Bearded Dragon

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TJP181

Member
Hi All

I am new to this forum but I need some advise on my bearded Dragon who is having seizures.

My vet has tested him for MBD and ADV, both tests were negative.

His blood results came back with very low Sodium and low Protein along with other lows and highs.

The vets gave him a Vit B1 injection and put him on an IV Sodium drip he has seemed better since he came home two weeks ago but he has started to have seizures again and just lays flat in his viv.

Could anyone help me with understanding the blood results.
 

lizardmom25

Hatchling Member
Could you go over your setup and what you are feeding and how often? It might better help us answer those questions.
 

TJP181

Member
Original Poster
Hi lizardmom25

Thank you for your reply.

He is a 6 year old male.

He has a 48cm X 18cm X 18cm Viv. The basking Spot is a Komodo 75w bulb and the UVB is a 36 inch Reptisun 10.8 30w T8.

I was feeding him wax worms, meal worms, crickets and locusts every two days and salad every day. His food would be dusted with Calci Dust daily and Nutrobal twice a week.

He has been doing well up until four weeks ago when the seizures started.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Its good that the tests for MBD and ADV were negative. He may have a neurological problem of some kind though. How far is your T8 from the basking area? If it's further than 15-20cm then you might want to change that out for a T5. Are you sure of the dimensions of the enclosure? That seems very small for an adult dragon and a 36'' reptisun would be twice the length of the enclosure. If the measurements are inches instead of centimeter then a T5 is probably appropriate for a tank that size anyway.
 

TJP181

Member
Original Poster
Sorry lizardmom25 and CooperDragon, his viv measures 48" x 18" x 18".

His Basking Spot is 12" from bottom of bulb down to substrate and his UVB is 16" from bottom of light down to substrate.

At the weekend I bought an up to date Microclimate Evo Lite Digital Thermostat and a 100g tub of Vetark Reptoboost.

I am now awaiting a delivery of the Oxbow Carnivore Care.

The reptile shop set the thermostat at 36°c but I am still having trouble keeping the cooler end temperature down in this hot weather we are currently having.

Please could either of you advise on temperatures please.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
I'd definitely go to a T5 bulb and have it about 12'' above the basking area. The T8 won't be very effective beyond 6-8'' or so. They are better suited for small enclosures at close distance.

As far as temps go, it can definitely be tricky to keep them in the right zones during hot weather or seasonal changes. I try to keep my basking surface between about 38-41 with areas around that in the low 30s. The cool side is usually between about 22-28 or so. It fluctuates a bit but as long as you have a decent gradient set across the tank it's fine. They are good about moving around to get what they want at a given time.
 

TJP181

Member
Original Poster
Hi Cooper Dragon

He has a Komodo 75w bulb for his Basking area and his T8 UVB is 3/4 the length of his Viv.

Should I lower the T8 or just replace it with a T5?
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
I'd just replace it with a T5. The 22'' (24'' fixture) would be fine but you could go with the 34/36'' as well. The T5 puts out better UVB at 12'' than the T8 would even at 6''. The komodo is fine for basking as long as it's producing the proper temperature gradients.
 

TJP181

Member
Original Poster
Is the height of my Basking Spot of 12" from bottom of bulb to substrate ok?

Would I need to lower the UVB to 12" as it is currently 16" from bulb to substrate?

We got our tank whuch was already made up with the light fitments, etc from the breeder when we got our beardie.
 

TJP181

Member
Original Poster
Should I place my Microclimate Evo Lite Digital Thermostat sensor in the hot end or the cool end of my Viv as their is alot if conflicting details online?

I thought that if you place it in the cool end then the basking light will dim and brighten to control the basking spot temp accordingly.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
A lot of the tanks come with a T8 but it's outdated technology. I wish they'd use T5 now. I set the probe for my dimmer right next to the basking area. I secure it with zip ties to keep it in place. I spot check the temps around the tank with an IR temp gun to make sure it's good all over. You can put it on the cool end if you know exactly what the gradient is but I think it's better to measure the basking surface directly and adjust from that.

12'' is good for the basking light. I like to have them at 12'' minimum. The distance from the UVB light to the main basking area should be about 12-14''. There can be branches or areas closer and further than that though. Sometimes they'll want more, sometimes less. They are very good at moving about to make adjustments throughout the day so the key is to give them a lot of variety to choose from in terms of UVB intensity and temperature.
 

TJP181

Member
Original Poster
Thank you CooperDragon for all your info and help.

I have my Microclimate Evo Lite Digital Thermostat sensor set up at the cool end as I am struggling to keep the temperature down to under 30°c here. I thought I would try it to see if it makes a difference as I can always change the basking Spot bulb to a higher wattage.

I also have two Digital Thermometer sensors, one near to the Basking Spot and the other at the cool end so I have three digital sensor readings within the Viv.
 
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