Dragon is having problems...longwinded

[kitelizard]

I've recently adopted a dragon from the local school. I have taken care of him over the summer for 2 years now, and just thought he would be better off with me.
I have a large screened in porch that he spent his days on in the summer. Built him a ramp, he loved basking in the sun. My daughter found him in August on his back flailing away while I was at work. We figured he had tried to climb up the screen...but, now I'm not so sure. He's taking a daredevil attitude about life. He's jumping off of anything...including me, so I've had to limit him to his aquarium and the hardwood floor. We've still been finding him on his side...back...flailing away. He fell of his rock for heaven's sake!
Recently, I've noticed that he's had a bloody spot on his belly. I have no idea what he could have caught himself on....since the weather is cooler, he doesn't get out of his cage much...and, when he does he noses up to a corner and promptly goes to sleep. I have been giving him warm baths (which help with the bowels) and keeping an eye on the spot. I thought it was improving.
My daughter phoned again today and said he was on his rock, and his belly (where it was red) was 'pulsating-throbbing'. His belly is worse again, and he now has red around his rectum. He has just done the shedding thing...but the skin around the side that's pulsating and the rectum are a different color, you know, the color it gets before it falls off? Dead-like. Not brown...just a shade or two off.
A friend of mine has a baby beardie and she thought maybe the rock was too hot? I told her no way...I have never changed the temp on the thing...sure enough, when I got home, it was on HIGH. Whoa.
He eats beardie pellets that I soak in warm water, (he does get crickets...but the only greens I've gotten him to eat consistently is green pepper leaves (out of season now)...he won't eat bananas or any other kind of fruit). I have tried the Collard greens...and sometimes he will, sometimes he won't.
He's approx. 7 years old. I'm sure I have the wrong lamp, but it is a Fluker's brand with a coil uvb 26w 120v bulb. He's also in daylight....well, as long as the sun is out. He loves to sit at the storm door and soaks up the heat radiated off the black front door (while its propped open). He scared the beejeezes out of the UPS girls last week. His aquarium has tile.
Right now, he's running around on the floor around me...seems alert, just wants to move around. Do I have an aging lizard on my hands? Calcium deficiency? Burn victim? Should the heating rock be replaced? Should I take him back to the school where he was fed erratically and who knows who was handling him? The guilt is getting to me.
Why does this always happen right before a vacation? Can you tell he's loved?
TIA
ps. He's now in the kitchen, under the lip of the cabinets...just lying there. Maybe the hardwood is cooler on his belly? The guilt!

 

[AMDPhenomX4]

Get rid of the heat rock. They cannot sense the temperature under them and will burn easily. Also coil UVB bulbs are known to be unhealthy for the animal. Try to get a tube style.
Procedure for Treating Minor Wounds, Blisters, Burns

1.

Soak the reptile in warmish chest deep water to which Betadine (povidone-iodine) has been added to color the water to a deep medium tea color. Leave in the tub for 15-20 minutes, refreshing the warm water and Betadine as necessary. If the wound is swollen and crusty, carefully pick off the scab/crusty exudates. Note that if the reptile defecates in the tub, it must be washed out, disinfected and another Betadine soak set up. Flush the wound area with fresh water before being placed back in the new bath.
2.

Remove the reptile from the tub and flush the wound with fresh dilute Betadine.
3.

At night, top the wound with triple antibiotic ointment. Repeat for a week or until the wound is healing over.
4. If there is any sign of swelling which occurs after the bathing and treatment or such swelling does not abate after a week, the animal must be seen by an experienced reptile vet. Check my Herp Vets for lists of vets.
From http://www.anapsid.org/emergency/firstaid.html

 

[Drache613]

Hello,
Yes, definitely do not use any type of heating rocks for any reptiles. They are not very safe.
The antibiotic ointment is good. There is a cream called Thermazene, which is very good for burns. Here is a site where you can get it from:

http://www.amazon.com/Thermazene-Silver-Sulfadiazine-Cream-grams/dp/B0008KLQNM

Do you supplement calcium at all? If not, you are going to need to begin doing so. Even as an adult, they do need calcium to help maintain bone integrity & blood calcium, all of which are responsible for balance, muscular function & coordination. You mentioned that he falls alot, & ends up on his back which is not normal.
The screen that is covering his tank, is it the small mesh type of screen, or the wide screen like the 1/2 inch hardware cloth that looks like chicken wire? If you are using the small mesh then the sun UVB rays will not penetrate very well through that.
That compact or coil light does not emit much if any UVB rays. The best UVB light you can use, if you want to use a flourescent tube light is the Reptisun 10. If your tank is at least a 40 gallon, you could use a mercury vapor bulb such as the Megaray or the T-rex active UV heat. He can't absorb calcium properly without UVB exposure.
What type of basking light are you using, is it a bright white light or a colored light?
Make sure that you do not have any loose substrates in his tank but are using paper towels so that the affected area will not get dirty or infected.



