Help! My bearded dragon is currently starting to brumate (or at least I think he is; acting lethargic and not drinking or eating as much) and he is burrowing slightly into his soil. I noticed he either had some dirt in his eye or possibly an infection? If it is dirt, how do I get it out? Should I take him to the vet? I am a new beardie owner and am scared I am doing something wrong. Photo for Reference (The Bottom was taken Yesterday and the top this morning):
OK, so it really looked like dirt, so we researched and tried to flush it out. Worked pretty well, he can now open both eyes, but some dirt is left over. He didn't seem to mind the water either. Will see if he can blink out the rest of the dirt or if I will have to do another flush tomorrow.
-Thanks, Maddles
Loose substrate can get caught up and cause irritation like that sometimes. Shedding skin can do that too. Using a wet q-tip to gently swab the dirt out or rinsing with saline and a curved plastic syringe usually does the trick for clearing out their eye.
Loose substrate can get caught up and cause irritation like that sometimes. Shedding skin can do that too. Using a wet q-tip to gently swab the dirt out or rinsing with saline and a curved plastic syringe usually does the trick for clearing out their eye.
What's your little guy's name ? I agree, flush out the eye as Cooper described. I do want to mention that he looks too small to brumate, can you post his/her full body size and show the entire cage, including the lights ? You want to prevent him from brumating and at his size + being in a new home that will be the cause of his lethargy, along with the eye irritation. So please post some pics showing the entire cage and what exact type of lights you have [ look on the bulbs for brand, etc. ]
What's your little guy's name ? I agree, flush out the eye as Cooper described. I do want to mention that he looks too small to brumate, can you post his/her full body size and show the entire cage, including the lights ? You want to prevent him from brumating and at his size + being in a new home that will be the cause of his lethargy, along with the eye irritation. So please post some pics showing the entire cage and what exact type of lights you have [ look on the bulbs for brand, etc. ]
His name is Mel, I use the deep dome combo lamp with a 10.0 UVB Bulb and a 100 Watt Daylight Basking Bulb. I bought everything at a trusted Museum/Breeder in California. He is in a 40gallon enclosure.
The substrate looks like coco fiber [ Eco earth , bed a beast ] , is that what it is ? that gets very dusty, easy to get in the eye if a beardie is digging. Bettter off to have a sand/soilsubstrate or just some non adhesive self liner.
BTW, auto correct made your sentence read that you got the set up from a museum/breeder . You probably meant store, but at any rate, a long tube [ linear bulb ] like Reptisun 10.0 t5 or ARCADIA d3 12-14 %. is what a beardie needs rather than the coil/compact bulb. Those small bulbs are not going to produce quite enough uvb. Or you can get an all in one heat/uvb like this :
The deep double dome fixture is a staple money maker for pet stores but you're better off with the long tube for uvb and a good 100 watt halogen bulb for heat. You can find those at any Walmart in a 4 pack for a better price than the reptile bulbs. Or just get the megaray mercury vapor bulb.
The substrate looks like coco fiber [ Eco earth , bed a beast ] , is that what it is ? that gets very dusty, easy to get in the eye if a beardie is digging. Bettter off to have a sand/soilsubstrate or just some non adhesive self liner.
BTW, auto correct made your sentence read that you got the set up from a museum/breeder . You probably meant store, but at any rate, a long tube [ linear bulb ] like Reptisun 10.0 t5 or ARCADIA d3 12-14 %. is what a beardie needs rather than the coil/compact bulb. Those small bulbs are not going to produce quite enough uvb. Or you can get an all in one heat/uvb like this :
The deep double dome fixture is a staple money maker for pet stores but you're better off with the long tube for uvb and a good 100 watt halogen bulb for heat. You can find those at any Walmart in a 4 pack for a better price than the reptile bulbs. Or just get the megaray mercury vapor bulb.