IS HE SICK? PLEASE HELP!

[Ryan28]

I came home today to find that my bd had not eaten the crickets i have left and had crawled under his log. this has never ever happened for the year that i have had him. when i looked at him it appeared he had stopped breathing for a couple seconds. his eyes were closed, and i frantically rubbed him to see if he was just taking a nap. he opened his eyes and started breathing, but still didn't eat. is this normal behavior? please respond!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

What type of lighting are you using? What type & brand of UVB light are you using? Is it a flourescent tube bulb or a compact or coil light? How old is your UVB light?
Do you give calcium several times per week?
What type of basking light are you using?
Has he been slowing down recently on his eating? It is wintertime & alot of dragons around his age have slown down & stop eating as much & don't bask as much.
When was the last time that he went to the bathroom?
How do his eyes look, are they bright or are they sunken in?

Tracie

 

[Ryan28]

thankyou for helping me. I am using a compact bulb for my uvb light . Ive had it for 11 months. as for the heating lamp it is a zoo med 100wt basking light. yes I do give daily calcium supplements. he has been slowing down with his eating over the week and now he wont eat at all. he pooped just yesterday, but it was all white and extremely runny. he doesnt look healthy. his eyes look normal, just really really tired.
thankyou so much for helping me!

 

[dobiegil2000]

coil uvb bulbs are not recommended for beardies, and this could be part of the problem. You need a good source of uvb such as a reptisun 10 which can be purchased at petmountain.com. They need to be replaced every six months and your beardie should be able to get with 6 inches of the light.

Robin

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

No problem, we are here to help you with your dragon.
Oh that could be a big problem the coil/compact UVB light you are using. He has not had any eye problems associated with that? How close is the light to him?
If the light is thath old, it needs to be replaced. They don't really put out very good UVB emissions even brand new.
The best UVB light you can get that is a flourescent tube bulb is the Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb. You can get it for a great price from:
http://www.petmountain.com

He is most likely having trouble absorbing his calcium with little to no UVB exposure. So, please do get that UVB light as soon as possible. Otherwise, he will continue to become more lethargic & will get worse.

Tracie

 

[Ryan28]

I plan to order the reptisun 10 today. he is doing alot better today. I fed him lots of carrots today to help him with his eyes if they are damaged a little bit. the uvb light is about a foot and a half away from him. I also noticed today that is basking temperatures were pretty low- about 90' F, which might be the problem. I moved the light closer and it is about 102' F. I hope this helps for now. again thanks for the help

 

[Ryan28]

oh- also about the reptisun 10, i looked on pet mountain.com and as far as i could see they only sold the bulb, not the socket. do they sell the socket for it? if not where can i get one?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How is he doing today?
Ok, that is a safe enough distance for the coil then with your bright basking light. Good you have moved the basking closer to adjust his temps that were too low. That can have alot to do with his behavior.
Make sure though that his basking light is not any closer than 6 inches so he cannot burn himself on it, ok? What are the temps now?
The pet mountain does not sell the light fixtures I don't think. You should be able to find one at a Lowes or Home Depot to fit the Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb though.
I hope he is doing better today, did he eat anything?

Tracie

 

[Ryan28]

He is doing very well today. He ate some carrots, lots of crickets, I tried to give him an orange but he wouldnt take it, and some mixed veggies. He took a nap from about 2:00 to 3:00. The basking temp is currently about 103'F for his basking temp and about 83'F on the cool side of the tank. He looks alot happier. I have heard about a night bulb that emits heat but does not light up. Do you think getting one of these is a good idea since his tank temp can drop into the low 70s at night?
thankyou very much for your help!

 

[diamc]

Hi, that's good to hear that he is doing better. You might want to go a little easier on the carrots as they are high in Vit A and should only be fed occasionally according to this list: http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

Ceramic heat emitters are a good thing to use when temps reach close to 65, otherwise you don't need to use one because they need to be cooler at night. Here's a site that has the emitters though in case you want to read about them. http://www.petmountain.com/product/incandescent/105644/zoo-med-ceramic-infrared-heat-emitter.html If you order before 2/14 and put the word "Love" in the discount box, you get 10% off your order.

 

[zebraflavencs]

You asked about the fixture for the Reptisun. Head on over to Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart and pick up a shop fixture. Works just as good as the ones in the pet shops, but considerably cheaper !
Janie.