humidity? should i trust my vet?

[BobSaget]

SBeardedtical care food supplement but it says its for herbivores but beardies are omnivores. Could he have given me the wrong thing? I thoughta vet visit would be helpful but now I'm more confused tuscan ever before.

 

[Claudiusx]

I think your post might have got auto corrected a few times?

Do you mean critical care?

And what does your title have to do with the question in your post?

-Brandon

 

[BobSaget]

I'm typing on a phone and, yes, it was more than auto corrected. It was demolished. The vet told me to raise humidity to 60-80%. That seems wrong to me. And yes. Critical care.

 

[Tonja]

60 to 80% humidity is way to high...keep it below 40% if possible or you could end up with a dragon with a respiratory infection. Critical care is fine for a beardie, mine get it as a supplement once a week in a slurry of veggies fed by syringe.

 

[BobSaget]

Thanks. That's what I thought as well but I'm angered that I plunked down over a hundred bucks on a vet visit for crappy advice. And I still don't know if my beardie is healthy. Sadly it is the only vet nearby that deals with exotics.

 

[Claudiusx]

Well, we will try and help. :mrgreen:

Firstly, what was the reason for the vet visit?

Critical care can be used for dragons, it's quite effective, especially in providing nourishment to sick and malnourished dragons. I've used it quite a bit, and it definitely helps get a dragon who isn't getting the nutrients they need from food, back on track.

Do not do anything to raise the humidity, as this can lead to URI's and other issues.

Really though, we need to know why you went to a vet, what you think is wrong with your dragon, what the vet thinks, etc. The more details the better.

And since I can almost guarnatee you, we are going to need to know this eventually, if you wouldn't mind filling out these questions, they would help.

What uvb bulb do you use?
What are the temperatures in your tank? The basking surface, hot side, and cool side.
What are you using to measure these temperatures?
What does the daily diet look like, if the dragon is eating?
How often are the bowel movements?
Age/size of dragon?

Any other details you wish to provide, help us better help you.

-Brandon

 

[BobSaget]

I went to the vet because I've had buttermonk for about a month and was concerned thathe doesn't have much of an appetite and hasn't really grown. He eats, but about 1 to 8 crickets a day. I started giving him Phoenix worms, but again, he eats sparingly. And not much greens. I wanted to get him checked out cause he was the runt in the pet store that I work at/ bought him at and I don't feel like he was very well cared for at all. I brought a still sample to check for parasites but won't here the results for a day or two. The uvb us a desert 50 tube from zilla. Temps about 100 to 110 in basking and 80 to 85 on cool side. Humidity us 30%. Weight is 10 grams and length us 6.75 inches.

 

[Claudiusx]

100-110? That is a pretty large margin. What are you using to measure these temps?

Lighting plays a very important role in a lot about a dragons health, including appetite. The bulb you are using is known for not performing very well. That is the first thing I would change.

Also, you want to be sure your basking bulb emits a bright white light, not a colored light like red/blue/etc.

-Brandon

 

[BobSaget]

The desert 50 us what came with the fixture. I've been advised to get a 10.0 bulb, but due to the costly and not all that worth it vet visit, I really can't afford it right now. I have a coil 5.0 that I no longer use because I replaced it with the tube. If I used both, would that be the same as a 10.0? The temperature varies depending on how the light is positioned. It melts my screen if i put it directly on top. The temp gauge is also zilla. Its, a dial would be the best way of describing it. It has a humidity gauge as well.

 

[Claudiusx]

Coils are very dangerous to a dragons health, you should not use that.

There are only two uvb bulbs on the market proven safe and effective for bearded dragons.
The reptisun 10.0 tube, and the Arcadia 12% tube. You need to get one of those two.

Your dial thermometer is not going to cut it. Read this thread:
http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=167279

Until you fix these issues, you can't expect your dragon to be acting healthy.

-Brandon

 

[BobSaget]

I don't think the problem so much us my thermometer. Got my reedy results today and turns or it's coccidia. Vet gave me Albon. I keep reading to give probiotics with thus but the vet said nothing about this. Does critical care fine grind supply that? Should I get something else?

 

[Claudiusx]

Your thermometer is a problem.

Temperature is one of the most important things for a dragons health. And you don't know it. You don't know it when you are using a device PROVEN to be off by nearly 40 degrees in some cases.

What were the counts of Coccidia? All dragons have a natural level of Coccidia in their system, it's only when the numbers get out of hand that medication is needed.

-Brandon

 

[AHBD]

I thought I'd chime in also about the light. Check your fixture that holds the bulb, the Zilla ones often have a plastic shield in place that blocks the UVB completely. Also, as Brandon said, find out what the coccidia levels are. Some small amount may not warrant a harsh drug like Albon, [ Ponazuril seems to work for many beardies and is less harsh.] Also the baby should be on a probiotic such as Acidophilz+, Benebac or SOY yogurt....this helps to keep the gut flora from being wiped out by the meds.

 

[BobSaget]

The ineffectual vet didn't give me a count, but used the term loaded with coccidia and prescribed the Albon. I'm going to continue to give it because I know that this dragon has parasites due to his behavior and prior living conditions. I'm not concerned about a new thermometer at the moment. Can't afford it, and am relatively certain everyone else in the surrounding area is using the exact same thing since I've been to 6 surrounding pet stores and it's all they sell. I'm more concerned about the real problem, which are the parasites in my dragons body and whether or not I should be giving him probiotics or if just the critical care is fine.

 

[Claudiusx]

And what is going to happen when they come back because of your ignorance to the importance of temperature?

Having proper temperatures IS MORE IMPORTANT than even remembering to feed your dragon.

Did you not even read the thread I linked you to.

I'm not going to give you advice just so you can pick apart and choose which you want to follow. If you are knowledgeable enough about bearded dragons to do that, then you are knowledgeable enough to not need advice at all.

And it's quite unfortunate that you are not willing to spend $12 on a thermometer when it means the health of your dragon. You don't have a thermometer right now; that is how inaccurate it is.

-Brandon