General health help

[gatoric]

Thanks, you are right. I finally got him comfortable outside. He ran all over the yard and he seems to have calmed down a little. I have never seen him act this way before. I am just trying to understand this new behavior. Thanks, gatoric

 

[gatoric]

I want to extend a big thank you to all of you at beardeddragon.org. I am so glad that I joined. It is difficult not knowing what is going on or what to do with my beardie, especially since he is the first one that I have had. Your responses have been fast and right on target. It gives me great peace of mind knowing you are there to help. Thanks for all you do, gatoric

 

[CooperDragon]

I'm glad to hear the forum has been helpful! I hope that you're able to contribute with your experiences and thoughts down the line as well =)

 

[gatoric]

Ith eight months

We had a visitor this morning. Ith and I were doing our morning walk when Ith froze in his tracks. I thought he saw a hawk, so I picked him up. When I looked up to see what he was looking at, we were about fifty feet from a pretty good sized bear looking at us. We ran inside and grabbed the camera and the 45. After a couple of pictures, I fired a couple of shots in the air and off he went. The last time we let a bear stay around the house he tore all the bird feeders and pond aerators to pieces. He did a couple of hundred dollars in damage, so I scare them off now. gatoric

Buddy Bear

 

[dezismom]

Oh, wow! a bear! Bet that blew little Iths' mind! Bears can be very destructive (and stinky!!) fellows! I would not encourage one, either...But how cool is that? When my hubby and I were still able to go backpacking/tent camping, I was more nervous about bears than almost any other animal. They are so massive. We carried a gun as a precaution.

This forum is great, isnt it? I, too, was so glad to find it, to have some guidance from others who have more experience. And people here are so helpful and do not talk down to the newbies; I wonder if people who are attracted to Beardies are in general, nicer, more gentle people? I have noticed they are very sincerely interested in what is best for our Beloved Beardies-- all Beardies, not just their own.

Dezi went through the same phase you are describing at that age...I think it is like the teen years; getting all those male hormones, maybe feeling a bit randy, etc., just like a teen boy. Desi actually started taking offense to my shoes, stalking them and charging them (mouth closed) and bumping them with his nose! He had a few times where I was pretty sure he was trying to mate with his stuffed animals, and once, my pillow! It was kinda funny! (the pillow was washed immediately!

As a wildlife rehabber, I raised many animals (to be released) and often saw this behavior in the adolescents. They are trying out their newly discovered adult skills; how to fight, breed, stalk their prey, etc., and at first, they WAY over-exaggerate the actions, sometimes to comical effect. Dez discovered his beard puffing, and did it several times a day, for no reason--just to try it out. But all that eventually slowed down, and he went back to being my sweet, docile little buddy. Now he is a perfect pet. We have our daily routine. He seems to prefer a fixed routine... predictable; no sudden changes to his environment. I believe they are quite timid fellows, despite their fierce appearance.

Had to laugh about the spaghetti incident! Big oops! And Ith asking to go outside potty is very cool. I am constantly amazed at their intelligence. They are no less smart than many dogs (maybe smarter?), just more subtle. And Dezi has shown a remarkable sense of personal cleanliness. He poos in his sand only, and covers it like a cat. Then, he runs to the other side of the vivarium, waving his arms frantically until I clean it out! He hates his own poo!??? And he never has an accident out of his viv-- he asks to be put back when he needs to potty. Just remarkable creatures. Until I became a Beardy mommy, I would not have believed these things. If someone had told them to me-I would have nodded and smiled, thinking the person was just anthropomorphizing. When I try to tell visitors about Dezi, I often see that look in their eyes! I get it; if you haven't been around one enough to learn their language, it would be easy to underestimate them. I am just grateful to be one of the lucky people who has discovered how fabulous Beardies are!!

Dezi at about ten months, having a moment with his toy...he would bite and hold the tag, while "hugging" it!

Dezi around that same time, "playing"(?) with my pillow..can't a guy get some privacy, around here?!

 

[gatoric]

