Head tilt/spinning! Help!

[Zedler815]

Hello. This is the first time I have owned a bearded dragon. I got him just one week ago (Wednesday July 4th).

Set up details: 20 gallon long. Basking spot 100-110. UVB light Reptisun 5.0 (Which as I have been reading, a lot of people are saying reptisun 10.0 is better...regardless, can having the 5.0 on him and not the 10.0 for just one week cause these symptoms?) He has a water dish but I have been giving him baths with warm water (dechlorinated of course) because he doesn't seem to go near it. I use paper towels to line the bottom since he is a baby and it seems to be safer from what I have been reading.

Symptoms: He has been acting normally until last night around 10pm. He did seem to sleep a lot since I got him but he would be very active as well and bask, hunt for crickets, eat veggies ect. But it seemed to have hit instantly and randomly. He was fine one minute, and then he started tilting his head to the side. When I picked him up, he would run in circles. I automatically thought inner ear infection because that is usually what a lot of animals do when they have that. I am scared to pick him up because he wants to do flips and I am afraid he will fall. He flails his head from side to side too. I stayed up really late calling vets not only in my state but in the state below me too and they were not helpful at all. Right now he is stretched out sleeping on the bottom of his tank. He seems to get irritated when I touch him so I try not to.

Here's the thing: I got him at petsmart one week ago and they have a 14 day guarantee. If an animal gets sick within that duration, they will "buy him back" from you and then take him to the vet, treat him and when he gets better you can buy him back. And it has only been a week. I just got off the phone with a petsmart manager and I told him that I am not going to bring him in to the store if no one is going to take him to the vet today. He said the earliest would be tomorrow. So, I am planning on taking him in tomorrow.

He didn't eat yesterday but he ate about 15-20 tiny crickets the day before, the first set of crickets I gave him were dusted (without d3) and he went crazy over them. I tried give him one tiny cricket today and he looked at it like he was interest but wouldn't eat it even though I chased it right near his mouth.

Also, he is a baby that is only about 5.5 inches. Any one know what the problem could be?? :'( I seriously cannot do anything right now except think of him

I truly am grateful for any information anyone can provide!

 

[Heptane]

I'd suggest getting him to a qualified reptile vet to be sure, but head thrashing can sometimes happen with calcium deficiency. That reptisun 5.0 is useless for a bearded dragon, worse than useless if it's a coiled bulb. Since most of their calcium absorption/etc happens with proper UVB light, it sounds like that may be the culprit right there since he hasn't been getting any UVB for at least a week. Go snag a reptisun 10.0 as soon as you can - NOT the coiled bulb, the straight bulb type.

 

[Zedler815]

Right now he has a Zoo Med ReptiSun® 5.0 Compact Fluorescent (that is the bulb that came with the bearded dragon kit...you'd think zoo med would be competent enough to provide only the safest products for reptiles...i mean it was in an ACTUAL bearded dragon KIT, so therefore, it was recommended by THEM...companies kill me sometimes.)

So...compact and coil ones are bad, yes? Someone told me that a 10.0 is over kill in a 20 gallon tank but not in a bigger tank. What do you think? I also just took him outside and sat with him in the sun for a half hour to get some natural uvb while I figure this out. I know that too much uvb can damage their eyes. And since he is in a 20 gallon (I was advised that getting anything bigger with him being only a few weeks oldwould be a problem so I got the 20 gallon kit instead of the 55 gallon kit).

He has an appointment with a vet tomorrow that see exotics.

 

[Zedler815]

I tried to feed him another cricket and he looks interested but still won't eat.

 

[Zedler815]

Oh and he just crawled over to his cool side.

 

[Katie007]

Even for a 20 gallon tank you should definitely get the Reptisun 10.0 tube. Make sure you mount it inside the tank, because screens filter out the UVB. Once he gets older he's going to need at least a 40 gallon breeder tank, but the 20 gallon is fine for now since he's so small. Its great that you took him outside, natural UVB is the best for them. Are you supplementing him with a calcium powder? That's also important along with the UVB.

If you do bring him back to Petsmart to see a vet I wish him luck! Hopefully they'll be able to tell you what's wrong.

