Lethargic bearded Dragon :(

[OpheliaBoneshatter]

My partner rescued a bearded dragon from the middle of a busy road last week (we live in QLD Australia - she wasn't injured just dehydrated) and she seems very lathargic. She wasn't too bad with her food when we first got her but now seems to have gone off it. She hasn't touched her greens in a few days, but seems to be eating the crickets we put our for her. We have been bathing her every day or second day, and she seems to have just started to shed her eyes and nose. When she gets put in the bath she doesn't move, so we have to hold up her head while we bathe her. She doesn't really move much when she is outside the tank at all, and refuses to be hand fed (I understand she is still becoming used to her new home) She doesn't seem too alert, and doesnt move much when she is taken out of her tank. She has been toileting every day or every second day without any problems, but it seemed a little hard (though not overly so). I don't believe she is impacted as she has been toileting every day if not every other day. Her temprament is very good, and she doesn't puff or hiss unless you make sudden movements above her tank.

I just want to know if there is something we should be doing to help her along or should she really be taken to a vet for a check?

Here are some photos of her setup...

http://s1309.beta.photobucket.com/user/OpheliaBoneshatter/media/IMG_7714.jpg.html?sort=3&o=2

http://s1309.beta.photobucket.com/user/OpheliaBoneshatter/media/IMG_7715.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1

http://s1309.beta.photobucket.com/user/OpheliaBoneshatter/media/IMG_7716.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

If anyone could shed some light on this it would be awesome. We have just gotten our reptile license and are relatively new at this

 

[Lurhstaap]

Are you using a UV lamp? If so, what kind? If not, insufficient UV is probably the problem. And even if so it might not be producing enough. Some brands and types of bulb are very poor in this regard, while others are actually TOO strong and can potentially damage their eyes (such as coil bulbs.) The Reptisun 10.0 tube is the type most often recommended.

Beyond that, since she is wild, there is a good chance she may have parasites. If you intend to keep her you should find a local reptile vet, preferably one with specific experience with beardies. Take her in, along with a stool sample, so it can be tested and she can be examined. She is unlikely to be suffering from MBD or anything like that, coming from the wild as she did, but it is very possible that she is ill or suffering from parasites.

 

[OpheliaBoneshatter]

The Uv bulb we are using is the Reptile One 18W (UV 10) in the photo. Other than that does her setup look ok? I may take her to the vet if she isn't any better by the end of the week, just to be sure. If she DOES have the all clear, could the lethargy be due to shedding/relocation?

 

[haleygirl272]

The Uv bulb we are using is the Reptile One 18W (UV 10) in the photo. Other than that does her setup look ok? I may take her to the vet if she isn't any better by the end of the week, just to be sure. If she DOES have the all clear, could the lethargy be due to shedding/relocation?

Hello and welcome to bd.org!

I'm sorry your baby isn't feeling well Hopefully we can figure it out.

A few questions:
How much are you feeding her?
What type of greens are you feeding her?
What type of substrate is that? Some loose substrates can lead to impaction or even be toxic if ingested.

Other than the substrate, the only thing I see is the red light. One rule of thumb is "if the light is colored, it isn't for beardies." I recommend either a ceramic heater, halogen light (must be frosted as to not hurt their eyes), or a MVB. From what I've seen and read about over the past few years, colored lights (i.e. blue or red) are just in general not great for beardies and sometimes cause eye problems and lethargy.

As said before, I highly recommend a vet visit and a fecal just to be sure she doesn't have anything serious going on.

Best of wishes and keep us updated!!
-Haley


P.S. a great site for dietary guidance and beardie information is:
http://beautifuldragons.com/

 

[OpheliaBoneshatter]

Thanks for your reply, I was reccomended the loose substrate by the reptile guy at my local pet store, and he said it was not toxic and breaks down very easily if ingested... I'll go back and give him an earful if I hear otherwise! As for the light, I did not know that the coloured heat lamp was bad! He suggested that too! I'll change that also. Grrr. rotest:

Ive been trying to feed her daily, though she isnt touching the veges, but I think she has had a cricket here and there. Ive tried: Bok choy, pumpkin, squash, strawberries, celery, celery greens, carrot, apple, sprouts, dandelions, capsicum.... She gets crickets as her live food as I am unsure what kinds of worms to feed her (Ive heard mealworms are bad and she is too small for superworms)

I have made an appointment with my local reptile vet who is apparantly very good (Ive seen her mantioned in a few other forums) for Thursday afternoon so we'll see how that goes... I hope shes ok

Thanks!

 

[Lurhstaap]

Unfortunately he is wrong. He is sort of right, but mostly wrong. Yes, if only small amounts are consumed, they can be digested, but the thing is, it neutralizes stomach acid. Which means that the more a beardie eats the less it is capable of digesting both the sand and anything else it eats, until it becomes severely impacted. I too was tricked by the calci-sand but I learned better and switched substrates before anything bad happened to my Sunset, thank goodness! Also, if he ever poos in his cage, it's impossible to completely get it clean. It's like cat litter. You can scoop the solid parts but at least some of the liquid always stays behind until eventually it's a gross mess. I strongly recommend you get that sand out of there IMMEDIATELY. I was so angry when I learned how dangerous calcium sand can be that I got it out of my boy's tank -immediately- even though it was nighttime and he was sleeping. I didn't want him in it another moment.

Unfortunately pet store people are often enthusiastic but ignorant and uneducated about these things.

 

[OpheliaBoneshatter]

Ugggh I don't know why people in pet stores say things when they don't know what they are talking about... I just want my beardie to be happy and healthy