reneemarie4
New member
I'm sorry for being so wordy, just concerned and trying to throw all the details out there.
Please help. I got my bearded dragon, Puff, July 2014 at 2-3 months old, so now, he is about 1. So active in the beginning, great eating habits, loved chasing crickets, loved meal worms, almost never really turned down veggies, even as a baby, (sometimes I wonder if the pet store thought he was younger than they told me)... he is HUGE. But seems to be healthy, huge, 17 inches long and some muscular arms lol. I only have one beardie so not much to compare to but I definitely do a lot of research. He has always been completely terrified of baths. I've attempted only a total of 4 times in 10 months, it freaks him out, he won't eat for a week, hides for a week... just totally hates it and it's hard, as you all know, to play tough love and make him do something he is afraid of. So I started misting him, I read that could cause upper respiratory infections, I tried not to spray his head... we now have a pretty good routine going with the spray bottle if I drip water on the tip of his snout a bit... he will open his mouth, and I continue to pretty much spray/pour water into his mouth, he loves it.. he drinks for a good 5 minutes. Question #1, is this okay? I've only actually witnessed him drink water from his water dish 1 time. I know they don't do this regularly. He is not an aggressive beardie I don't think, he has only puffed his beard about 4 times, and it was at nothing, once in the bath, and once I think he was stretching his skin when irritated trying to shed. NOW, everything has changed... won't eat on his own at all. About 3 months ago it came down to hand feeding and I thought maybe I spoiled him. He wouldn't chase crickets anymore, and wasn't seeming to like meal worms, I tried super worms but those suckers crawl right out of the bowl and I didn't want them roaming around the enclosure so I simply fed with my hand. Veggies hand fed sometimes in the morning, or if he was up before me he did eat those on his own, and then worms early afternoon and some around dinner time. If he ate a lot at noon, I tried to cut back on the worms because I read there is such thing as feeding too much. When you research you read so much of everything, then I found where they say you should feed him for a 10 minute period as much as he'll eat, then I read feed him until he won't eat anymore, then I read he will eat until he pukes pretty much. It's not as much the eating I'm concerned with now but I wanted to emphasize that he used to do all these things. Now, over the last month, continuing to hand feed, and drip the water in his mouth, calcium powder about every other day on his veggies is how he loves it.... He only poops about once a week. I read this is normal when transitioning into an adult, but what really is considered an adult in bearded dragon ages?? I've moved him from a 40 gallon tank where he had 150w round basking bulb, and 26w 150UVB coil compact light. WELL, I read these coil ReptiGlo UVB lights are TERRIBLE for them and can cause eye damage. If that's the case why do they sell them.... Is this why he doesn't chase food? Because he can no longer see? Did I blind my beardie? I feel like I've completely failed him. He just stares into space, all day... eyes wide open, more than normal, just stuck staring, bored out of his mind... Hardly ever yellow like he used to be, he isn't happy. I'm nervous he is going blind or has already. Never has looked like an infection in the eyes and never really seems irritated in or around the eithers, but I am able to see the red veins around his pupil easily, I wasn't sure if that's normal and all their eyes could be different... when I walk up to him... it's like he can't see me until I get all the way up to the tank and it startles him because he jumps.. but he can definitely hear me,....he is afraid of me, and he is afraid of my 2 cats that meow at him. But he never used to be, he used to interact with them, then he got older and became more shy unless he can't see... He's been in his new 75 gallon tank for 4 months or so... seems to love it on ceramic tile floors and heating pads underneath the tank is where he loves to lay when not basking. When I hand feed him I have to swirl around his head 2-3 times for him to notice my hand is even there,.. is he being stubborn? Or spoiled and I taught him to be lazy? could he be blind from the wrong UVB light in 9 months? That's my biggest concern. if so, can any eye damage come back?? I know I'm not talking to a vet here, but the workers at Petsmart didn't have a clue, and looked at me crazy when I asked about brumation, they didn't even know what that meant. Then they suggested I get a day light blue bulb because UVB wasn't needed. They did not know at all what they were talking about. I overnighted a ReptiSun 10.0 UVB Florescent tube with a hood.... but they only came in a lesser watt. I can't seem to find out what the wattage should be. I currently use 26w, and the tube was I think only 16w. I'm hoping that is just for the amount of heat or light, and not going to affect the actual UVB output for him. I don't want to lose him... I'm constantly trying new things. I'll pay anything... Any suggestions or opinions please!! Thanks!
