i think my beardie is sick

[wrathfull]

thank you guys for the help thus far, i am in the process of making a few changes to my tank,
one of them today i have bought 2 zoomed digital thermometers. One for each of my bearded dragon
terrariums. So i put them in and the temperatures are different from the exo-terra dial thermometers i have
currently in those tanks, maybe that is a issue that has been causing his lack of eating, he has 2 heat bulbs
and the dial one says 105 degrees and the digital says only 85.4 degrees? which one should i trust? they are
in the same spot.

 

[Kaiser]

Glad to hear you're making some changes. Hopefully they improve. :]

Generally, I would trust the digital one. The dials have been known to be as far off as about twenty degrees Fahrenheit. But the difference could be due to the thermometers measuring different things; for instance, the dial will only read the air temperature, while if your digital thermometer has a probe, depending on where you place the probe and what it is in contact with, it may be reading the air temperature or the surface temperature. If they're both just reading air temperature and are not touching anything else, I would trust the digital thermometer.

What kind of heat bulbs are you using, and what is the wattage? This could give us a better idea about what the temperature generally should be.

 

[wrathfull]

I habeas heat glo and a sun global and both are 150 watts, I think the digial one is off or something, I put it right by the other, and its not touching the glass

 

[Kaiser]

I habeas heat glo and a sun global and both are 150 watts, I think the digial one is off or something, I put it right by the other, and its not touching the glass

Hmm, that's odd. With heat sources and wattages like that, it should probably be higher than 85.4 degrees Fahrenheit (though this would vary depending on how your lights are actually positioned and how far away they are from the thermometer)... So maybe there is something wrong with your digital thermometer? If you want to test them, you can try achieving the temperature just before freezing of water (32 degrees Fahrenheit, or less than, considering you want it to be liquid, though as close to freezing as possible) and testing them that way; though you will want to make sure if your temperatures can handle temperatures that low and if they can be used underwater. If they seem to be this far off now, it should be pretty easy to see which one is reading incorrectly this way.

But generally, digital thermometers will be more accurate.

 

[wrathfull]

yeah thats what i was thinking, so i actually bought another one and have taken pictures of the differences
i am guessing the one with the wire probe is defective(both of them) they were both way below my others
in both the tanks i have, the other 2 are relatively close
temperature gages are 7 inches below the bulbs

 

[PuffPuff11]

Thank you both for your help,

I will start turning his repti-glo off at night, and i will see if i can locate a Reptisun 10.0 locally.
So should i be dusting with the Calcium with D3 daily then? Or should i only use that twice a week
and use the calcium with low phosphorus as the daily duster? Is there some type of substrate that i can get that is good for them but still has the sand/desert look to it?
So i do think there is something wrong, maybe a parasite, would that pass overtime or would that have to be fixed by a vet? and is there a test they can do to test for something like that?
I plan to pick up some superworms for him tonight, i am sure he will enjoy them.

Thanks again for the help.

Most local petstores do not sell the reptisun 10.0... not in my area... petmountain.com is cheap

You can dust with calcium with D3 daily and give vitamins 2-3x a week...

Kaiser mentioned calcium without D3... "From my understanding, calcium with D3 can be used daily if you are using a tube type UVB, while you can go with the calcium without D3 if you are using a mercury vapor bulb (MVB). I think it has to do with the UVB output and how certain bulbs convey UVB light. But someone correct me if I am wrong."
That is basically my understanding. I have asked Frances from http://www.uvguide.co.uk/ in a different thread this exact question and her response was that basically no one really knows. But she recommended using calcium w/ D3 1-2x a week even if the dragon is provided natural sunlight or is using a MVB.

If you are looking for a more natural looking substrate you could buy slate tiles, they are hard but not slick, so they are easy for the dragon to walk on and they will also keep your dragon's nails trim.
I recommended the non-adhesive shelf liner because it is cheap and a very quick fix... whereas slate tiles are more expensive and you might need them cut and such. I agree with Kaiser, deserts are not big sandboxes they are composed of sand that has been compacted, hardened and dried. Slate tile would be similar.
As for a desert look... my non-adhesive self liner is the color of sand

As for parasites, a vet will need his poop to do a fecal, it will NOT pass on its own! Some vets will do the fecal without actually examining the animal (cheaper) but generally not unless you are an established customer.
Most people recommend doing a fecal, even for a healthy dragon, every year or at least every 2 years because you never know, they can get parasites from crickets and other feeders. I just took Puff who is 13-14 years old just for a check up and we did a fecal (luckily he pooped while we there!!!).... she said he was the healthiest dragon she has seen all year!!

Did he like superworms?

