Help!

[Mandysmum]

Hi all I'm new to the forum but have been reading on here for quite awhile. I have had a bearded dragon for just over a month which I think is about 5 months old. It is currently in shed with most a complete body she's coming off today. This evening however, it's eyes seem a lot puffier than normal, it has a black beard and seems very lethargic to the point of being almost limp when picked up. I have a 3ft tank, 10.0 tube and basking spot is around 107 degrees checked with both the thermostat probe and a digital thermometer.

Earlier today

Just now

Really worried Any advice would be greatly appreciated, hopefully it's ist shed related and I'm freaking out for nothing. It's my sons dragon and he'll be devastated if anything happens to it. It's 8.30pm here right now and I have to work early tomorrow so won't be able to get to a vet until tomorrow afternoon

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, can you post pics of the entire tank, and do you use a loose substrate like calcium sand or crushed walnut ? Those produce a fine dust and can irritate the eyes.

Is he breathing normally ? He may just be puffing up to break up the shed, but he does look a little off. How do you hydrate him ? What supplements do you use if any ?

 

[Mandysmum]

Hi there, can you post pics of the entire tank, and do you use a loose substrate like calcium sand or crushed walnut ? Those produce a fine dust and can irritate the eyes.

Is he breathing normally ? He may just be puffing up to break up the shed, but he does look a little off. How do you hydrate him ? What supplements do you use if any ?

Thanks for the quick reply! No loose substrate, linoleum tiles on base of tank.

Lights just went out but here's the setup.

He's breathing normally. Ate and pooped earlier today but wasn't interested in food this evening but that's nothing particularly new. He gets calcium on 1 feed a day 5 days a week and wombaroo reptile supplement the other 2 days. He's bathed every second day and I usually drip some water on his nose each day which he usually drinks some of.

 

[AHBD]

That all sounds good. What exact type + brand of uvb light do you have ?

 

[Mandysmum]

That all sounds good. What exact type + brand of uvb light do you have ?

It's a reptileone 10.0 18w flourescent tube

 

[EllenD]

Some of this is probably the shed, but he really doesn't look well, and he's very skinny looking. ReptileOne is unfortunately a horrible brand, right up there with All Living Things. Even though its a 10.0 tube UVB, it is a very cheaply made tube, made in China, and literally an attempted copy of a good UVB tube. Every dragon I've seen under a ReptileOne UVB tube has eye problems due to dangerous rays they emit, and MBD because the actual UVB emitted is very weak. Plus, unfortunately, it's a T8 UVB tube, and you have it on top of a mesh lid, which blocks up to 50% of the UVB light, and he's been essentially getting no UVB light. I don't know if that fixture has a clear plastic safety cover over the tube in addition, but they block 100% of the UVB light and must be removed, just as an FYI.

Either way he looks like he's thin and just not well, the eyes could be due to the shed, but I don't think so, I think it's the light. You need either a Reptisun 10.0 UVB tube (T8 version also cannot sit on the mesh, but the T5HO can, it's strong enough), or an Arcadia 12% UVB tube mounted inside the enclosure. If you're not in the United States, then you'll probably find the Arcadia 12% tube.

Besides the bad UVB light, you have only had him a month, and my guess is the prior owner didn't have good lighting or husbandry in general, so he could be suffering from MBD, a Vitamin B1 deficiency, etc. I'd replace the UVB tube IMMEDIATELY, either way he must get a new one and get it mounted inside the enclosure if necessary (and within the correct distance from his basking spot), and I'd get him to an experienced reptile vet ASAP, an x-ray will show any bone density issues, and blood work will show if he's got any active infections going on. I'd bet that as soon as he's not under that ReptileOne UVB tube his eyes will start to heal, based on what I've seen dozens of times before.

 

[Mandysmum]

Some of this is probably the shed, but he really doesn't look well, and he's very skinny looking. ReptileOne is unfortunately a horrible brand, right up there with All Living Things. Even though its a 10.0 tube UVB, it is a very cheaply made tube, made in China, and literally an attempted copy of a good UVB tube. Every dragon I've seen under a ReptileOne UVB tube has eye problems due to dangerous rays they emit, and MBD because the actual UVB emitted is very weak. Plus, unfortunately, it's a T8 UVB tube, and you have it on top of a mesh lid, which blocks up to 50% of the UVB light, and he's been essentially getting no UVB light. I don't know if that fixture has a clear plastic safety cover over the tube in addition, but they block 100% of the UVB light and must be removed, just as an FYI.

Either way he looks like he's thin and just not well, the eyes could be due to the shed, but I don't think so, I think it's the light. You need either a Reptisun 10.0 UVB tube (T8 version also cannot sit on the mesh, but the T5HO can, it's strong enough), or an Arcadia 12% UVB tube mounted inside the enclosure. If you're not in the United States, then you'll probably find the Arcadia 12% tube.

Besides the bad UVB light, you have only had him a month, and my guess is the prior owner didn't have good lighting or husbandry in general, so he could be suffering from MBD, a Vitamin B1 deficiency, etc. I'd replace the UVB tube IMMEDIATELY, either way he must get a new one and get it mounted inside the enclosure if necessary (and within the correct distance from his basking spot), and I'd get him to an experienced reptile vet ASAP, an x-ray will show any bone density issues, and blood work will show if he's got any active infections going on. I'd bet that as soon as he's not under that ReptileOne UVB tube his eyes will start to heal, based on what I've seen dozens of times before.

