can anyone help??? worried sick!

[DR3529]

My lil guy is 4 1/2 months old. He has had this spot on his head for about 2 weeks. he hasn't had an appetite and went 4 days without eating until I syringe fed. however, he did have one heck of a feast fest today and ate loads of insects and salad. thats a plus!! I thought it was a shed coming on but now I'm not so sure. waiting for a call back from the vet to make an appointment but in the meantime i'm worried sick. Does this look like a shed, Yellow fungus or possibly a burn from the heat lamp? He just got over coccidia without medication and then this spot developed. Can anybody "shed" some light on this please?

 

[CooperDragon]

The scales don't look damaged so I don't think there is anything to worry about. It just looks like an oncoming shed. The shedding on their heads can be stubborn and irritate them so it causes mood issues sometimes and often takes a while to complete.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, I agree that is common and nothing to worry about. Most owners including myself have seen similar patches of shed in all random places on their body. If your vet visit is for that alone you can cancel it .

 

[DR3529]

Thank u all for the replies. Yes, This is the only reason I was going to take him to the vet. This is our first beardie so its all new to us. He did shed his legs, feet and a small area around his vent a few weeks ago but Its been about a month maybe month and a half since his last full shed. The first few sheds were super easy but this shed has proven to be very stubborn. I have just recently increased humidity to about 45-50% sometimes letting it get as high as 55% but no higher. I've been bathing him every other day, I've used a soft toothbrush on his whole body and am using shed ease once a week. His color is dull but Its still not ready. I'm so attached and cant believe how much worry this lil guy gives me lol. So thankful for this website and the knowledge from other beardie owners!

 

[KarrieRee]

Just let him shed --- when it becomes crackly and starting to come off is when you can spray w/ water and take a baby toothbrush and gently brush to help it come off
Karrie

 

[DR3529]

Just an update... my lil guy started shedding today. It's finally the flaky kind of shed and guess where? Yup in the area I was so worried about. Smh lol. Now I have 1 more problem. I was forced to feed him meal worms bc the pet store was sold out of crickets and my order from dubia hadn't arrived yet. I know that meal worms are a big no no and its always a last resort kinda feeder for me but I was already having a hard time getting him to eat and I thought if he'd eat them that it was better than letting him go hungry. Now he hasn't poo'd in 3 days. He is still eating (BSFL and wax worms as a treat) but his tummy is a little hard and looks slightly bloated. I have tried warm baths and tummy massages. Nothing happened. Then I read that pumpkin is a good natural laxative for beardies and I was able to feed him a little bit of that earlier but he didn't eat much of it so idk if it was enough to make a difference. How long should I let him go before I need to be concerned enough to call the vet?

 

[AHBD]

An adult or sub adult dragon can eeasily go more than 2 weeks, sometimes much longer [ during a brumation or slow down period ] so it's no problem at all. My 2 eight year olds only poo every 3-5 days or even longer at times. There's absolutely no problem. With or without the pumpkin he will eventually go. And mealworms are fine in small amounts, I've used them for well over 20 years as part of their diet. Not for tiny baby dragons though.

 

[DR3529]

Update... looks like my lil guy is going to be ok!! He's shedding, eating and finally poo'd this morning. This is my first beardie so I get worried about every little thing with him. I'm amazed at how attached one can get to these sweet reptiles!! I want to thank y'all for the comments, great advice and knowledge that comes from this website. It's absolutely heaven sent!! Until next time, God bless!