Bearded dragon keeping on eye closed most of the time

[kevkk0]

Hello everyone, I'm a fairly new bearded dragon owner, I feel like I did extensive research before buying one. I've had Puff for about a month now, and everything was normal up until about 3 and a half days ago, one morning when I turned his lights on I noticed it looked like he was squinting his right eye, I checked the next day and he was primarily keeping his right eye shut for most of the day, opening it occasionally but not for very long.. after doing some research I figured it was probably my repti-sun 10.0 13watt *compact* bulb, I was aware that the compact UVB bulbs had some problems in the past, but from what I was reading it looked like they had taken care of the problems with the compact bulbs a few years ago.. apparently not.. as soon as I started reading that, I shut off his UVB light immediately which was 3 days ago.

I believe that I was reading the issue with the compact bulbs is called 'photo kerato conjunctivitis' it seemed like most forums/posts were saying to leave the light off for a few days to let his eye heal, we're on day 3 now with the UVB off and he's still keeping his right eye shut, maybe not as often, he'll open it if he sees someone walking by, or one of the dogs go by, and when I take him out of the cage to run around he keeps it open most of the time, which seems odd to me.. do I just need to give him more time? I've got the repti sun 10.0 24 inch tube bulb coming in about 5 days. For his heat lamp I'm currently using the Zoo Med repti basking spot lamp, 100 watts with a zoo med deep dome fixture, I thought the 100 watts may be a little too much so I have a couple of the 75 watt zoo med basking bulbs laying around too just in case.

Other than that, his appetite is fine, he will usually eat between 20-25 medium crickets per day with some small/medium superworms as a treat once and a while, and he eats his veggies once and a while, poops once or twice a day, he's about 7 and a half inches long, not sure of the exact weight but he eats well.. he's in a 20 gallon long for the time being, with reptile carpet, his basking spots range from 104-114 and the cool side of the tank is 75-low 80's with the humidity at 35-45%, and I've been bathing him a couple times a week and misting him occasionally. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

*Edit* Something new I noticed today, when I got home before he was getting ready to eat he started twitching? almost like a person shivering, only lasted for 5-10 seconds but it it looked odd, hopefully it's not early signs of MBD? as I mentioned I'll have the correct light in about 5 days.

 

[AHBD]

Hi Kev....I think that it will just take a little more time and he should be back to normal. As for the " shivering" , it could be a slight calcium deficiency starting and your new bulb should correct that. Hopefully he'll be a happy little camper soon.

 

[kevkk0]

Hi Kev....I think that it will just take a little more time and he should be back to normal. As for the " shivering" , it could be a slight calcium deficiency starting and your new bulb should correct that. Hopefully he'll be a happy little camper soon.

Awesome, that definitely makes me feel better, I've been a nervous wreck =( thank you so much for the reply!

 

[AHBD]

You're welcome.

 

[kevkk0]

You're welcome.

Hey, had another question for you.. it's day 5 now and his eye seems a little bit better, it looks like the swelling has gone down a little and he's starting to open his eye more now, but my new repti-sun 10.0 tube bulb came early today, should I wait until his eye has completely healed to put his new UVB light on?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I am glad that his eye is doing better. I agree, it will likely take some time for him to start feeling 100% again.
I would wait another week or so before putting the light over him. How long have you had the light off of him?

Tracie

 

[kevkk0]

Hello,

I am glad that his eye is doing better. I agree, it will likely take some time for him to start feeling 100% again.
I would wait another week or so before putting the light over him. How long have you had the light off of him?

Tracie

Thank you for the reply, his UVB light has been off for 5 days now, I turned his new UVB light on just for an hour earlier, then turned it off because I wasn't sure if I should have it on.

 

[kevkk0]

Day 6 1/2 now with his coil uvb off, still keeping his right eye closed a lot while in his cage, haven't had the new reptisun 10.0 tube bulb on him yet other than a couple hours the first day it came, is it possible the 100 watt basking light is too much for a 20 gallon long? I have a 75 watt lamp I could use as well. The temperatures are still ranging from 104-113 in his basking spots.. guess we'll have to wait and see.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

You could reduce the basking temperatures down to a range of 95-105 since it is a 20 gallon tank. That may be too much, 113 is a bit high.
Is he able to hold up his head now or is he still pretty weak?
Go ahead & try the 75 watt instead to see if that helps out in lowering the temperatures.
Has his eye improved at all?
Maybe you can turn the Reptisun 10 tube on for just a few hours per day & gradually increase it as his eye gets better.

Tracie

 

[kevkk0]

Hello,

You could reduce the basking temperatures down to a range of 95-105 since it is a 20 gallon tank. That may be too much, 113 is a bit high.
Is he able to hold up his head now or is he still pretty weak?
Go ahead & try the 75 watt instead to see if that helps out in lowering the temperatures.
Has his eye improved at all?
Maybe you can turn the Reptisun 10 tube on for just a few hours per day & gradually increase it as his eye gets better.

Tracie

Sorry for the late reply, I've got the temperatures down a bit in his basking spots about where you suggested. He's able to hold his head up but he did look a little weak yesterday, so I turned on the reptisun tube on for 3 hours yesterday, and I've had it on for 2 hours today.. my only option right now is to lay the light fixture on top of the screen, I'll mount it inside when I get a larger tank, but it's pretty close to him, about 5-6" away when he's basking. He still keeps his right eye closed often, maybe not as much as he used to though, but not for very long. He's still eating fine, pooping every day and is noticeably bigger than a week or so ago, it's been a couple weeks since he's shed also.

Thanks.

 

[AHBD]

Since the light will be on top of the screen it's probably best to keep the UVB on now all the time to be sure he doesn't develop a calcium deficiency. When they are young they can't go for long without UVB, especially when you visibly see him getting bigger. Hopefully he'll just continue to grow + his eye will improve.