Thanks for your reply Ellen. I have never seen an Arcadia here, I think they might be available in Europe. I will try to find where I can purchase a reptisun tomorrow. Think I may have seen them somewhere although I'm not sure they're as common so hopefully I'll be able to find one locally to pickup, I would prefer not to wait for an online purchase with delivery.

Should I leave the UV light off tomorrow whilst I'm at work and just have the basking light on?

Also yes I do think he is a bit thin as well....he was very thin when we got him and has more than doubled his weight so hopefully we're on the right track as far as that goes

 

[Mandysmum]

Quick follow up question as I just did a quick google search and an aquarium shop near my work seems to have the reptisun T5 5.0....if they only have the 5.0's is that sufficient if I mount it inside the tank or not? Will still try to find a 10.0 but just checking as a last resort option.

 

[AHBD]

Yes, the t5 will be fine mounted inside. Does it come with the t5 fixture ? Most do.....if not, is your current fixture a t5 or a t8 ? The t5 is the VERY thin bulb and it will have the brand name/style on the end of the bulb.

If your fixture is for a t8, then get the Reptisun 10.0 t8 + mount it inside , attached to the middle of the screen.

 

[EllenD]

No, don't bother with any 5.0 tubes, they're worthless, it's essentially like no UVB light unless you can get the light within 2-3" of him, which will hurt his eyes more. He'll be fine with just a basking bulb for a couple of days, I'd personally turn off that UVB tube and see if his eyes seem better in the next day or two without it. You'll know then what's going on for sure if his eyes start to heal...

Where are you? Reptisun 10.0 UVB tubes are pretty much found everywhere, Arcadia is a European thing. Please be sure to get the Reptisun 10.0 long tube, either 18" or 24", not their compact bulb, it's only 13 watts and sucks...

The long tube fixture you already have can hold the Reptisun 10.0 T8 UVB tube, but the T8 must be mounted inside the tank, under the mesh lid, and within 6-8" from his basking spot. Most people use either zip ties and cut little holes in the mesh lid to strap the tube fixure to the underside of it, or they find some kind of hooks to hang it off the back of the tank and under the mesh, but you're better off just strapping it to the underside of the mesh lid and directly over the basking spot. Now if you buy the Reptisun 10.0 T5HO UVB tube it is strong enough to sit on top of the mesh lid as long as it's within 11" of his basking spot. However, your long tube fixture is probably not rated for a T5 tube that is 24 watts, so you'll also need to buy a new matching fixture if you go with the T5HO tube. Your choice, mounted correctly they are both just as good...The T8 needs replaced ever 6 months, while the T5HO needs replaced once a year...

Again, don't waste money on a 5.0 tube, they are just worthless to beardies. It won't hurt his eyes, but it won't do anything at all for him, so he's better off waiting a few days without any UVB light. He can go up to a week without a UVB light, if you can, get him outside in direct sunlight for an hour each day, that's the best UVB he can get!

 

[AHBD]

The t5 5.0 Reptisun has the same strength as the t8 10.0, so mounted inside the tank it would be 100 % fine. They are confusing to keep track of for newer owners....but they are the same strength.

 

[Esther19]

If it is warm enough to take him out in the sun for an hour or so a day, you could wait on the proper bulb to be delivered.

 

[kingofnobbys]

That all sounds good. What exact type + brand of uvb light do you have ?

It's a reptileone 10.0 18w flourescent tube

these REPTILE ONE UVB tubes are rubbish .... they are made on the cheap in mainland china and have very poor grade quartz tubes and very poor quality phospors ==> bad UV spectra that's harmful to the eyes of sunworshipping dragons.

i recommend tossing the existing UVB tube and installing either an Exo Terra (make sure it DOESN'T have gold caps = dodgey batch) or an Arcadia 12%UVB tube.

 

[EllenD]

I'm lost now on what UVB tube you have...I thought you were getting a 10.0 T5HO tube by ordering it, but you saw a 5.0 tube (not a T5) and we're going to buy it in the meantime? If you found a 5.0 T5 tube, brand Reptisun, then yes, it will work inside the tank, under the lid, if within 6" of his basking spot...I've never actually seen one for sale in a store, but correct me if I'm wrong AHBD, but I believe all 5.0 tubes need replaced every 3 months? I read that on I believe the Reptisun website. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure. Good thing to be aware of, because the 10.0 T8 tube lasts for 6 months.

 

[Mandysmum]

Just wanted to give an update on our beardie....we have since changed his UVB to a reptisun 10.0 and had a vet visit. The vet did a fecal which came back fine and decided to do a blood test due to the state of his swollen eyes. Bloods came back normal also. The vet, (who is a specialised reptile vet with bearded dragons of her own) felt that the swollen eyes were most likely due to an increase in blood pressure. As the swelling was coming and going she asked us to take daily photos for 2 weeks and if the swelling persisted she would like to do an ultrasound.

We had 1 day out of those 14 on which his eyes were swollen and a total of 2 days of swelling since my original post. As such we have not had the ultrasound and are continuing to monitor how he goes.

The swelling does not last more than a day at a time and he is very grumpy and does not eat as much on those days. Every other day he’s eating plenty and acting happy and completely normal.

Here’s a recent pic