Help!!

[delgc24]

Last night I got a beareded dragon from an owner who didnt want it anymore and stopped carrying for him. The dragon is not active his eyes barely open and he just sleeps. He does seem skinny and according to her he is a little over a year. Now after hours of research im aware that dragons go into brumation but how am I sure thats whats going on and not that he is very ill? He is alive because he would move for a little then sleep or open one eye and go back to sleep. I bought him a Uvb bulb and the tanks hot side temp is currently at 100 degrees. Im trying my best to save the dragon but a vet cost is nearly 100$ for a consultation and I just didnt want to see him in the condition he was so thats why I took him in. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[CooperDragon]

Poor guy! I'm glad you took him in and are giving him a chance. Can you post some photos of him? You can upload photos here https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ and post them to your thread using the XIMG button.

Since he wasn't well cared for, I'd go on the assumption that he is sick rather than brumating. The first thing I would do is focus on hydration. Offer him drops of water on his nose using a dropper or plastic syringe (it's good to pick some of these up, you may need them). Hopefully he will lick it up. Plain water should work fine. You could also try creating a homemade gatorade type of drink using 1qt warm water mixed with 2Tbsp sugar and 1Tsp salt mixed together. Offer about 5-10ml/cc daily.

If he's taking water in, that's a good sign. The next step is to offer him some nutrition. Give him a day or so to settle in and then offer him some baby food squash or baby food green beans via syringe. I'd offer 2-5ml of baby food per day broken down into 2-3 small meals at first.

I would also start tracking his weight on a kitchen scale (in grams). Logging weight is a good way to monitor his progress.

Give this a try and let me know how he responds and I'll be glad to continue offering advice from there. Best wishes to both of you!

 

[delgc24]

I know the pictures may not help but I just didnt want to disturb him anymore. I tried offering him water But he didnt even open his mouth. I went to petco and explained the situation and they told me to try to feed him baby crickets so I took him out and put him in a small bin and placed a cricket inside the bin. I got him to wake up and open his eye (only one opens) and he followed it with his head but didnt move to try and get it. I feel really bad but I dont know what to do.

 

[CooperDragon]

Poor guy, I'd treat him as sick like I said. I don't suggest trying to get him to hunt at the moment. It may cause stress which can be harmful. I'd also avoid giving him much protein to start with so his systems don't get overwhelmed.

Perhaps some time in good lighting will help. Your temperatures are good. What do you have in place for UVB and how far above him is it? Is the weather nice where you are? If so, bring him outside for some natural sunlight. Just have him sit in your lap and absorb some sunshine for a while. That's weather dependent of course.

Try again with the water in a couple of hours. If he doesn't take it, try gently pulling his jaw down with the syringe to see if you can get him started on the water. You may be able to use the corner of a cereal box flap to pry his mouth open but be careful and gentile with this as well. Be mindful that his front teeth are right at the tip of his mouth so you don't want to damage those.

 

[delgc24]

for uvb I have reptisun 10.0 thats what they recommend at petco its the mini compact fluorescent. Its less than a foot above him. Thanks for your tips I will definitely try offering him more water in a couple of hours hopefully he drinks a little bit .

 

[CooperDragon]

I prefer the tube style UVB lights because they provide a wider beam of light across the basking area and have a bit better range than the coils do. If you can, I'd pick up an 18'' T8 ReptiSun 10.0 tube and an 18'' T8 Zilla Slimline/Desert fixture. The slimline fixture has a reflector that increases the output a bit and it also has two holes in the back you can hang the fixture from. The small size command hooks fit in it (rated to 1lb each) so you can mount it inside the tank so it sits 6-8'' above the basking area shining down over it. This should provide him with adequate UVB exposure which will help. Be sure to remove the plastic cover so there is nothing between the bulb and basking site.

If you have a larger tank and the top of his half log sits 12'' below the top of the tank I'd get a T5 high output bulb and fixture for him. That will give him daylight levels of UVB at 12-14'' below the bulb and is ideal. These are good options for a larger tank:

This fixture http://www.amazon.com/Sunblaster-904296-NanoTech-Fixture-Reflector/dp/B00AKKUBDQ
With this bulb http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiSun-10-0-Lamp/dp/B00AQU8HAO/

Or this combo set http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/22-t-5-ho-fixture-high-output-with-arcadia-d3-12-ho-bulb/

 

[delgc24]

Thank you for suggestions will definitely change the ubv set up as soon as can. Im not working at the moment so thats why I have to keep cost down but im trying my best and I know this poor dragon is at least in better hands now than the previous owner.

 

[CooperDragon]

I understand. Just do the best you can with what you have. If you need to stick with the compact bulb for a while, I suggest moving it a little closer if you can. Is it sitting on top of a screen? The screen will intercept some of the output so you may want to either cut away the screen or hang the fixture from something and leave the screen off (as long as no other animals are around who could get in and cause harm). Based on my testing of similar bulbs, the best UVI is at 6-8'' below that bulb without a screen in the way. The compacts are pretty intense visually though so you want to make sure it's right overhead rather than at an angle, and no closer than about 6''.

 

[delgc24]

Yes its sitting on the screen so what im going to do it remove the screen and look for something to hang the uvb light right above him. Question would you suggest leaving the heat lamp and uvb light on all night or turn them off ?

 

[delgc24]

this is how his lights are currently set up.

at least he has been moving on its own.

 

[CooperDragon]

It's good that he has his head up and eye open! It's a start. Can you get any water into him now? I advise turning the lights off overnight and letting him get some sleep. The lights should be on about a 12hr on/off cycle revolving around your schedule.

 

[delgc24]

ok I'll turn it off and put the red night light so it doesn't get too cold in his tank. I just left to the store to see what can I do to remove the screen and hang the lights.

 

[CooperDragon]

I would avoid using the red light because it can disturb sleep. You'll be better off with a 50-100w ceramic heat emitter which will put out heat but no visible light. Shoot for having the tank in the high 70s up to around 80 overnight for now. It's higher than normal but will help give his system a bit of a break. If you can find an adjustable lamp stand that will help you easily change the height of the bulbs too.

 

[delgc24]

ok thanks for all your help

 

[CooperDragon]

You're welcome. Please keep me updated and let me know if you have any questions.