I need Help...R.I.P Tater The Dragon/I Bet Cloud Crickets R

[BeardedxXxBoBBy]

i got a baby bearded dragon from petsmart not to long ago and i am having a problem with him at the current moment

he is darkening up not eating and i am not to sure why he is doing this i do feel a lump on his underbelly but i am not to sure where the lump would be on a impacted baby dragon becuase i have never dealt with this kind of thing before

dont get me wrong i have four dragons i am not new to the dragon scene i kow the rule of thum with cricket size and the eye thing but seeing as how i have never before seen an impacted dragon i dont kow where i would find the lump for it

he is hiding in his cave his eyes are squinty

and no i dont use sand he is currently on repticarpet so there is no dust in his eye i have been giving him a bath every other day he has the right coolside hotside temps so i was wondering if anyone else has seen something like this and can give me some advice before i have to take him to the vet witch it seems i am going to have to do anyway

probally should have never bought a animal from petsmart in the first place
the guy there told me that they were only feeding the dragons every other day and only a couple of crickets no supplement or UVB lights in there enclosure and not to mention how small those things are in that store to begin with anyone who goes into petsmart knows what i am talking about

 

[bayoupig5]

Well, I can give some advice. I got Emmalee from Petsmart as well. I know my Petsmart was feeding mealworms, which can cause impaction.

Impaction is usually a lump that can be felt on the dragon's right lower side of abdomen. Several things can be done to help ease impaction. You can put either unsweetened applesauce in a dish that they can lick up, or you can put a little on their nose to lap. You can also use olive oil, which I have done in the past. You do no need a lot of olive oil, just a drop or two, usually on the nose tip.(I have to force olive oil to Emaalee by syringe but that's a different story). You could also do a applesauce olive oil combo. Bathing in water with abdominal massage also helps. I have found that rubbing the belly gently from top to bottom of vent, sometimes gets things moving. Also bathing in water a little warmer than usual, but not hot. In times where I have tried to get Emmalee to poop I have increased the baths to every day for 20 minutes. You may want to try that. Make sure your basking temps are high enough, at least 105F to also help with getting the metabolism going.

The squinting eyes, I am not sure what is going on there, may be the type of UVB light you are using, but could also be because the dragon is not feeling too well. More info on lighting and temps may help further with any other issues you may be having, so I would also suggest posting those.

 

[Emeraldcoast]

What kind of light set-up are you using.

Are you using any coil lights?

I look forward to hearing from you, and I hope I can be of some help.

Emerald

 

[BeardedxXxBoBBy]

yes i am using the reptisun 10.0 coil bulb well not really a coil one of these three big U lights it is the first time i have uused this type of light hmm i also guess it can be that he is not feeling well i did not fell any bumos in his abdomen

i called the vet today and they said to give it a couple of days to see if he gets any better i talked to them about impaction as well

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

The long coil type of light will most likely be the cause of the squinty eyes. You will need to turn that off & get a long fluorescent tube bulb. The Reptisun 10 is the best here in the US right now. Are you using a bright white basking light along with it & is it placed directly beside the UVB light?

Tracie

 

[BeardedxXxBoBBy]

no i have the tight beam basking buld 75watt for his enclosure i do not think it is a lighting problem seeing as how i did the same thing with all of my other dragons i switched him on the tube bulb yesterday just to be sure so now i am just waiting to see what happens i am taking him to the vet tommorow as long as the snow doesnt block me in i am hoping not but we have a blizzard coming tommorow and my appointment with the vets office is at 530pm

 

[Emeraldcoast]

I don't think I quite understand what you are using for your lighting. (?) Any kind of coil bulb is not good for your beardie eyes. The coil lights damage them.

Also, beardies can be affected differently, even though they are exposed to the same thing.

My Miss Sydney suffered MBD briefly. Her only symptom was being lethargic.

Sir Darwin, in the same viv, under the same conditions, also suffered briefly from MBD. His only symptom was tremors.

I did not recognize Miss Sydney's lethargy as a problem. I did realize immediately that something was wrong with Sir Darwin.

Same viv, same conditions, same everything. The only thing different was their symptoms/reactions to the MBD. Like humans, every beardie is different in some way or another.

If it is a coil light, please consider changing it out for your beardie 's sake, and for your sake. I know you love your baby. It is easy to see.

Take care. Have a wonderful, wonderful, day.

Emerald

 

[BeardedxXxBoBBy]

his colors seem to be coming back i have gotten rid of the coil bulb i did not know coil bulbs could have such a affect on the dragon i sould have researched first but

he is still not eating that is my main concern is him feeding he needs to eat

 

[BeardedxXxBoBBy]

also i have had him over a month now and is not looking like he is growing one bit this is my first really young baby i have had bearded dragons before but this guy was way too small to be sold when i got him but since i have experience with dragons i thought i could handle it but it seems to be more of a hassle becuase of the health of the dragon when i purchased him

when i got him from petsmart i considered it a rescue

 

[spikerocks]

I m sorry to hear about the problems w/ur baby beardie. I m glad that u already have experience w/beardies tho. We purchased r first beardie from petsmart w/no experience. It has a been a long n treacherous road but thx to bd.org r little spike is still alive, not yet thriving but alive. Here is his thread, hopefully something here may help u w/ur baby. viewtopic.php?f=45&t=121075 For us, a strict schedule of bathing n syringe feeding have been the most beneficial. U have TONS more experience than I do, but I will help in anyway I can.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I am happy that you turned off & replaced the coil type of light you were using. Unfortunately, they do have a bad reputation of emitting low wavelength UVB which is quite hazardous. The coils tend to be rather glaring on their eyes too. If he was to close to the light then it has most likely dehydrated him causing some lethargic behavior & loss or decreased appetite.
Give hime a few days to recover. Try to give him some extra oral fluids right now for a few days along with some baths to help with overall hydration. How do his eyes look, are they open or does he squint a little bit or close them quite often?
You can try to find some bee pollen or brewer's yeast at the health food store to help with his immune system & appetite.

Tracie

 

[BeardedxXxBoBBy]

update:
i had replaced the bulb the otherday to the tube reptisun and i wake up this morning to find out that it decided not to work i checked the fixture with another bulb that i had and the fixture is fine

unfortunately petsmart has no more reptisun bulbs so i went ahead and order one off of petmountain but he is runnign around today went for a little swim in the deep part of his bath and drank some water

but he is still not eating i threw in some crick today and he is just watching them i put an exact number in so i can count them later on to see if he ate at all

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Oh that is too bad! Your Reptisun 10 tube went out, really? It was new! So, you ordered one from online the? Hopefully you will be getting that soon.
He is doing better now & is active as well? He has not eaten yet? Well, hopefully he will start eating for you here pretty quick. At least he is more active however, that is some improvement so far.
Let me know if you need anything & how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[BeardedxXxBoBBy]

i seem to have bad luck his veterninary appointment today was at 530 pm but the state of maryland issued a state of emergency for my county at 4pm so i wasnt even allowed to leave my house..............if it aint one thing it is another...i am so tired of snow

the little guy didnt move around very much today and still hasnt eaten but he did drink a little bit during his bath today

 

[BeardedxXxBoBBy]

update:
this little guy has been moving around today bu tnot very much i have still not recieved the bulb from petmountain and i highly doubt anything is going to be shipping becuase of my whereabouts we got 3 and a half almost 4 feet of snow and it is killing me because i got to get this little guy to the vet............................it couldnt have come at a worse time.