health

[andrea46]

HI, I need help with whats going on with my beardie, Spike his beard and stomach have been puffed out forabout 2 weeks now. Is there a problem? and if so how can I take care of it and will it go away?

 

[BrownEyes187]

How long have u had your spike?? What sort of lighting are you using?? What does his tank look like?? Is he walking around on paper towel? Sand? What have you been feeding him lately?? Are u able to check what the temperature in his tank is??

 

[andrea46]

I've had Spike for about 7 months now. His tank is lined with that green carpet or the brown one, that lays flat on the bottom. His ambient temp. is 84 degrees. He has one side his basking rock with just the basking light for heat and the other side is his reptisun10.0 uvb desert light. He used to be on his rock for heat but with the new desert light he gets on his log and stays there pretty much all day. Is that good? Spike's cage is only 20 gal. but I'm buying a 40 or 50 gal. this coming week.andrea

 

[BrownEyes187]

I've had Spike for about 7 months now. His tank is lined with that green carpet or the brown one, that lays flat on the bottom. His ambient temp. is 84 degrees. He has one side his basking rock with just the basking light for heat and the other side is his reptisun10.0 uvb desert light. He used to be on his rock for heat but with the new desert light he gets on his log and stays there pretty much all day. Is that good? Spike's cage is only 20 gal. but I'm buying a 40 or 50 gal. this coming week.andrea

From what i understand, you have his uv light and heat lamp on separate sides of the tank?? Keep those close together, they should be close on one side of the tank, so that the other side of the tank is coolest. As for his basking temperatures, it needs to be much higher, especially for him to digest. What are u using to monitor his temps?? A digital thermometer or a stick on??
If you can in the future, invest in a better uvb lamp. Either a Mega Ray or a T Rex...Or, if your lucky and live in a warm climate with lots of sun and warmth, supervise him outside to absorb some natural rays aswell.

 

[andrea46]

Ok. so the reptisun isn't that great of a light then? I will put them on one side as much as possible and why do I do this? Back to my original question about his beard being puffed out and his stomach bigger than normal. Does this have anything to do with what your asking me?andrea

 

[BrownEyes187]

Ok. so the reptisun isn't that great of a light then? I will put them on one side as much as possible and why do I do this? Back to my original question about his beard being puffed out and his stomach bigger than normal. Does this have anything to do with what your asking me?andrea

No, the reptisun isnt, unfortunately...The t-rex and mega ray are better, yes, but all fall very short of the real thing - the sun. Theres no substitute for that.

I think the idea with having both those light sources close together is to maximize nutrient absorption. They need to be really warm to be able to digest, and as they digest their food, they need that Uv to help them absorb the calcium aswell. Its all part of the digestion and nutrient absorption that all happens together.

As for the puffing, im not sure if it has anything to do with your setup, but when we dont know whats wrong, its a good process of elimination to check off things that arent causing it.

Is he still puffed?? Does he have any stress marks on his belly? Is his beard dark at all??

 

[andrea46]

yes he's puffed pretty much through the day. His poop looks good most of the time. He eats well. crickets and then I give him some fruit. I've been introducing yellow squash the last few days now. I live in Nv. so its just starting to get warm. I took him out today and he got really dark all over but as time went on he lightened up.He seems to be happy I think but I worry that something will go wrong with him. I read about the problems they can get but I can't find anywhere on how to fix them even if at all possible. and no he doesn't have dark circles on his belly.

 

[diamc]

Hi Andrea. How old is your beardie? What has he been eating? Has he had a poop lately? Did it look normal?

It sounds like you may be using a type of stick-on thermometer. The only 2 ways to get accurate readings are with either a temperature gun or a digital thermometer with a long wire & probe end. The most important temperatures to know are the actual SURFACE temp of the basking side and the bottom of the cool side.

Browneyes is right, the UVB and basking bulb should be right alongside each other so that he can get the benefit of both bulbs at the same time. The Repti-Sun 10.0 fluorescent is a very good bulb and should be at a distance of 6 to 8" from your beardie in his basking spot. Since there have been so many issues with MVB's lately some owners are now using the Repti-Sun, myself included, until all the problems are straightened out. I also wanted to mention that you need a minimum of a 40 gallon tank in order to use a MVB because they throw off a lot of heat and also strong UV rays.

How is your beardies coloring? Is his beard and/or end of tail darker than the rest of him? Is he getting ready to shed his beard? Is the beard puffed continuously? How is he acting otherwise?

