eoconnor101
Member
Last year we adopted a full grown male bearded dragon from a local pet shop, he had been dropped off by previous owners and we have no idea of his age. We lived in a very warm condo (San Diego) last winter and over the summer, and although I never took his temperature...he seemed fine. Originally he ate mainly king mealworms and apple, occassionally blueberries and once every couple months he took down a pinky mouse. One thing that he never really took to was greens, whether peas or lettuce or bok choi he didn't really go for it. As for his setup we had an older style heat pad (not under glass), a UVB zoomed 12 inch bulb, and a 75 watt incadescent white on a 12hour on/off cycle. We sprayed him every couple days as he didn't like drinking from his bowl, and bathed him once every two weeks. We moved about 2 months ago to a house with a yard. At first his personality seemed to really perk up because we took him in the yard a lot, he started to eat greens outside...someone said that they can't see chlorophyll properly with the tank UVB bulb, and being outside really stimulates them to go for it...then he starting pooing much more regularly, in fact he developed the habit of waiting until I took him outside in the morning to poo in the grass then run five feet and eat some grass (maybe the sun made him regular?). We switched his insects to crickets because he seemed to get indigestion from too many mealworms, and also stopped the pinkys altogether at the advice of our new local pet shop owner, who seems knowledgable and breeds beardies in the shop. We also started to feed him 'dragon bites', which he liked a lot. His colors changed, he became lighter and lighter while his beard became jet black.
A few days ago there were some changes in his behaviour. He seemed to be eating less, and more lethargic. I noticed he looked a little thinner, though still with remarkable colours. I went to the store last night and bought him a desert under tank pad, and installed it this morning. I noticed also last night that his mouth was open a lot. I thought that might mean that he was too hot, because I had read they can vent heat this way...but upon consulting the local shop, I was told that many people around here switch to 100watt infrareds in the winter, and leave them on all night...so I bought one and a thermometer to try to get his hot/cold temps to around 100 and 80. I found right away that his hot side with the old set up was only around 85-90, and his cold side was only 75...and that was with the light on...I realized that this house is colder and draftier and I hadn't really thought about it, but he must have been quite cold on some nights, even though we made sure he slept on his heat pad. So I read about respiratory infections, since he had his mouth open, he has a little mucous on the sides of his mouth, and did sound a little raspy, he also has a whitish coloring to the tip of the tongue. The guy at the shop has told me to just get that temp up, and wait 24-48 hours and hopefully he starts to clear it...I had the new light on only about an hour, and all of a sudden he stomped in a huge circle around his tank, climbed up his bridge shook his head violently back and forth five or six times and threw up...the puke had mucus or similar in it, not clear liquide, then he laid his head down on the gravel and gasped and rasped for awhile...I was sure he was dying...but then he opened his eyes, relaxed a little, and still breathing with his mouth open went to sleep...that was about twenty minutes ago. He ate threw crickets this morning...so he had some appetitie.
Heres my plan, please please chime in and tell me where I'm wrong
1) I plan not to disturb him now, figuring that he should rest, and also not to move him in or out of the hot side....if the temps are close to 100 ish and 80ish he can regulate himself.
2) I plan to leave his infrared heat lamp on all night, it's a 100W Heat Glo by Exo Terra, I've heard people say they can't see it, and people say they can see it...which is true? He seems to be sleeping more or less now with it on, more so than he could have if I'd left his incadescent on all night.
3) If I place the thermometer on the ground on his hot side touching the gravel the temp is 100, is this right? Since he is touching the ground as well, it seems that his body temp should be able to get this warm.
4) If he is still rasping and gasping in 48 hours take him to a vet and maybe administer anti-biotics? Can anyone advise me on what to do to help save him?
Is he done for? Am I overreacting? Is the guy in the pet shop right about leaving the light on all night? And holding off to see the vet?
Thanks a lot in advance, and Albie thanks you to
Cheers,
Eric
A few days ago there were some changes in his behaviour. He seemed to be eating less, and more lethargic. I noticed he looked a little thinner, though still with remarkable colours. I went to the store last night and bought him a desert under tank pad, and installed it this morning. I noticed also last night that his mouth was open a lot. I thought that might mean that he was too hot, because I had read they can vent heat this way...but upon consulting the local shop, I was told that many people around here switch to 100watt infrareds in the winter, and leave them on all night...so I bought one and a thermometer to try to get his hot/cold temps to around 100 and 80. I found right away that his hot side with the old set up was only around 85-90, and his cold side was only 75...and that was with the light on...I realized that this house is colder and draftier and I hadn't really thought about it, but he must have been quite cold on some nights, even though we made sure he slept on his heat pad. So I read about respiratory infections, since he had his mouth open, he has a little mucous on the sides of his mouth, and did sound a little raspy, he also has a whitish coloring to the tip of the tongue. The guy at the shop has told me to just get that temp up, and wait 24-48 hours and hopefully he starts to clear it...I had the new light on only about an hour, and all of a sudden he stomped in a huge circle around his tank, climbed up his bridge shook his head violently back and forth five or six times and threw up...the puke had mucus or similar in it, not clear liquide, then he laid his head down on the gravel and gasped and rasped for awhile...I was sure he was dying...but then he opened his eyes, relaxed a little, and still breathing with his mouth open went to sleep...that was about twenty minutes ago. He ate threw crickets this morning...so he had some appetitie.
Heres my plan, please please chime in and tell me where I'm wrong
1) I plan not to disturb him now, figuring that he should rest, and also not to move him in or out of the hot side....if the temps are close to 100 ish and 80ish he can regulate himself.
2) I plan to leave his infrared heat lamp on all night, it's a 100W Heat Glo by Exo Terra, I've heard people say they can't see it, and people say they can see it...which is true? He seems to be sleeping more or less now with it on, more so than he could have if I'd left his incadescent on all night.
3) If I place the thermometer on the ground on his hot side touching the gravel the temp is 100, is this right? Since he is touching the ground as well, it seems that his body temp should be able to get this warm.
4) If he is still rasping and gasping in 48 hours take him to a vet and maybe administer anti-biotics? Can anyone advise me on what to do to help save him?
Is he done for? Am I overreacting? Is the guy in the pet shop right about leaving the light on all night? And holding off to see the vet?
Thanks a lot in advance, and Albie thanks you to
Cheers,
Eric
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