beardie looking pale please help

[mikewas]

yesterday was a really hot day and he seamed to sleep much of the whole day now today he is much more calm and looking abit darker these last couple of day i had to feed him mealworms because i was out of crickets would have done anything to him or is he just getting more happy and mature


ps. he is very new and i am trying to find a vet

 

[zebraflavencs]

Hi Mike. Welcome to the Family !
Now, We will need just a tad bit more information.
How old is your dragon?
What size is the viv ?
What are the temps (basking, cool side).
How do you measure them ?
What UVB are you using ?
How old is the UVB ?
How close to the UVB can the dragon get ?
How often do you offer baths?

So onto the help. Would the paleness be a greying out of color ? This could be that he is getting ready to shed.
Also, he might be a bit dehydrated. Also you do know that mealies are not recommended, yes ? Hardly worth zilch for protein, and the carapace is rather hard to digest.

Here is a wonderful list to help you choose healthy foods for your dragon:
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html
Green is for daily staples, Black for treats 1-2 times a week.

Looking forward to your answers.
Janie.

 

[mikewas]

sorry for no info i was rushing this post

1 i got him about a week ago at a pet store
2 20gal long
3 basking unknown,cool side high 70's
4 wall thermometer
5 powersun uvb 100 watt
6 4 days old
7 2in
8 i havent offed a bath yet because i was afraid to get him nerves by tacking him out of his cage for a while

he did shed a little on his tail and chin but thats all and that was a few days ago

 

[zebraflavencs]

Okay, so am I understanding you are using a Mercury Vapor Bulb as a UVB ? Over a 20 gal tank ?
And the distance from the MVB is only 2 inches ?

Okaaay, Good choice in uvb, however you do need to make some changes.
First, give baby a bath. I think what you are seeing is that he is severely dehydrated. A nice soak should fix that. Do this daily from now on.

Bath-water to shoulders, a soft cloth or your hand for stability. Temp of water to be "baby warm" or 90-100*F, for a duration of around 15 minutes.

Now onto the "fix" as it were. MVBs shouldn't be used on smaller than 40 gallons. The reason being is they put out a LOT of heat and UVB. In smaller than a 40, it is very difficult to have a true temperature gradient.
MVBs should be a Minimum of 12" (for the 100 w, 16" for the 160 W) from the animal.
Also, I notice you have the sticky kind of therms. These are just not reliable at all. Can you get either a temp gun ( instant accurate temps) or a probe digi therm ? ( place probe directly on spot to measure * ie the basking spot* for 45 minutes for an accurate temp).

So fix those issues, and start building a larger viv to house that MVB and you should be fine.
Keep us posted !
Janie.

 

[mikewas]

well i sprayed him and he looks better already and i justed checked his light is actually about 4 in from him but i can tell its still to small should i get a new bulb

ps. im thinking of buying a temp gun today

thanks for all the help

 

[mikewas]

i have another question was i supposed to put the stuff in his bath water that made water safe for reptiles because i dident and now im worried about that

 

[zebraflavencs]

Mike, to be honest there shouldn't be any reason to "condition" his water. There are a lot of products out there that are basically just useless, and prey on the unknowing. So to recap, The MVB you have is fine, no need for a second bulb, just increase the distance and yes get a temp gun,. I feel you will see a very high temps in that small of a tank.
Oh, and when you bathe him ( which by the way is much less stressful then spritzing or spraying) make sure to totally supervise the bath. Dragons have been known to drown when left unattended.
If you can post a picture ( using photobucket.com as your base, start a free account, upload photos from your pc to there, then using the 4th url under the photo, post here) that would also help us out !
Janie.

 

[mikewas]

sorry im in a rush here are some photos