 

[diamc]

I guess we were posting at the same time. Could you answer the questions about the thermometer? That's good that you took him outside and that you are giving him squash. What greens do you offer him? Have you had a fecal checked for parasites? How often are you dusting with calcium and vitamins? Are the crickets no larger than the space between his eyes?

 

[andrea46]

I have a ditigal thermometer with the cord . I'm not sure how old he is he's about 10 a half inches now. Yes his tail is dark about half way down. He's been eating crickets and fruit. He won't eat greens yet at least I can't get him to. Vitamins are about two times a week and calcium about six times a week. His poop is normal most of the time. Sometimes a little hard. I've never taken him to a vet. His poop has been checked either.

 

[andrea46]

I guess we were posting at the same time. Could you answer the questions about the thermometer? That's good that you took him outside and that you are giving him squash. What greens do you offer him? Have you had a fecal checked for parasites? How often are you dusting with calcium and vitamins? Are the crickets no larger than the space between his eyes?

I don't think I know how to respond correctly I always hit the post reply instead o the quote. I did answer your question though somewhere out there

 

[diamc]

That's good that you're using a digital with a probe. What are the basking and cool side temps? You need to place the probe right under the basking light so that it is touching the basking surface then wait about 45 min for the temp to stop rising before getting the final reading. Then you do the same thing on the cool side.

If his poop is hard, it sounds like he needs to be bathed more. If he's not digesting properly because the temps are off, that would/could cause the bloated belly. It's also not a good idea to give him a lot of fruit. Here's a site that shows the best foods to feed: www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html Even though he's really not eating greens much yet, it's still a good idea to offer fresh ones daily in case he does decide to nibble on them.

The darkened tail could be that he is uncomfortable from the bloated belly or that part of the tail is getting ready to shed. They also puff out their beards from time to time, especially in the morning but his being puffed almost continuously could be concerning. Make sure that the crickets are no larger than the space between his eyes.

When you give him a bath tomorrow, gently massage his right side from armpit to vent area and if you feel a hardened area, massage gently in a circular motion trying to move it closer to his vent so he can pass it.

How long have you had him? Is it possible he was on a loose substrate like sand or something before and could be impacted?

 

[andrea46]

That's good that you're using a digital with a probe. What are the basking and cool side temps? You need to place the probe right under the basking light so that it is touching the basking surface then wait about 45 min for the temp to stop rising before getting the final reading. Then you do the same thing on the cool side.

If his poop is hard, it sounds like he needs to be bathed more. If he's not digesting properly because the temps are off, that would/could cause the bloated belly. It's also not a good idea to give him a lot of fruit. Here's a site that shows the best foods to feed: http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html Even though he's really not eating greens much yet, it's still a good idea to offer fresh ones daily in case he does decide to nibble on them.

The darkened tail could be that he is uncomfortable from the bloated belly or that part of the tail is getting ready to shed. They also puff out their beards from time to time, especially in the morning but his being puffed almost continuously could be concerning. Make sure that the crickets are no larger than the space between his eyes.

When you give him a bath tomorrow, gently massage his right side from armpit to vent area and if you feel a hardened area, massage gently in a circular motion trying to move it closer to his vent so he can pass it.

How long have you had him? Is it possible he was on a loose substrate like sand or something before and could be impacted?

I have had him for about 6 months now. He was bought straight from the store. His tail has always been darker at least half way down to the tip.

 

[diamc]

I suggest rechecking the temps tomorrow, having a fecal checked soon. How old is the fluorescent UVB?

He sounds kinda small for a 7 mo old at 10 1/2 inches. How many crickets is he eating daily?

 

[andrea46]

The crickets are the right size with the distance between his eyes. I check everytime i feed him. Its just that my husband was giving him vitamins and then so was I and so I know he was getting way to much. But it happened for only about a week. Fruit is the only thing I can get him to eat besides the crickets though. I only give him melon, canaloupe and strawberries. Once in a while he gets bananas. And very little to on the fruits.
Sometimes I can't get him to drink any water at all for like a week so thats why i give him the fruit.
andrea

I suggest rechecking the temps tomorrow, having a fecal checked soon. How old is the fluorescent UVB?

He sounds kinda small for a 7 mo old at 10 1/2 inches. How many crickets is he eating daily?

He gets about 15 to 20 crickets every day. I've had him since November. and he was maybe 6 weeks old. So am I right about his age?I also have a slimline desert 50 uvb T8 fluorescent bulb, should I use that instead of the reptisun?