 

[Heptane]

I made the same mistake, buying a kit like that. I had to buy almost everything over again But yes the 5.0 are good for certain types of reptiles but beardies need at least 8.0 UVB, so even optimally the 5.0 is still too weak. You'll need the 10.0 8-12" from the top of where your little guy basks (measure the distance between his back/head, not from the surface of his spot), any further and the UV. B starts diminishing.

Too intense of UVB can indeed cause eyesight issues, that's one of the reasons coiled bulbs are so bad actually. After a few days (if it is calcium deficiency) he should start peeling up, but a visit to the vet wouldn't hurt.

 

[Zedler815]

I am heading out now for the 10.0. I appreciate everyone who has answered! I get devastated and frantic when one of my animals are sick.

I have been reading about how other people who have sick beardies that won't eat use the zilla jump start. I could pick that up while I am out if you all think it may help?

Since I have taken him outside (was a half hour enough??) he seems to be running and moving around more even though he runs and walks like he is drunk still. I am really hoping it is just calcium he needs and nothing worse. :x

Thanks again!

 

[Zedler815]

Also...I do dust the crickets with a calcium dust that says "without d3". Is there something else he should be getting (other vitamins?)

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

The calcium without the D3 is fine. If you use a Reptisun 10 tube bulb inside or on top of the screen of your 20 gallon tank, that will be fine.
As long as you are using a bright white light, the light is safe to use in a smaller tank. It can be 6-8 inches from him, also.
You can try taking him outside for awhile longer to help boost his D3 levels naturally, as well as increasing his energy levels, too.

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie

 

[Zedler815]

I AM ECSTATIC!

So...I hadn't slept for 2 days because I have been so worried about him (no joke...I get REALLY worked up when it comes to the health and safety of my animals that I don't want to do anything else). Let me tell ya, though, I have learned SO much. ESPECIALLY from this forum. I know I am going to use it a lot now!

Anyways, at 11am this morning I bought the reptisun 10.0 uvb 18" bulb with the reptisun terrarium hood. It is now 3:40pm and he has drastically changed, it is unbelievable! He gobbled up about 10 dusted crickets. He BARELY has a head tilt now and is running around like normal. I am so so very happy. Yesterday I also gave him the jumpstart supp that he licked off my finger. But I know most of his recovery has to do with the new bulb.

Which leads me to this: WHY OH WHY in the world would ZooMed manufacture a bearded dragon kit with a measley 5.0 compact reptisun?! I am thinking about contacting them myself. The manager at petsmart said she was going to contact the manufacturer and tell them about my problems with the bulb that was in their kit. I bought the kit for a little over $90. I just paid about $80 for the new bulb and fixture. The kit also came with sand which I new automatically I shouldn't use so I didn't. Do they care about the products they make and the animals it effects? I mean, come on!

Thank the universe for internet!
Thank you everyone for all your help! I HIGHLY appreciate it!

 

[Esther19]

Wow! I'm so glad your little guy is doing better! Great that you talked to the pet store, too, and that they are looking in to things. Your beardie is lucky to have you.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is great news to hear!
He is doing that much better now? That is excellent you got a new light & it helped so much.

I don't know why the start up kits include such garbage for lights, but, it is frustrating!

Tracie

 

[Heptane]

Glad to hear your little guy is doing so much better
How is he doing now?

 

[Zedler815]

Ok everyone. I have a not too good of an update. That one day when I switched his UVB light to the tubed reptisun 10.0, he was back to normal so I assumed he was cured due to the uvb change. The next day, he was back to the head tilt and running in circles. Of course I got worried. But then the day after that he was back to normal. I swear it is an every other day thing, I don't get it one bit! He was very much back to normal yesterday and of course I was hoping he would stay like that but then today, I wake up and he has had the head tilt and running in circles all day. UGH! This is highly frustrating and I have never seen or heard of anything like this, something like this going on and off. Every other day when he appears to be acting normal, he does eat a good amount of crickets. I am being consistant. I am not changing anything. Right now he is running around his tank awkwardly with his head tilt and stops to run in circles every now and again. Is this neurological? Anyone ever heard of anything like this before? What can cause some neurological symptoms like this? Any thoughts would be great!