Help! Toothless swollen leg

[ToothlessBeardie]

Help! Toothless's leg has swollen up, is really squishy and I'm not sure why! I'm a new dragon owner and have had him for month and a half now. He's not been acting the same, he's more fidgety when he's picked up, he's been sleeping all throughout the day, he doesn't seem to want to eat much either. I don't know if it's just because he might be shedding or what it could be. Thanks for any advice you guys can give me!

 

[AHBD]

Can you post a few pics of him, his leg and his set up, also list the exact type + brand of lights you use, what he eats and if you use supplements and how he stays hydrated ? Here's how to get pics on here :
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/

 

[ToothlessBeardie]

Hi, I would but for some reason it's not letting me, I'll put my email on here incase you want to email me and I can email some pictures of Toothless. My email is [email protected]

 

[AHBD]

Toothless looks very good actually....the leg just looks a bit fatter because it's in shed so the skin is loosening + slightly puffy looking. If he's acting sleepy it could be that this time of year is when they go in to brumation which is a sleepy time for them. If you research brumation [ there's an article on the right side of this page ] you can read about it. But he looks very robust + healthy, I don't think there's anything to worry about.


It's always good to list what type brand [ be specific ] of lights you're using though to be sure you have the right ones. People on this forum are always ready to help out if adjustments are needed. By the way, did he come with the wood shavings in his tank ? You'll want to be very careful that he doesn't accidentally eat any , it can cause impaction [ bad constipation ]

 

[ToothlessBeardie]

Toothless looks very good actually....the leg just looks a bit fatter because it's in shed so the skin is loosening + slightly puffy looking. If he's acting sleepy it could be that this time of year is when they go in to brumation which is a sleepy time for them. If you research brumation [ there's an article on the right side of this page ] you can read about it. But he looks very robust + healthy, I don't think there's anything to worry about.


It's always good to list what type brand [ be specific ] of lights you're using though to be sure you have the right ones. People on this forum are always ready to help out if adjustments are needed. By the way, did he come with the wood shavings in his tank ? You'll want to be very careful that he doesn't accidentally eat any , it can cause impaction [ bad constipation ]

Thank you very much for your help! He's very big considering he's 2 and I think it looks worse because we've recently changed the colour of his wood chips from dark to pine, so I think he's picking up pigmentation from that because he's changed colour completely, I think his uvb light bulb is the Komodo brand, if it's not then it will be when it needs changing

 

[AHBD]

You're welcome ! He does look good + healthy size wise. One caution....I believe pine chips can be toxic so you might want to remove them asap. You can use newspaper or non adhesive shelf liner for now.

 

[ToothlessBeardie]

You're welcome ! He does look good + healthy size wise. One caution....I believe pine chips can be toxic so you might want to remove them asap. You can use newspaper or non adhesive shelf liner for now.

Wait, they're beech chips, they just sorta look similar to me :')

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I noticed you were using the Komodo brand of UVB light? Are you in the US or Australia?
Is it a long tube bulb or a compact/coil light?
I am not familiar with the Komodo brand but don't think it is one of the better ones. How old is it?

Tracie

 

[ToothlessBeardie]

Hello,

I noticed you were using the Komodo brand of UVB light? Are you in the US or Australia?
Is it a long tube bulb or a compact/coil light?
I am not familiar with the Komodo brand but don't think it is one of the better ones. How old is it?

Tracie

I'm in the UK, and it's a compact uvb light, I have a long lightbulb for the day time anyway.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Thanks, I thought that was a UK/Europe brand.
The compact/coil lights are notorious for not emitting adequate lighting for UVB. They have a sharp peak of UVB, sometimes even dipping into the low wavelength which is too concentrated & dangerous. The UVB does not spread out enough for them to receive good enough rays.
Which long tube do you use, a 65K daytime bulb that is non UVB?
I would highly recommend getting either the Arcadia D3 12% long tube bulb, or even the Reptisun 10 tube bulb for much higher quality UVB.

Tracie

 

[ToothlessBeardie]

Hello,

Thanks, I thought that was a UK/Europe brand.
The compact/coil lights are notorious for not emitting adequate lighting for UVB. They have a sharp peak of UVB, sometimes even dipping into the low wavelength which is too concentrated & dangerous. The UVB does not spread out enough for them to receive good enough rays.
Which long tube do you use, a 65K daytime bulb that is non UVB?
I would highly recommend getting either the Arcadia D3 12% long tube bulb, or even the Reptisun 10 tube bulb for much higher quality UVB.

Tracie

I have no idea what his lights are like, all I know is that I've got one for light and one for heat, I got given him with new bulbs already in, I've only had him a couple of months so I'm still a new beardie owner

 

[ToothlessBeardie]

This is Toothless's leg, looks better today

 

[AHBD]

Yeah, just a common uneven shed, leg looks fine.

 

[ToothlessBeardie]

Yeah, just a common uneven shed, leg looks fine.

Fabulous, I think I just panicked because I'm a first time owner, any advice to help him get through shedding??