I think my dragon is wrinklie....is that good or bad?

[angeldragon]

So I read some where that if your dragon is wrinklie it may have something wrong with it's health but I only read that in one place. Does anyone else know anything about this?

These are pics you can see them in:

 

[Gail]

excessive wrinkles can be a sign of dehydration. Does he drink much or eat greens that have been misted?

 

[angeldragon]

I feed him kale everyday and dusted crickets. I mist the Kale and give him baths at least once or twice a week, spray him every morning and his water bowl always has water in it. Is there more I can do. I don't have any money for the vet right now but hopefully I will soon. I'm also taking him to the reptile store nxt weekend to have them look at him.

 

[angeldragon]

How do I get him to drink more water? I was also thinking of getting a water dropper to drip water into his nostrils good idea?

 

[AtlasStrike]

Terrible idea. Never put water anywhere near a beardie's nostrils. They will breathe it in and get water in their lungs, aspirating water is very very bad for dragons and people. Think about how you feel when water goes down the wrong pipe, you cough and cough and it is very uncomfortable.

You could put a droplet of water in your finger and put it on your beardie's lips, but make sure it does not get in his nostrils. Bathing her more often would probably be better, and offering a variety of the "staple" veggies like turnip, collard, dandelion and mustard greens freshly rinsed.

Also, that sand should probably go...

 

[angeldragon]

yeah I'm changing the substrate out tomorrow I just got a repti-carpet and I read on someones care sheet that they put water in their beardie's nostrils, but in all reality it would make more sense not to....lol. I didn't get my beardie in very good condition I'm trying to nurse him back to health ( I stole him from a friend that thought he could adapt with no uvb or heat...) and it's tough. He still even has food anxiety sometimes he wont eat his food when I'm not around in my room with him...It's quite sad...

 

[bdalton]

I'd get rid of the sand too, but is that red light on all the time? If so, it could be too hot making him dehydrated and that's why he has the wrinkles. How are you measuring the temps? ...just a thought.

 

[Esther19]

You are to be commended for beardienapping. Best of luck as you rehabilitate him. He is a lucky dragon!

 

[AHBD]

Just wanted to comment on putting water on their nostrils ....when you say a caresheet said to put it on their nostrils, you probably read to put it on the tip of their nose, or snout. That is a very acceptable way to give water, they drink it as it trickles down to their lips. Most breeders spray babies from the time they hatch [ I've sprayed every baby I've ever hatched for 16 years] and this is the accepted method of hydrating clutches of babies. If you were to put a clutch of 20 - 30 babies all in a small tub for hydration, many of them would poo in the water while others were drinking, and there is also the chance of babies climbing on top of one another and one easily drowning. Also, there are posts right here on this site of drownings + aspiration of dragons in the bath. This has happened to a breeder I know . The reason I'm mentioning this is that by the time a breeder or a pet store sells their babies, they have been accustomed to probably 1 - 2 months worth of spraying for hydration, and this has always been an acceptable way for them to drink. So yes, you can drip water on their snout, just don't blast them or soak the cage down,[ so the humidity doesn't rise too much, which is usually only a concern with enclosed tanks, not screen - top ] and while bathing, be very aware that they should not be left alone in the water. Both methods have some slight risk, bathing is actually a bit riskier of the two.

 

[angeldragon]

I'd get rid of the sand too, but is that red light on all the time? If so, it could be too hot making him dehydrated and that's why he has the wrinkles. How are you measuring the temps? ...just a thought.

Oh the red light is gone now, I have CHE and its working A LOT better there's more heat along with him and I both sleeping better lol. Right now I have thermometers with probe attachments-One on the cold side and one on the hot side. He doesn't have wrinkles cause of me, he has them cause my stupid friend who thought he didn't need anything other then lettuce and to be in his tank....damn fool, he didnt even give him any live feed...

 

[angeldragon]

Just wanted to comment on putting water on their nostrils ....when you say a caresheet said to put it on their nostrils, you probably read to put it on the tip of their nose, or snout. That is a very acceptable way to give water, they drink it as it trickles down to their lips. Most breeders spray babies from the time they hatch [ I've sprayed every baby I've ever hatched for 16 years] and this is the accepted method of hydrating clutches of babies. If you were to put a clutch of 20 - 30 babies all in a small tub for hydration, many of them would poo in the water while others were drinking, and there is also the chance of babies climbing on top of one another and one easily drowning. Also, there are posts right here on this site of drownings + aspiration of dragons in the bath. This has happened to a breeder I know . The reason I'm mentioning this is that by the time a breeder or a pet store sells their babies, they have been accustomed to probably 1 - 2 months worth of spraying for hydration, and this has always been an acceptable way for them to drink. So yes, you can drip water on their snout, just don't blast them or soak the cage down,[ so the humidity doesn't rise too much, which is usually only a concern with enclosed tanks, not screen - top ] and while bathing, be very aware that they should not be left alone in the water. Both methods have some slight risk, bathing is actually a bit riskier of the two.

I spray him everyday it just seems to not be getting much better. Usually when I give him a bath, I sit with him the whole time. I try not to stare at him though cause then he gets all freaked out and starts splashing then when I look away he stops lol...he's a weird dragon. Is there a product I can buy that will rehydrate him or am I better off taking him to the vet and getting and IV fluid drip?

 

[AHBD]

Hi Angel....does he eat the greens that you give him ? You mentioned kale, but try turnip, mustard and collard greens. Keep them nice and wet when you feed him. The pics of him don't look bad at all, remember that wrinkly skin can also be normal, their abdominal cavity has a huge capacity, so it stretches with a big meal, and shrinks at times when they are more on the " empty" side. But he is not necessarily dehydrated. Keep up the baths, trickle water on his head to see if he'll drink, and try a needleless syringe put in the side of his mouth and slowly squirt a bit in. By the way, your pet store may not give good advice, many stores have a lot of wrong info.

 

[angeldragon]

yeah he eats them. I just started feeding him mustard and dandelion greens and he loves them more then the kale. I tried putting water on the tip of him mouth and he like shook his head aggresivly so I dont think he liked that very much... I was thinking of trying maybe an eye dropper, but the needless syringe sounds like a good idea. The pet sotre Im taking him too isnt just my local regular pet store it's the east bay vivarium so they specialize in reptiles, amphibians, and insects. I mean yeah your right they might not have the right info but Im being cautious lol. I trust this website on advice..... Ive learned a lot from being a bd.org nerd :B...

 

[AHBD]

You are fortunate that he likes greens so much, those will help to hydrate him as well, so if you serve them to him when they are nice and wet, he'll get plenty of hydration. A bath once or twice a week along with the moist greens should keep him good and healthy. Some wrinkly skin is completely normal.

 

[angeldragon]

Otay, thankyou so much for like reassuring me about this. To be honest I didnt even know anything about bearded dragon's until I got him and then did my research.