He won't open his eyes... :(

[Rikki4Pats]

Spike is about 6 months old and we've had him around 5 months. He's in a 30g tank. I used to use calci sand until recently (I had no clue it could cause so many problems), so now I'm using a carpet like material from the pet store. Another mistake I was making was using coil UVB lights. I recently switched to an 18", 15 watt ESU Reptile Desert 7 flourescent lamp (120V 60Hz). The cool side of his cage is in the 80s and the warm side is in the high 90s. He eats mealworms and crickets in the afternoon that are dusted with calcium every other day. He used to poop regularly, but now he's going around every 5 days. I just started bathing him daily (another thing I recently learned about... I feel so horrible for not knowing how to take care of him properly) and he is looking so much more beautiful! The reason I started all this is because his eyes began getting extremely swollen. I'm almost positive it was due to the calci sand, and entirely to much UVB exposure. I'm trying to correct my mistakes, but I'm afraid Spike's eyes are in very bad condition. They seem better after the baths, but I want to do anything i can possibly do to help them heal properly. I read that feeding him carrots and using turtle eye drops might help. Is that true? I made an appointment with a Herp Vet, but she can't see Spike for a few more days. It seems like his eyes are just getting worse despite my efforts. Any ideas?

Here are what they look like right now...

If the cause was to much UVB lighting will he get better? I'm so worried about his sight... I've been feeding him and his appetite is still normal. He isn't as active as he used to be though.

 

[LJean]

Please turn the uvb light off asap. The Esu one can be the cause. He is better off without a uvb light right now. I am not sure what to use on his eyes, I will try to find the information for you.

 

[LJean]

So far I haven't found anything about eye drops, only to turn the uvb light off for a few days. Also bathing and keeping the dragon hydrated is a good idea. Your dragon should be pooing more often, at least daily. Bathing and giving a few drops of olive oil mixed with unsweetened applesauce usually helps with a poo.

 

[Rikki4Pats]

Today is the second day he hasn't had any UVB. Thanks for helping me look for info.

 

[LJean]

I did find a few posts where they were using drops from the vet and also saline solution. I read the box of my turtle eyedrops, and basically that is what they are. Do you have some on hand?

There is also something called raw manuka honey that was used.
This is one post that I was reading from:
viewtopic.php?f=45&t=100451&p=781824&hilit=eye+drops#p781824

 

[Rikki4Pats]

I have saline solution at home. I was about to head to the pet store to get the turtle eyedrops, but just wasn't sure if that's what I should be using.

I completely forgot to mention he has been having seizures. I didn't know exactly what they were until I read about them on this forum. I've completely changed his habitat and lighting, but could I have been to late in doing this? Could this also have been caused by the coil UVB bulbs?

 

[LJean]

Yes, it certainly could have been from the coil lights. It could be the beginnings of metabolic bone disease. I would keep the uvb light off for a few more days. Also read this:

The ESU slimline 7% has no usable UVB emissions at all. So, for however long he has been under that light, he has not been adequately absorbing his calcium or vitamins at all. Nutritional deficiences cause all types of symptoms, including swelling of eyes & it can include swelling of the beard & just an overall bloated appearance.

Hope this helps!

 

[GoFast]

I think the seizures are more likely caused by impaction. if he is only pooping every 5 days then that is a pretty good sign to me, especially considering that he used to go every day. You need to stop feeding mealworms as these and the calci-sand are probably the causes of the impaction. To get him going try giving a few drops of olive oil. Just put a drop on his snout and when licks it off, put another. Do that a few times. You could also try some unsweetened applesause. Also give him a good warm bath and massage his belly right below his right armpit working your down towards his vent.

 

[Rikki4Pats]

To get him going try giving a few drops of olive oil. Just put a drop on his snout and when licks it off, put another. Do that a few times. You could also try some unsweetened applesause. Also give him a good warm bath and massage his belly right below his right armpit working your down towards his vent.

I'm headed to the kitchen to grab some olive oil right now!! I've been giving him warm baths and massages for 5 days now. The first time I did that was the most recent time he's pooped. How long should he stay in the warm bath?

 

[LJean]

bath- Try for 15-20 minutes a few times a day until you can get him to go.
The olive oil has helped many dragons go poo. Keep us posted!

 

[Harley's Mom]

Going back to the eyes, both of my frilled dragons are rescues and they came to me with photo-kerato-conjunctivitis which is due to bad UVB and it looks remarkablely similar to what is going on with your beardies eyes. I've never used regular saline solution so I can't say how well that works but I did use the turtle eye drops and it works extremely well.

 

[Rikki4Pats]

Going back to the eyes, both of my frilled dragons are rescues and they came to me with photo-kerato-conjunctivitis which is due to bad UVB and it looks remarkablely similar to what is going on with your beardies eyes. I've never used regular saline solution so I can't say how well that works but I did use the turtle eye drops and it works extremely well.

Which UVB lights did you switch them to? And how long did it take for their eyes to heal?

 

[Harley's Mom]

I switched them to the ReptiSun 10 (tube, not coil) but I left it off for a couple weeks and just turned on their heat source. I also put the drops in their eyes twice daily. It took quite a bit of time for their eyes to heal and honestly, they still don't see as well as they should. I'd say it was a good three to four weeks before the swelling went down completely but their eyes were in much worse shape than your beardies eyes appear to be so it probably won't take as long to get his little eyes back to normal.

 

[LJean]

How is Spike doing today?

 

[Rikki4Pats]

How is Spike doing today?

Still no poop. He's moving around fine. I got some olive oil down him twice yesterday, so I'm hoping that I'll be able to run to the computer with good news soon. I'm "sick" so he'll be getting tons of warm baths and massages today!! Keep your fingers crossed!