Please help. I got my bearded dragon, Puff, July 2014 at 2-3 months old, so now, he is about 1. So active in the beginning, great eating habits, loved chasing crickets, loved meal worms, almost never really turned down veggies, even as a baby, (sometimes I wonder if the pet store thought he was younger than they told me)... he is HUGE. But seems to be healthy, huge, 17 inches long and some muscular arms lol. I only have one beardie so not much to compare to but I definitely do a lot of research. He has always been completely terrified of baths. I've attempted only a total of 4 times in 10 months, it freaks him out, he won't eat for a week, hides for a week... just totally hates it and it's hard, as you all know, to play tough love and make him do something he is afraid of. So I started misting him, I read that could cause upper respiratory infections, I tried not to spray his head... we now have a pretty good routine going with the spray bottle if I drip water on the tip of his snout a bit... he will open his mouth, and I continue to pretty much spray/pour water into his mouth, he loves it.. he drinks for a good 5 minutes. Question #1, is this okay? I've only actually witnessed him drink water from his water dish 1 time. I know they don't do this regularly. He is not an aggressive beardie I don't think, he has only puffed his beard about 4 times, and it was at nothing, once in the bath, and once I think he was stretching his skin when irritated trying to shed. NOW, everything has changed... won't eat on his own at all. About 3 months ago it came down to hand feeding and I thought maybe I spoiled him. He wouldn't chase crickets anymore, and wasn't seeming to like meal worms, I tried super worms but those suckers crawl right out of the bowl and I didn't want them roaming around the enclosure so I simply fed with my hand. Veggies hand fed sometimes in the morning, or if he was up before me he did eat those on his own, and then worms early afternoon and some around dinner time. If he ate a lot at noon, I tried to cut back on the worms because I read there is such thing as feeding too much. When you research you read so much of everything, then I found where they say you should feed him for a 10 minute period as much as he'll eat, then I read feed him until he won't eat anymore, then I read he will eat until he pukes pretty much. It's not as much the eating I'm concerned with now but I wanted to emphasize that he used to do all these things. Now, over the last month, continuing to hand feed, and drip the water in his mouth, calcium powder about every other day on his veggies is how he loves it.... He only poops about once a week. I read this is normal when transitioning into an adult, but what really is considered an adult in bearded dragon ages?? I've moved him from a 40 gallon tank where he had 150w round basking bulb, and 26w 150UVB coil compact light. WELL, I read these coil ReptiGlo UVB lights are TERRIBLE for them and can cause eye damage. If that's the case why do they sell them.... Is this why he doesn't chase food? Because he can no longer see? Did I blind my beardie? I feel like I've completely failed him. He just stares into space, all day... eyes wide open, more than normal, just stuck staring, bored out of his mind... Hardly ever yellow like he used to be, he isn't happy. I'm nervous he is going blind or has already. Never has looked like an infection in the eyes and never really seems irritated in or around the eithers, but I am able to see the red veins around his pupil easily, I wasn't sure if that's normal and all their eyes could be different... when I walk up to him... it's like he can't see me until I get all the way up to the tank and it startles him because he jumps.. but he can definitely hear me,....he is afraid of me, and he is afraid of my 2 cats that meow at him. But he never used to be, he used to interact with them, then he got older and became more shy unless he can't see... He's been in his new 75 gallon tank for 4 months or so... seems to love it on ceramic tile floors and heating pads underneath the tank is where he loves to lay when not basking. When I hand feed him I have to swirl around his head 2-3 times for him to notice my hand is even there,.. is he being stubborn? Or spoiled and I taught him to be lazy? could he be blind from the wrong UVB light in 9 months? That's my biggest concern. if so, can any eye damage come back?? I know I'm not talking to a vet here, but the workers at Petsmart didn't have a clue, and looked at me crazy when I asked about brumation, they didn't even know what that meant. Then they suggested I get a day light blue bulb because UVB wasn't needed. They did not know at all what they were talking about. I overnighted a ReptiSun 10.0 UVB Florescent tube with a hood.... but they only came in a lesser watt. I can't seem to find out what the wattage should be. I currently use 26w, and the tube was I think only 16w. I'm hoping that is just for the amount of heat or light, and not going to affect the actual UVB output for him. I don't want to lose him... I'm constantly trying new things. I'll pay anything... Any suggestions or opinions please!! Thanks!