bearded dragon

[TankMir1967]

not sure whats wrong with my bearded dragon. He is about 5 months old was doing great till yesterday, eating like a pig, running around very active. Now he wont move stiffens up opens his mouth even though he is cool (tank about 110 on one side other side 85 10 gal tank) i thought he was hot so i changed the bulb. found him this morning on his back (hes still alive) cant move front or back legs seems if i touch his sides hes in pain cause he jerks. i keep putting drops of water in his mouth. belly seems a little swollen. any advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

[sweetiepie9]

He sounds as if he's dehydrated, so you should be giving him a bath in warm water twice a day. You can put in him a sink, with water up to his shoulders and let him soak for at least 20 min each time. Plus give him drops of water. A 5 mo old needs a bigger tank than a 10g, too. At his age he should be in a 40g breeder or critter cage. His temps are too high, too, for a juvie, that would have been ok for a baby, so get them lowered to about 102 & about 75 on the cool side. So you need to change him into a bigger tank right away, get his temps down (he won't grow if he doesn't have enough room). If he doesn't improve in another day after frequent baths & getting the temps down, then he'll need to see a vet. When a dragon gets dehydrated, it can be a very serious problem, so make sure he gets those baths right away. Hope that helps.

 

[TankMir1967]

Thank you i will try the baths and get him a new tank right away, as well as lower his temps hopefully that works.

 

[sweetiepie9]

The baths should work well, & lowering the temps until you can get a new tank. If you're in the States there are great sales on tanks going on at Petco, I think, one of the big chains. So let me know how he gets on after a couple of baths. They can get dehydrated quickly without water, and they soak up water through their vent while in the bath. He might even drink some if he's thirsty enough. Good luck.

 

[Burra]

Hoping the tank change, temp change, and baths help! It is very difficult to get a good temperature gradient in a small tank, so the larger tank will definitely help in that area. Keeping our fingers and beardie toes crossed for you!