Cant get within 6in from the uvb

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ok so i had a pretty pig branch that he could move all along and was within 6" from the uvb. he could move around all over wherever he wanted. but it started getting to hot because it was pretty close to the basking light. so i took it out and put a smaller basking spot on it, sorta like a bloulder looking thing. but it was alot farther away from the uvb. and he never really sat on it. sorta just sat on the ground. so today i was sitting and watching him and hes only 8" so keep that in mind and its been like 2-3 days when i switched the parts of the viv out. but anyways i was watching him and he started shaking his head back and forth, no it wasnt a head bob like up and down. it was left to right. and it seemed really un natural. and i know shaking can be a sign of mbd but hes under a reptisun 10.0 and i havent been able to get it under the screen so its sitting ontop of it. and i do believe its getting a little old so im gonna order one asap. but any ideas of what this is? or what i could do to help? i got him from a local petsmart. oh and one other thing i tried to pick him up and he did a real shaky sorta death roll to get out of my hand. idk if that means anything. but i put the other branch in so he could get closer to the uvb so hopefully that helps. any ideas ?

 

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and his front feet start going crazy. please help. its starting to freak me out

 

[mark83]

Has he been to a vet yet? Petsmart/Petco have a bad track record with reptiles. I would recommend getting him to a vet as soon as you can.

Aside from that I would recommend a couple things to help him get his UVB.

1) Find a way to get the reptisun inside the tank. That screen is reducing the output from your bulb around 20 percent or more. If you cant put the bulb inside but don't mind messing up your screen you could cut a rectangle hole where the bulb is.

2) Get or make a reflector for the bulb. A reflector has been shown to almost double the UVB output from tube lights like the reptisun. Reason is that the UVB from the sides not facing the reptile are wasted and a reflector can help redirect some of that where its needed. You can make a reflector out of any heat resistant reflective material but this has varying degrees of effectiveness. If you use foil avoid wrinkles as much as possible and be sure to curve it.

3) Make sure your basking spot is under the UVB as well so when he is basking he is getting his UVB also.

If you wan't more advice I'd recommend either reposting under health or maybe a mod can move this for you. Be sure to include more info. What size tank is he in and what length is the reptisun? Whats is the basking spot temp and how do you take it? What is the cool side temp? What calcium/vitamins do you give your dragon and how often? What does he eat as a staple(everyday)? Does he get any other foods on occasion? Etc, etc.

-Mark

 

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you know, could it be that hes shedding? now that i think of it its almost like hes trying to shake it off. but i definitely am going to get a fecal test done. how exactly do i do that? how do i keep the poo fresh?

 

[mark83]

Id just set it up with the vet so you can bring it in after he goes. I don't know how your vet operates but you should be able to just drop it off. I don't think it matters much what you bring it.. Someone else may have a more specific answer for you.

-Mark