Dezi looks like he is into his toy. I will need to look for one for Ith. How long is Dezi? He looks a very large dragon from the pics. Did his growth slow a lot then pick back up? Ith has stopped growing in length for the past month. He is at 43.5 cm or 17”. He may just end up a small beardie which would be fine with me. He has been an absolute wild man for the past couple of days. I will be glad when he settles back down. How long does this last? He ran a couple of hundred feet this morning before the bear encounter. He is usually only good for about fifty. It tires him out, so it helps. Cooperdragon helped me out with that, so Ith is going to be running a lot for a while .
Bears were my fear when I was camping too. I carried a 25 auto as well, when packing it in. I was three days back in the woods, in the Smokies, when one knocked the tent in on me in the middle of the night. It was a scary, sleepless night after that. I broke a light stick and tossed it out. He got interested in it and left us alone as he batted it down the mountain. I had my 25 in hand and ready to use. Little did I know at the time, that pea shooter would have just made him madder.
I agree with you about the type of person it takes to belong to a beardie. It takes a personality type to care for them. I have had to learn patience more than anything. Ith will take up to two hours to go poo sometimes when we are outside. I just have to wait. He will go when he is ready. I did not think it was possible to house break him but he took to the idea quickly. Now he scratches at the door to go out. I was really surprised when he started that.
I tried the laser dot on Ith. He would just look at it. I could be due to his blindness in his left eye or just not interested at this time. It would be nice if he would chase it so I could be inside out of the heat. The heat index has been over 110 degrees every day here for the past two weeks, 114 a couple of days. I will keep trying. I used to use the “dot” on my cat and my sons dog.
Give Dezi a nice scratch on the back for me. Gatoric

 

[dezismom]

Dezi is a big boy...24 inches, and still growing!! He did not slow down at all, until recently. (a year and a half old) He was shedding almost continuously...but now, more or less once a month. I allowed him to have his waxworms, because the fat is good for a fast growing animal, and of course I dusted his food with a calcium/D powder daily, a general Vitamin twice weekly. We live in a high altitude, very northern climate, where getting lots of outside sunshine is not really an option, so I am very vigilant about his UVB Reptisun 10 being replaced right at six months.

Because of his obvious continued fast growth rate, I did not insist that he switch to a diet of 25% protien, 75% veggies/fruits immediately at a year old. He continued to prefer live protein, and with his growth rate, I was okay with that. Now, he is starting to develop a good interest in his fruits and veggies, but still more like 50-50. He has these periods of craving for certain foods. Lately, it is raspberries that really turn him on! I always offer him a variety...mornings are his big meal. I offer him mealworms (giants) crickets, waxworms (limited) salad. He gets little snacks throughout the day. At night, a snack of a raspberry before his brushing, massage and snuggle time.

I was concerned about availability of live food sometimes, due to blizzards or when on the road in the RV, so I researched various manufactured Beardie foods, and found National Goegraphic brand Beardie diet was acceptable. It is moist, comes in a bag, looks like peas, and has to be refrigerated after opening. Dez loves it! I warm it by soaking it in hot water, drain it, then dust it. He gobbles it up--about ten "peas" a day. I prefer he eat live food, but want him to be familiar with the beardie diet, just in case.

Dezi likes his lazer, but each has his own personality. Dezi also chases a little kitty toy..looks like feathers on the end of a stick. He chases it, and seems to enjoy the interaction with me. He climbs the sofa and chairs, marches around the house (under my watchful eye) and also enjoys basking in the sunlight that comes through our dining room windows. I do take him out in warm days, but he always wears his harness and leash in case he gets spooked and tries to make a fast dash. I made his harness, after he outgrew several rather pricey store ones. He does not mind wearing it at all! He did however strenuously object to the kind of harness that goes around his neck; that was a total disaster! He was ok, until a bird spooked him and he puffed his beard. That made the harness tight on his neck, and he threw a huge fit...blacked the beard, thrashed and rolled; I couldn't cut that thing off him fast enough! I felt horrible for doing that to him!

That bear encounter in the Smokies would have scared me to death! We backpacked on the App. Trail a few times--lovely country! One night, while in the Tetons, a big bear was walking around our tent, sniffing and pawing at it. He stank like something had died!! just awful!! We had our small terrier with us in the sleeping bag, and I held him tight, praying he wouldn't bark. But even the dog was scared enough to keep quiet. We had tied all food products up high in a tree away from camp, but it was unnerving enough that we broke camp and moved down the mountains the next morning...there were several reports about a big grizzly terrorizing campers in that area. We were lucky.

Dezi thanks you for the kind back scratches, and sends his regards to young Ith. Dez is about to shed his face, and is a bit grumpy today. Just kinda pouty and off his feed. Not that it would hurt him, to miss a meal, ha, ha!

Here he is, playing with the kitty toy...he sticks out all his face spikes, and tries to catch it for a while, then gets tired and waits for it to come to him. He is so cute, sticking his toungue out and holding his mouth slightly open in excitement. When I laugh, he seems to play it up a bit more. I have a blanket on the floor because the wax makes him slip around. He has learned to "swim" across the waxed floors, like a surfer on a surf board! But on carpet, he tucks in his belly and runs like a bull dog...so cute!!

he is having a good time

his mouth slightly agape, a sign of his enjoyment

all tuckered out, ready for his back and head massage!