Also about your thermometers... I am also having some issues with one of my digital "reptile" thermometers even though it has a probe it is reading different than some of my other probed thermometers. A very good thermometer is sold at walmart for about 10-15$ I personally have 3 and they work well. It is the Acu-Rite here is a picture http://www.amazon.com/Chaney-Instruments-Acu-Rite-Thermometer-Humidity/dp/B001BO8CUE/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1301641618&sr=8-17
This is the exact thermometer they sell at walmart. It will give you two readings all you need is one thermometer. You set the actual unit on the cool side and you put the probe ON the basking area you will get a reading for both at the same time. The "In" temp is the ambient... the "Out" temp would be wherever the probe is loacted. It also gives you a humidity reading.

 

[wrathfull]

yes i am in the process of buying the reptisun 10.0(working on getting a credit card)
i have taken him to a vet but they did say nothing was wrong with him,
i am going to call them today to see if they can just do the fecal exam.
he loves the superworms but i have only given him a few per day
and i try to feed him crickets before that but he won't eat them.
as for a substrate i was thinking of changing to
http://www.zilla-rules.com/products/bedding/terrarium-liner.htm
any ideas on that? and how would it work with a
heat pad underneath the tank, there is no danger there?
sorry for the quick responses, on my way to work
thanks again

 

[Kaiser]

yes i am in the process of buying the reptisun 10.0(working on getting a credit card)
i have taken him to a vet but they did say nothing was wrong with him,
i am going to call them today to see if they can just do the fecal exam.
he loves the superworms but i have only given him a few per day
and i try to feed him crickets before that but he won't eat them.
as for a substrate i was thinking of changing to
http://www.zilla-rules.com/products/bedding/terrarium-liner.htm
any ideas on that? and how would it work with a
heat pad underneath the tank, there is no danger there?
sorry for the quick responses, on my way to work
thanks again

Sounds like he should be doing well then. If the veterinarian (make sure your veterinarian is experienced and qualified with herpetiles) checked him out and couldn't find anything wrong with him, it may be something to do with the enclosure's temperatures or UVB lighting.

Most veterinarians will do just a fecal (some don't even need you to come in, other than to drop it off), though some will require a check up for your first visit. Although superworms are good enough to be used as staples and could replace crickets, if you plan on getting him back on crickets, you may find it more and more difficult if you continue feeding superworms. There have been a number of cases of owners finding out that their bearded dragons will get "hooked" on superworms and will refuse other feeders.

As for the substrate, that is reptile carpet, which was mentioned as one of the safer types concerning substrates. I have used it myself, but have started using non-adhesive shelf liner draped over it. The shelf liner is very easy to clean messes off of, and the problem with reptile carpet is that it absorbs messes and liquids, and needs to be thoroughly cleaned on a regular basis; with the waterproof shelf liner over it, it is much easier to clean, and because the particular shelf liner I got is clear, I get the aesthetics of the reptile carpet's coloration. And honestly, when I first got my bearded dragon, I thought the reptile carpet would not look very good, but after I put it in, it actually looked quite nice, and gave a little color as opposed to everything being a dull brown color.

I/m not entirely sure if there is a hazard with using the reptile carpet and a heat pad, unfortunately. I would assume that as long as there is the layer of glass between the heat pad and the carpet, it should be okay, but that is just my assumption. But to be honest, a heat pad is usually unnecessary as a heat source for bearded dragons; overhead heating and lighting is preferred in most cases.

 

[PuffPuff11]

It sounds like your beardie is just fine, I would definintely get a fecal done though, a dragon can appear healthy and have parasites.
Maybe he seems unhappy because of temperatures or the light you are using... either way you are doing the right thing in adjusting things. Once you get the repti-sun 10.0 and make sure his basking area is at the appropriate temp, there seems nothing more you can to do ensure he is happy...
Superworms are regarded as a good staple, they are not as nasty as crickets. I wouldn't buy crickets at all if it wasn't for the fact that one of my geckos prefers crickets. I don't feed Puff crickets at all.
You can also breed superworms easily and practically never have to buy a feeder again, except when you want to offer variety, I used to feed superworms on a weekly basis then 2x a year buy a variety of worms just to mix it up... it keeps them interested and happy to have variety sometimes.
Kaiser basically touched on everything I had to say about your carpet and the under the tank heater. Carpet is good, although it may be harder to clean and generally UTH (under tank heaters) are not required or recommended for beardies... if you do use it though... double check the temperature of the floor by taping the probe to the ground. I hear beardies cannot feel heat on their bellies and some have gotten burned, the consensus on this site is to not use a UTH at all... I don't use one, just a basking bulb!
I do have UTH in my geckos cages though and I have the thermometer probe permanently taped to the floor so I can monitor the temp at all times.

 

[wrathfull]

So I took a fecal sample to the vet for testing. The assistant vet said he definately has a parasite and the vet will look at it closely when she is in on Monday. I will keep you all updated, thanks again for all the help

 

[Kaiser]

Sorry to hear he's got a parasite. Hopefully he gets over them quickly with the right medication and care. Yes, please do keep us updated, thanks. Best wishes!