Getting ready to brumate but is dehydrated!!

[Jauly]

My bearded dragon was doing great in the beginning of the year, then his light went out. I had to get him a a new UVB light & the only one that wasn't sold out was a Zilla UVB Fluorescent tube bulb, it was the right temp in his enclosure (96f-100f depending on hot it is here, I live in Cali so it's a good 110+ during the summer & I run a swamp cooler) but then all started to go south. The bulb I have been using since he was a wee lil guy is the Exo Terra Solar Glo Sun Simulating Bulb 3in1 which he never had any issues with. When I was using the Zilla along with a reg uva bulb in as well to provide more stimulating light, but he stopped eating his veggies barely would eat his live food, laid around and just didn't do anything. Thankfully I was able to come across an Exo light got rid of that Zilla, he seems to be more awake now, yet because NOW it's so close to the time he brumates he is not eating anything & drinks very little. I was able to take him to the vet, he couldn't find anything, simply told me to keep him hydrated. Easier said then done at this point since Nachos isn't wanting to do his part. He's 3yrs old, doesn't wobble when he walks sits straight up, (might be a little on the chubby side of things despite him not really eating anything). He gets a good 25min soak sometimes 2x a day, I do mist him hoping he'll drink the drops on the side of the glass or what runs down his nose. Any tips/tricks on getting him to drink?

05/26/2020 (about 2 weeks after getting the Zilla bulb)

08/09/2020

08/15/2020

08/18/2020




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Image of his underbelly, I believe he's male not female.

 

[KarrieRee]

The Zilla bulb is not the best but if placed properly it could of done the trick - NO cover over the bulb meaning it should of been exposed and in the tank approx 6-8 inches from him - you can also replace the bulb and use the Reptisun T 8 bulb - that would of been better - I suggest you put the long tube fixture back in the tank you can use the fixture just get the bulb I recommended -- if Nacho isnt drinking in the bath he is not thirsty--- does Nacho eat salads -- a good way of getting moisture in them is to rinse the greens before serving them - make sure his insects are good and gutloaded - a good way to get them w/ moisture is to feed them carrots and squash - not the dragon tho just the insects - watch Nachos poop it should be dark firm and moist - the urate white firm and moist - not dry and chalky looking-- during brumation its good to take them out and make sure they are hydrated about every 10 days or so - keep a weight on them - get a weight on Nacho before he goes into brumation and he should not brumate for more than 2-3 months - you can weigh him on a kitchen food scale and weigh in grams-- you dont want him losing a lot of weigh during this time - they can lose a little but they also normally sustain it -- you can syringe feed him water but you need to do it very slowly so he does not aspirate the water go into the side of his mouth release water into his mouth let him swallow it before adding more -- I would only do this once a week and maybe give him 1 ML - they dont drink a lot of water -- you said hes not eating at all ? When was the last time he ate ? It might be helpful to post pics of his tank and lighting -- from what I understand the Solor Glo's are not real good UVB's so it could of been a combination of both bulbs causing this problem-- I would get rid of that bulb get a regular bright white basking bulb and get the UVB bulb I recommended the Reptisun T 8 - you can find those at Petco or Petsmart - what size tank is Nacho in?
Karrie

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, are you sure that Nacho's a male ? Post a couple of pics with the tail arched up like in this article :

https://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/sexing/

I don't think brumation is a factor here, Nacho just does not look very well and probably does not feel well , that's why you see a darker beard Nacho is on the chubby side as you mentioned. No need for more than 1-2 soaks a week, forget about wasting time doing it twice a day. Nacho will only get hydrated by drinking the water, not sitting in it. That's old info that has been debunked long ago. Did the vet tell you to do that ? Did the vet do a blood test ? Something else you can do is get some Repto-Boost from a pet store or online, most beardies will drink it and you can add extra water. You can take Nacho out for some natural sun, set him in the grass when it's not too hot for at least 30-40 minutes a day. He's in no shape to get away from you so you don't have to worry about that.

 

[Jauly]

Hi there, are you sure that Nacho's a male ? Post a couple of pics with the tail arched up like in this article :

https://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/sexing/

I don't think brumation is a factor here, Nacho just does not look very well and probably does not feel well , that's why you see a darker beard Nacho is on the chubby side as you mentioned. No need for more than 1-2 soaks a week, forget about wasting time doing it twice a day. Nacho will only get hydrated by drinking the water, not sitting in it. That's old info that has been debunked long ago. Did the vet tell you to do that ? Did the vet do a blood test ? Something else you can do is get some Repto-Boost from a pet store or online, most beardies will drink it and you can add extra water. You can take Nacho out for some natural sun, set him in the grass when it's not too hot for at least 30-40 minutes a day. He's in no shape to get away from you so you don't have to worry about that.

I know he won't soak up water, the point of the baths are to get him to drink something, hoping if he is in it long enough he'll attempt to drink. His live food is gut loaded, the dubia roaches get plenty of food & fluids. He's not eating his salads nor his greens. The vet took a stool sample & some blood work. And taking him outside is something I can do, & I'll look into some repto-boosts. Also he never has a black beard unless I'm having him do something he doesn't like, or I was doing something to him he wasn't to fond of. In these images he just got out of the bath, which he dislikes with a passion.

 

[AHBD]

O.K, good , hopefully the sun and some extra hydration from the Repto boost will help. I really think Nacho's a female though, did you double check ? Did the vet do an xray by chance ?

