I am so glad that Steve is on the mend!! Bless his little heart, he has been through a tough time. And you have been such a trooper! That orange color around the eyes is a good thing! Many Beardies have more than one color, and I have noticed that the eye area is most often more colorful. It will come and go, as has been said, according to mood, etc. The black color is not really his best coloring....probably a result of so very much stress, bad care, and poor health due to nutrition and no UVB. When they have bone issues due to lack of nutrition/UVB, it is painful--pain can also cause them to darken up a bit and be more black. But you finally have the UVB lights---yay! so things should get better even faster, now.
Yes, Steve will not necessarily love the bright, UVB lights at first; he is used to such poor dark lights at that school, and his eyes are not yet accustomed to better lighting. Does he have a little hide, where he can stick his face in to shade his eyes once in a while? The UVB is good for him, even if he hates it at first! They are like little children; don't always want what is best for them, so we have to lovingly get them to have it, anyhow. It will improve his metabolism, and reduce any bone pain, too. You are doing such a fantastic job. I still get teary eyed when I look at photos of little Steve, but at least he has a good chance, now...and he is where he can experience love. So important, to these beautiful creatures.
The worm meds will help him, because once he has been dewormed, all of his nutrition will be used to nourish him, instead of the worms. It will also make him feel much better to get rid of those things. Is he
drinking water for you? I have found that keeping the weak ones
hydrated is so important, especially when deworming. My boy, Dezi and I are cheering Steve on!!
Get well, Steve! (from DeziLu)