 

[gatoric]

Dezi is big and still growing. I wonder how big he will get. Ith was constantly shedding as well. He has slowed down as well. He is in that mode right now, his left hind leg a few days ago, his left front yesterday and it looks like his right legs are next. His head is getting opaque too, that is the one he has issues with. Like Dezi, his eating slows or stops for a few days. It must be really uncomfortable for these little guys.
Since he is still growing and not eating much of his salad, how many wax worms do you think will be ok? I have been giving him two super worms and three wax worms. I figure if he is still hungry, he can eat some salad, but he wants the live stuff. He will eat some but not very much. About 20% of what he was eating. I know he would eat fifteen or so if I let him, but I have read so much about liver disease for too many of them. I am probably just being overly cautious. There is so much conflicting information on the web I don’t know what to believe. I did order some fruit from the site. We will see if he will eat it, he doesn’t seem to care much for fruit right now. I ordered some calcium and some calcium with D as well. I will have to try some of the National Geographic food for Ith.
I know the bull dog run. It is what Ith does when he is outside, too cute. He is still being a wild man again today. How long do these “spells” go on? On a good note this is the forth day in a row that Ith has scratched at the door window to go out and poop. It is making my life easier. The heat index has been over 110 for two weeks now and as high as 116 a couple of days. It is hard for me to stay in the heat for an hour or more waiting for him. Now he poops in about five minutes after he asks to go out. I have PMR and a few other health issues so I cannot take it like I could when I was younger. He is watching me from his habitat and wants to be with me but he won’t settle down even though I took him out for his run. It breaks my heart not to let him out here right now.
I am going to have to find him some toys that he will play with, tried the dot again, but no reaction. Has Dezi reacted to any words? The only word that Ith reacts to is ‘crickets’ and that is just a look at me as if to “of course”. Great pics of Dezi, gatoric

 

[dezismom]

I take the photos using an ancient 2nd generation Ipad! I take dozens of them, in hopes that one or two will turn out good...then I delete all the bad ones!

Yes, Dez is big...much bigger than mose Beardies. Every reliable source has said that until they are about a year old, Beardies should have 75% live protien, 25% greens/veggies/fruits. Generally, their fast growth slows down at around a year old, (this is according to the individual--some stay actively growing a up to a year and a half; others slow down a bit before they are a year old.) When the growth slows, they should be gradually switched over until their live protien is 25%, greens/veggies/fruit is 75%---a complete reversal. Until he was a year old, Dezi had no interest in salads. I allowed him to eat as much live protien as he wanted. I allowed 3-4 of the super mealworms, followed by several smaller mealworms, then as many crickets as he would take.( I hand feed all live food) For his first nine months, I fed him every four hours. He lets me know when he has had enough of a particular food by closing both eyes when it is offered. If I offer that again, he shakes his head like humans do for "no" and may even take a step back. Then I know he is saying "no more of that, thank you." So I offer the next course--again, until he double eye blinks and shakes his head. I start with the food he likes least (the Nat Geo "peas") then largest meal worms, then smaller meal worms, then crickets. He can eat six or seven crickets, but likes me to leave a few in the cage for him to chase later. I figure it provides him some entertainment to hunt.

Only after he has had his other courses do I offer a few waxworms. He would eat those until he exploded, so I limit them to no more than ten, but during his worst shed, when he loses his appetite, I let him have a few more. His salads are offered for lunch. I do not hand feed those. His fruit is more of an evening snack, or a treat while I work at the table on my jewelry/rosaries. He enjoys that we eat fruit together...I will eat a raspberry, then offer him a little pea sized piece of one. He is especially excited if I Smack my lips! He also will take blueberries, banana, watermelon, somemother melons, and oddly, he once took a piece of my baked chicken! It was not salted or seasoned, so I figured a tiny bit would not hurt him, since it is,after all, protein

I never ever feed him cold food, or when he is cold! Two reasons: 1) predator species naturally hate cold meat. It means dead meat, and can be rotten, and make them sick. So I hold even the fruit in my hands to warm to at least room temp. 2) "cold blooded" animals body temps are affected by the temp. of their food. Also, I make sure Dezi can stay warm during and after feeding...they must have around 100-105* body temp to digest properly. Feeding a cold reptile can cause a tummy ache or even make them feel sick. Dezi has a nice soft pile of placemats with a heating pad on low covered with a piece of felt or flannel, to keep him warm when I work for a couple hours. In the rehab business,we do not use towels for animals because the terry loops can catch nails, or even worse, they can get a thread wrapped around a toe and cut off the blood supply; if not caught quickly, they can lose a toe! I prefer to use wool felt or old flannel for him as a warm place to rest and snuggle. (I raided the goodwill store to find several nice old flannel shirts to cut up. Washed in purfume/dye free detergent, of course, and never use a fabric softener)

Sorry, this is probably too much info! I recommend a book "The Bearded Dragon Manual" written by bets and specialists in herp care. Last names are Vosjoli, Mailloux, Donoghue, Klingenberg, and Cole. I have several Beardie books, but this one covers anything I can think of, and some that I never knew to think of! Has some nice photos, a troubleshooting health chart, diet, supplements, lighting, illness, breeding, growth, just about everything. I found mine on Amazon, by typing in the title.

