sirenique
Hatchling Member
I'm having one helluva week, animal wise.
Problem 1: Cat Fleas and Beardies
I woke up this morning to a text from my friend saying she just figured out that her cat has fleas. A lot of them. I visited her house last night, and cannot get the image of her cat rolling on my coat out of my mind. Needless to say, I have since vacuumed my entire apartment, washed everything that is washable, emptied the vacuum dirt into the trash, took the trash out, then promptly showered. I'm hoping to prevent a flea infestation in my apartment. In the meantime, are there any signs I should watch out for aside from scratching or noticeable irritation that would indicate the fleas have somehow gotten to my beardie? I know many of you on this site have a cat/dog and beardie, so I was hoping you would have some good advice. I figured being scaly was a beardie's natural defense against this type of pest, but I worry a lot.
Problem 2: Concave Head Scales
My beardie has a small patch between his eyes of 4-5 scales that are concave -- they bend like a bowl, inward, whereas most of his scales are convex. I've noticed this after my beardie shed his head about three months ago. He has a good appetite, I bathe him 2-3 times a week, and he is getting a well-balanced diet and is getting his heat requirements met. I am worried perhaps that concave scales might be a symptom of something being wrong with my UVB bulb? I haven't changed my bulb in over 6 months, so I'm probably due. Are concave scales a sign of a problem, or are they just one of the many things that make our beardies unique? It's kind of hard to get a photo of this problem.
Additional Info: my beardie Bones is 2.5 years old, has a regular diet of collards/mustards/kale, squash, crickets, and some peas/corn/fruit mixed in for variety. He is a "free range" lizard, meaning he has the whole apartment to roam around and has a dedicated basking spot by the balcony window. The apartment is kept at 72 during the day, and his basking spot hangs approximately 6" from his lamps and is usually between 95-105 degrees. He is energetic, has a healthy appetite, gets baths regularly, and is loved to the point of being spoiled. He wakes up with me in the mornings around 6:30/7am, and goes to bed around 5-6:30pm. His urate/fecal samples appear normal in sight and to the touch.
Problem 1: Cat Fleas and Beardies
I woke up this morning to a text from my friend saying she just figured out that her cat has fleas. A lot of them. I visited her house last night, and cannot get the image of her cat rolling on my coat out of my mind. Needless to say, I have since vacuumed my entire apartment, washed everything that is washable, emptied the vacuum dirt into the trash, took the trash out, then promptly showered. I'm hoping to prevent a flea infestation in my apartment. In the meantime, are there any signs I should watch out for aside from scratching or noticeable irritation that would indicate the fleas have somehow gotten to my beardie? I know many of you on this site have a cat/dog and beardie, so I was hoping you would have some good advice. I figured being scaly was a beardie's natural defense against this type of pest, but I worry a lot.
Problem 2: Concave Head Scales
My beardie has a small patch between his eyes of 4-5 scales that are concave -- they bend like a bowl, inward, whereas most of his scales are convex. I've noticed this after my beardie shed his head about three months ago. He has a good appetite, I bathe him 2-3 times a week, and he is getting a well-balanced diet and is getting his heat requirements met. I am worried perhaps that concave scales might be a symptom of something being wrong with my UVB bulb? I haven't changed my bulb in over 6 months, so I'm probably due. Are concave scales a sign of a problem, or are they just one of the many things that make our beardies unique? It's kind of hard to get a photo of this problem.
Additional Info: my beardie Bones is 2.5 years old, has a regular diet of collards/mustards/kale, squash, crickets, and some peas/corn/fruit mixed in for variety. He is a "free range" lizard, meaning he has the whole apartment to roam around and has a dedicated basking spot by the balcony window. The apartment is kept at 72 during the day, and his basking spot hangs approximately 6" from his lamps and is usually between 95-105 degrees. He is energetic, has a healthy appetite, gets baths regularly, and is loved to the point of being spoiled. He wakes up with me in the mornings around 6:30/7am, and goes to bed around 5-6:30pm. His urate/fecal samples appear normal in sight and to the touch.