 

[Jauly]

I would get rid of that bulb get a regular bright white basking bulb and get the UVB bulb I recommended the Reptisun T 8 - you can find those at Petco or Petsmart - what size tank is Nacho in?
Karrie[/quote]
Nachos' is a male & he's in a 50gl tank. And I don't mind switching bulbs again, but Solar Glo has been his light for 2 1/2 years which he's done amazing with, so not to sure about that facts on that with them being bad. He was using the Zilla one for 5months it didn't have a cover on it & was placed correctly as in how close/far is should have been from his basking area. But I'll look into the other light if it'll help him with his issue. He's not eating anything right now, not his greens, not his live food nothing. The last time he ate was about 3-4 days ago, I got him to eat only a couple of roaches. They are loaded with goodies, they get their carrots, same greens as I feed Nachos & watermelon trimmings, their water beads ect. It's been about 4 days since he's touched his veggies, which isn't like him. Before that he wasn't eating much either. I did post pictures of him & his enclosure. Also he goes into brumation every year & it's not for 3months, he's always done well during them with barely losing any weight. He always starts in the month of August, then mid September he's out cold all the way up until March-April regardless of his enclosure temps. I still provide veggies & fresh water in case he wakes up, but he never bothers with his food as I have to remove it everyday while he's sleeping. When I spoke to a repi specialist when he first went into it, they explained to me that this was normal for some bearded dragons as it's also for some pet bearded dragons to never go into brumation. Also with all the nonsense that's going on right now, our pet shop doesn't always have insects or stuff like lights. I did feed him a small fuzzy on July 16th. That was the last bigger meal he's had. I live out in the middle of no where, we've no petsmart or petco. I ordered my light from petsmart from a different town, because they were also out I had to wait 3 weeks to get it. Sort of limited on resources with everyone buying things up.

 

[Jauly]

O.K, good , hopefully the sun and some extra hydration from the Repto boost will help. I really think Nacho's a female though, did you double check ? Did the vet do an xray by chance ?

I took him out for some sun & he was more interested in running away from me then sitting still. lol. Also I posted an image above with the rest of his under belly. I believe he's male. Also the darker areas of his skin where they're orangish is part of his skin that didn't shed this last shed which he's been slowly shedding for about a month now.

 

[AHBD]

Ah, being out in the sun always brings the wildness out of the beardie. Maybe you could make or buy one like this one I have :

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/29954/full

And sexing a beardie is impossible while holding them like that. You have to put them on a flat surface and arch the tail up in the air.

 

[Jauly]

Ah, being out in the sun always brings the wildness out of the beardie. Maybe you could make or buy one like this one I have :

https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/29954/full

And sexing a beardie is impossible while holding them like that. You have to put them on a flat surface and arch the tail up in the air.

Sorry thought I posted both of the images....I added the other one as well. Also if he was indeed a she, wouldn't she have already laid some eggs at some point? I've had Nachos since they were 1 month old & it's been 3 years now. Or is common for female bearded dragons to never lay eggs? Also I did forget to mention above, but I recently relocated Nachos' to a different part in our house also Nachos' enclosure is higher up off the floor then normally. Also no the vet didn't take an xray.

 

[AHBD]

The picture is tiny so I have to zoom in and it gets distorted to a degree. The extreme demarcation from the shed also makes it difficult but one thing I notice is that Nacho's tail is very thin + bony despite him/her being chubby. This is odd, usually only gravid females or a dragon with health problems like accumulation of fluid or possibly a growth has a large stomach with thin legs and tail, sunken eyes + fat pads on the head. Can you post the blood tests here ? Just a week ago someone posted bloodwork where the vet missed a huge glucose spike [ by over a 1,500 range ]

 

[Jauly]

Can you post the blood tests here ? Just a week ago someone posted bloodwork where the vet missed a huge glucose spike [ by over a 1,500 range ][/quote]

I left a message requesting the results from the vet to be sent to me. I can post as soon as I get them.

 

[loljelloclowdz]

For hydrating them:
1. Get a blueberry
2. Inject it with a 1:1 ratio of pedialyte to water
3. Allow osmosis to do its thing. Soon your beardie will be a water magnet.

 

[Jauly]

For hydrating them:
1. Get a blueberry
2. Inject it with a 1:1 ratio of pedialyte to water
3. Allow osmosis to do its thing. Soon your beardie will be a water magnet.

I can try this, if I can get Nachos' to eat that is.

 

[Claudiusx]

Moved by Moderator from General to Health

 

[Jauly]

At this moment it isn't a dehydration issue, I did catch Nachos' drinking from the dish, it's a not eating issue (which given the okay from the vet & this time of year Nachos' never eats as he/she will be going into brumation in a few weeks like clockwork so in the beginning I didn't pay attention to the lack of appetite since it's common for Nachos', the sunken in eyes' ect are not though). Nachos' poop still looks normal & the white of it is not runny nor chalky (There's just not a lot of it, it's a very small poo). I asked for the vet results but the lady at the desk keeps telling me she let the vet know. When I asked if it was possible something was missed, I was told that the blood results & fecal results came back showing nothing is wrong & I just need to keep offering fluids. I've been giving him drops. Again though, he/she is not eating anything. Not greens nor the roaches. I do not live in a city nor a big town. I am limited to the one vet. And at this point I'm worried & upset. Any help would be greatly appreciated if anyone has ever dealt with this sort of behavior from their breaded dragon who showed no internal health issues. Since right now I can only go by what the vet has said.