Tracie

 

[kitelizard]

Okay, its the repti 10...or, so I thought. I purchased the light at Petsmart. I did go out immediately after posting and bought a 100w CHE and another Flukers clamp. I do have a screen, but haven't put the lamps on top of it yet. Its been nice to be able to just get him out at will. I don't supplement with calcium. So, the Rep Cal Adult Maintenance Food doesn't have enough in it? I bought him collards...he's not interested. PS was out of crickets...and the superworms were old.
I'm getting the cold shoulder since I took away his rock. He's been on it all his life.
I'll look for the Thermazine. This would start over the Holiday week!!! I've always kept him clean...I've trained him to go in the sink, then he gets a good bath. Definitely a clean lizard. He was donated 2 years ago, and the teacher didn't know anything about care. I basically took it over. I took him off the sand and put him on tile, because his tank wasn't getting cleaned at all. He seems happier.
Yeah, I don't know what to think about the seizures. I found a reptile vet, so after Turkey Day, I'll see if I can get him over there. It might have to wait until Christmas vacation tho. I'll have a lot more time then.
Thanks!

 

[AMDPhenomX4]

You can keep the rock.. Just dont plug it in. If he doesnt get better by Turkey day go to the vet as soon as you can.

 

[RioReptiles]

Yes, great idea! Use a nice bright basking lamp to heat the rock and the beardie will be perfectly happy. I know the CHE was probably expensive, but you don't really need it unless it gets cold at night. They need something bright like the sun that will provide heat too, and an ordinary house bulb will work fine. Just try different wattages until you get the temps correct.

Also, try a variety of greens, they can be picky. Like turnip, mustard, kale, or check out the nutrition page at http://www.beautifuldragons.com, she has a list of the best stuff... I have also found that most of them like butternut or acorn squash, it's good for them and cheap. I bet once the lights are set up with the right temps, the appetite will return shortly after.

 

[Tarr]

hope you get it figured out

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

You know, you can cut the wire off of the heating rock, & just leave the rock in there since he was so used to it. He wont know that it is not heated anymore!
No, the supplemental foods don't tend to have quite enough calcium in them, he needs straight calcium too.
So you are using the Reptisun 10 compact or coil light or a flourescent tube bulb?
The halogen lights are very bright & make great basking lights, too.

Keep us posted.

Tracie

 

[kitelizard]

Its the coil.
When I woke him up this morning...he moved over to the UVB side...first time in forever. He's just not one to sit on that side of the tank.
The temp in the house goes down to 62 or so at night (thanks DH), but his cage was a nice 74 at 6:45 this morning. So, the CHE is doing its job.
I gave him some collard greens, and he was chomping on them...not eating them, just chomping. He likes his 'alone' time when eating.
I'll check into more calcium supplements. He originally came with some that you put on the crickets...I threw it out since it looked so old.
I put salve on his belly...his rectum area actually looked better this morning. His belly wasn't throbbing either.
So, it's all good.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is great he seems to be doing better today. Good that his raw area is looking a little better today.
Did you put his rock back in only unplugged?
The ceramic heat emitters are effective so that temp is a little better for him. Definitely get some new calcium supplementation too.
Oh so he doesn't like to be watched when he is eating? Some are like that.
Keep us posted on him.

Tracie

 

[kitelizard]

I'm taking him to the vet tomorrow. When I got home from work, what I thought were burns actually look better,..but, now I can tell a definite size difference between the right and left on the abdominal area. It was throbbing again. He didn't eat any of the collards, but did eat 4 pieces of his regular food.

His color otherwise looks good. He seems pretty alert.
I have some last-minute errands to get done before we leave, so I'd best get a move on.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Oh well, sorry that he is having another problem. I hope everything goes well at the vets tomorrow. Maybe he will have silvadene, so make sure & ask him for some. It is basically the same thing as thermazene.
Also, ask him for some critical care powdered food supplement. That would help him out too.
Please let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[kitelizard]

He's not a happy camper. The Vet put him on antibiotics (any ideas on how to get his mouth open?) and silvadene cream.
I have one neighbor coming over to feed, and one just to put the cream on his belly. Neither will do the antibiotics...heck, I don't think even I can get him to take it! I'll persevere tho, and I'll be patient. The vet and I got it into him by opening the side of his mouth. We tried it on the tip of his mouth, but he wouldn't lick it. He's so big, he takes 1/5 of a tsp. To me, that's a lot.
My DH cut the cord off of the rock, and I put towels down so he won't have it rough on his tummy. I think he'll be fine.
Oh, the vet just recommended that I put the calcium supplement that I'd put on the crickets on his food. I thought it was a little wierd, but, will try it. Will definitely have to start getting out more to get live food.

Thanks!