beardie trippin out!

[beardedgiantsfan]

so i was handling my beardie today and everything was fine then of all of a sudden he had what i can describe as a seizure and when i tried to hold him he just rolled around in circles in my hand. There is no vet in my area its a 2 hour drive to the nearest one.

Hes a baby. his basking temps are usually 100-110.... i have a ESU slimline fixture which i orded a reptisun to replace it. hes in a 20 gallon tank.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

It sounds like he is either dehydrated, or starting to be hypocalcemic due to the ESU light you have been using.
That UVB light is not a good quality light & it is not strong enough to allow proper absorption of calcium that growing babies need.
So you ordered the Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb? That should help out immensely. When do you expect to receive it?
How many times per week are you supplementing calcium? A baby needs calcium 5 times per week.

Tracie

 

[beardedgiantsfan]

i give him calcium 5 days out of the week...i dust the crickets that he will eat with them which is not much. I received the lamp actually a couple hours ago and he still seems droopy but not as bad. hopefully it all works out.

thanks for the input.

 

[beardedgiantsfan]

so its getting worse.

today i came home and he was laying there with his eyes closed so i picked him up and he opened his eyes a little then closed them. his head is still tilted and once in a while he'll get this sudden burst of energy but just flop around like a fish out of water. I called all the vets in my area and they dont specialize in exotic pets. I dont know what to do now.

 

[Menolly]

Hey,
I'm sorry things aren't going so well for you.
Can you answer some questions for me to help us rule out some things?

What size enclosure do you have your dragon in?
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank?
Do you use UVB lights?
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb?
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)?
How old is your UVB bulb?
How close can your dragon get to the UVB?
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage?
What are the basking temps?
What is the cool side temp?
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun?
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps?
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad?

 

[diamc]

Have you tried bathing him? He could very well by dehydrated which can throw his balance off. I suggest you use warm water tested by the inside of your wrist and hold him in the palm of your hand making sure that his vent area (where he poos) is right down in the water for 15 min or so. Be careful he doesn't fall in the water face first because they can drown very quickly.

What wattage basking bulb are you using and is it a bright white bulb? Also, are you using a type of stick-on thermometer, temperature gun or a digital thermometer that has long wire and probe at the end?

 

[beardedgiantsfan]

What size enclosure do you have your dragon in?----------20 gallon enclosure.
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank?-----------Repticarpet
Do you use UVB lights?----yes
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb------------flourecent tube
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)?----its reptisun 10.0. He had a ESU slimline for the first week i had him.
How old is your UVB bulb? the reptisun is 1 day old
How close can your dragon get to the UVB?-------------about 7 inches
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage?-------yeah zoo med basking spot lamp 75 watts
What are the basking temps? 95-105 degrees
What is the cool side temp? 80
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun?-----digital thermometer with a probe
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps?---- where he is usually basking at.
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? ------neither

and i gave him a bath today

 

[Menolly]

Howdy,
What do you feed him insect wise and veggie/fruit wise?
And has he been going to the bathroom regularly?
Mel

 

[diamc]

Hi thanks for answering the questions. Is the basking bulb a colored bulb or a white one? Also, when you test the temp are you laying the probe end right on the basking surface and waiting about 45 min for the temp to stop rising? How did he act in the bath and afterward? Are his eyes open or closed?

Has he had a bowel movement lately? Babies usually go 2 to 3 times a day. How long have you had your beardie and how old is he?

Just to make sure, the UVB is a long strip fluorescent, correct? Just trying to rule everything out.

 

[beardedgiantsfan]

its a flourcent tube. his eyes are usually closed and only open for short peiods of time. its a white basking light and i take the temps by keep the probe on a suction cup right next to the basking spot. He squirmed alot in the bath and his head just tilted down and his face was in the water then he would spas out. i feed him crickets daily with a bearded dragon calcium plus dusting made by t-rex. it seems hes been going poop daily but in small amounts

 

[diamc]

Does the thermometer look anything like this?

If so, then you need to lay the probe so that it is laying right on the basking spot he uses when he basks. With it laying next to the basking spot, you're not getting an accurate reading. You also have to be sure to wait about 45 min for the temp to stop rising before you get the final reading.

Is the basking light alongside the UVB or are they each on a different side of the tank?

Did you hold him in your hand when he was in the bath? If he's lethargic, you need to make sure that his head and face aren't tilted downward into the water. How long did he stay in the water? Is this the first bath you've given him?

How old is he and how long have you had him? Are you dusting his crickets with calcium every time you feed and also using something else made by T-Rex? What else do you feed besides crickets?

 

[beardedgiantsfan]

yes the thermometer looks really similar to that. I feed him crickets and in the morning before work i prepare a salad with fine chopped mustard greens zucchini and carrots. This was not the first time i've given him a bath and he was in it for 10-15 min but i usually gave him water by dippin my finger it it and him licking it off. Not sure how old he is but i've had him for a week or so. This is the only thing i use from T-rex. The UVB tube runs next to the basking spot.

I use to have a ESU slimline fixture but i read they were not good and he's only had the reptisun for a day. Not sure if that was the case but this spas'n came on suddenly.

 

[diamc]

Hi again, I was hoping we could find something that would give us an answer. Seems like you're doing everything fine. Perhaps the ESU that you had before was the problem and that may be the reason he's not opening his eyes much and is acting lethargic. Was the ESU also 7" from him?

I suggest you give him baths 2 times a day in case he was dehydrated which can happen to babies very quickly. How many crickets had he been eating a day since you've had him? Do you think he could have fallen?

 

[beardedgiantsfan]

its possible he could have fallen but will its fix itself?
he eats usually around 4 crickets a day but only if i hold them in front of him...this could be relocation stress.

its just weird how he rolls around and at the same time not very active....i hope this light helps in case its MBD....thanks for the help!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Sorry he is not better today!
I do think that he is probably hypocalcemic & could be dehydrated. For the moment, only turn on the UVB for about 6 hours per day, & then turn it off for the remaining time. Sometimes they get worse before they get better when it comes to low calcium. It sometimes takes them time to adjust to a new UVB light too.
Are you giving him oral fluids too?
Where is the digital probe placed, directly beside the UVB light?
He should be eating much more than 4 crickets per day. Try to get him fully hydrated & let's see how he is doing after some fluid therapy. The bathing, as suggested, along with oral fluids should help alot.
Keep us posted on him.
How far of a fall would be possible in the tank? Is there anything sharp in there he could have hit himself on?

Tracie