 

[gatoric]

Thanks again for the great info; Ith settled down a little today, He is sitting on his box in front of the glass door. I like it when he can be with me as I work. He was just too wound up the past few days. He asked to go out to poop again today. That makes five days in a row I think we have a system. Yea… He is eating a little better too. He started eating his “Bites” by Nature zone again. It seems to have a pretty good mix of fruit and greens in it with some prickly pear and other stuff in the mix. It is soft bite size pieces. He likes it for a while then wants to change. He just stopped eating crickets overnight a couple of weeks ago. He used to eat about thirty midsized crickets at a time every day. I guess he just got tired of them. I just need to mix it up a little better. It is passed raspberry season here. It is past every season here. This is the hottest summer I can recall. We put his food in his house when he wakes up, so it is room temp by the time he eats. Ith turns his head away when he is finished eating and won’t look back at the food until I put it on the floor of his house. I made him a dining table that he lays on to eat. When he wants to eat he will get on it. I have a bark ramp from his stump to the floor and he gets on the ramp when he wants to be out with me. His cool spot is under the dining table. It is in the shade away from the lights. He takes his naps there.
I increased his worms today after reading your post, he is very pleased.  I do have to confess I have been using terrycloth for his security blanket. I will have to cut up one of my old flannels and get my wife to hem a few up for him so I can get away from the terrycloth.
I will have to pick up a copy of the book. I have a couple but they are very basic and do not help much anymore. It is getting ready to rain here for the first time in weeks. The yard crunches when we walk on it. I hope it is a good soaker we need it. Ith says thanks for keeping dad straight.  Gatoric

 

[gatoric]

Ith has almost stopped eating. I took a stool sample to his vet and he said he had mites and possible parasites. He said to use vantage 2 for cats. Will this treat his internal parasites as well? I sent a note to the vet, but he is in surgery all day and may not get back to me until tomorrow. If this is the correct treatment I want to start it today. I thought I could get some advice here as well. Second opinion if you will. Will mites make him quit eating? I do not want to start this until I know that he is not going to have to have a different treatment. I am confused on this method of treatment. Please help. Thanks gatoric

 

[gatoric]

I said vantage 2 I meant advantage 2.

 

[AHBD]

I've never ever heard of using that product on a reptile. Does he have internal parasites or what was the vet referring to ? Do you visibly see mites crawling on him ? If so are they red or black ? You would normally see mites around the head. If your dragon has internal parasites, they need to be identified and treated, but that would never be with a flea product made for topical use [ on the skin ] for cats or dogs. How did the vet say to use this med ? If the vet determined from his poo that he needs a flea product, please do not use it....this sounds way off and very dangerous.

 

[gatoric]

This is what I got from him, It sounded off to me so that is why I have not started treatment. He is the best vet in our area and is a reptile vet as well. Thanks for the fast response,

I found mite ova (eggs) on the fecal test. These could be actual parasites or
pseudoparasites from his diet.
To be safe, I recommend treating him and disinfecting his enclosure.
method 1: make a soapy solution with Dawn and give him a sponge bath daily for 2-3
weeks.
Allow him to dry, then very lightly coat his skin with mineral oil. Avoid his eyes.
Mites mostly like to hang under his arms + legs + around the vent.
You will also need to wash/disinfect his enclosure daily to remove mites + break the life
cycle.
method 2: purchase Advantage II for a cat (Wal-mart or PetSmart) and apply to a cloth.
Rub this all over his skin. Avoid the eyes. Repeat weekly for 3 weeks.
You must still clean/disinfect the enclosure daily.
After washing enclosure with the soapy solution, let it bake in the sun a few hours if
possible.
Once complete, bring a fresh stool to retest.

 

[AHBD]

That actually makes things more clear and seems reasonable if it's really so. I didn't realize that mite eggs would show up in the stool. Do you actually see any mites on him at all ?

As for lack of appetite , what type of bulbs are you using and is his uvb bulb within the expected life expectancy of uvb output ? A uvb bulb may lose it's ability to produce uvb and still may produce bright light for many months.