of stuff in his tank

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Is that Phaty's basking light in front of the uvb(right above him in the pic)? If so, that is what I am referring to when I said they need to be side by side.
I am assuming from the pic that your lights are all sitting on top of a screen top, correct? Unfortunately, the screen will block out a good portion of the uvb. Is there any way you could get a fixture to hang inside of his tank or cut an opening in the screen where the uvb sits?
He should be able to get within 6-8" of his uvb.
Sorry if I asked this before, but what are your temps in both basking and coolside? What are you measuring the temps with?
How is Phaty doing today? Are you still soaking him and are you applying anything to the tail?

 

[mandiehoskins143]

we got him a new reptisun 10.0 bulb and new dome for him yesterday, tryng to figure out how to do his cage light now, his tank stays 80 to 85 on his cool side, and about 105 to 110 on his hot side, but now having problems with this new light because his to domes, wont fit togethere, please help want to do this right, please call me at 2532717262

 

[mandiehoskins143]

is this how his lights are supposed to be,,,,,,,,,,,please tell me if i need to change it

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Oh dear... I thought you were using the Reptisun 10 fluorescent TUBE uvb. The compacts are not great bulbs and have been known to cause health issues with beardies. See if you can return the Reptisun compact uvb and get a tube one. You also do not need the Zilla bulb, these are not great bulbs as well.
You only need ONE uvb(Reptisun 10 tube). It needs to either be hung inside the tank, alot of people use the 3M hooks and affix them right to the glass or you will need to cut an opening in the screen to allow the uvb to pass thru. Right alongside that put your basking bulb(you can use the dome light cover) that can sit on top of the screen, no problem.
As for the temps... since Phaty is an adult, the basking side does not need to be too hot. It can be between 95-103 and the coolside between 78-82.

 

[mandiehoskins143]

hey everyone, just to let you guys know he is doing better, after we got him that light, and also, we got the money, so he can go see a real reptile vet, tomarrow, and get his tail amputated, so thank u everyone for the help, and keeping me sain thrue all of this, my appreciation goes out to all of you, :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: and will post pictures of him, after the prcedure, and still keep u guys up-dated

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Hi Mandie!

Glad to hear you got the ReptiSun and Phaty is doing better. Please let us know how it goes at the vet today.
Phaty and you are in my thoughts.

 

[mandiehoskins143]

he went jones animal hospital today, he get sugery tomarrow at 9:00am, and the bill here in washington was $$$$561.87$$$$$ thats a lot of money
but thank got it is getting taken care of,,,,,,,,,,amen to that

 

[mandiehoskins143]

he went for his sugery today, and it came out great, they had to take of more than i wanted to but in the long run he will be okay, at least he is still breathing, the money was well worth it........he is doing okay, but sleepy, will send some pics tomarrow,,,,,,

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Oh, I am so happy to hear the surgery went well
It's probably for the best that they removed more of the tail. I'm sure the tissue was damaged and they had to.
Let me know how Phaty is doing and yes, a pic would be great!