My beardies eyes are swollen help

[i182willsw]

My bearded dragons eyes are swollen huge, especially at night time. but when he wakes up he cries a little and the swelling goes down. also his beard is swollen it feels like it is full of liquid. He's 18 months old and nothing has changed in the past 6 months for him (besides creating 12 of the cutest hatching's) the vet had no idea what was wrong and is going to ask around. Anybody have any idea's? I've ready about other people having the same problem but no solutions on there.

 

[i182willsw]

My bearded dragons eyes are swollen huge, especially at night time. but when he wakes up he cries a little and the swelling goes down. also his beard is swollen it feels like it is full of liquid. He's 18 months old and nothing has changed in the past 6 months for him (besides creating 12 of the cutest hatching's) the vet had no idea what was wrong and is going to ask around. Anybody have any idea's? I've ready about other people having the same problem but no solutions on there.

 

[braydensdad]

Are your beardie's eyes swollen the whole time he is sleeping? I have noticed a couple times that my beardies eyes swell up while he is sleeping but only for a minute or two. It scares the poop out of me when he does it because I think something is wrong but after the second or third time he did it I wasn't worried anymore. And with his beard being swollen, unfortunately I can't help you with that one, but I am sure someone else will be able to. I hope this helped you out some.

 

[underoath7896]

What is lighting setup

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

What type & brand of UVB light are you using, is it a flourescent tube bulb, or, a compact or coil light? How close is the light to him?
What type of basking light are you using? A bright white light or a colored light?
What are you feeding your dragon?
What type of substrate are you using currently, sand, tiles, paper, carpet?
What are the temps in the tank, & how do you measure them? Are you using a stick on thermometer, a digital probe or a temp gun?
The swollen beard sounds to be either a nutritional deficiency or inability to digest properly due to improper temps. **Note, they do sometimes hold food or fluids in their beards, but only for short periods of time, not prolonged periods of time.
How often does he go to the bathroom?

Tracie

 

[i182willsw]

Ok, the vet finally got back to me and said that he thinks it could be a problem with his blood circulation. Other then that the vet said he was doing fine, he eats really good. Worms mustard greens, and he just went to the bathroom today. I'm not sure what kind of uvb bulb but it's a strip one. and there is another bearded dragon in his cage ( it's a three story cage and they get along great) The vet however said that at this point he didn't want to treat it because the last one he treated for this never really got any better. But the dragon lived a normal life despite being puffy. I don't really want him to just have to live a swollen life style and was wondering if there was any other opinions about it.

 

[i182willsw]

That is really weird about the eyes, it creeped my out too. His eyes are deffinatly worse at night, they get huge. But when he wakes up he cries a little and they go down significantly but they don't look like the other 14 bearded dragons eyes in my house (i'm not crazy we just have 12 hatchlings). The beard on the other hand is always swollen.
the vet finally got back to me and said that he thinks it could be a problem with his blood circulation. Other then that the vet said he was doing fine, he eats really good. Worms mustard greens, and he just went to the bathroom today. I'm not sure what kind of uvb bulb but it's a strip one. and there is another bearded dragon in his cage ( it's a three story cage and they get along great) The vet however said that at this point he didn't want to treat it because the last one he treated for this never really got any better. But the dragon lived a normal life despite being puffy. I don't really want him to just have to live a swollen life style and was wondering if there was any other opinions about it.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Did the vet do a blood test on him? Or has a blood test been done yet on him? The vet said he did not want to treat him? What would he have treated him for if he did not diagnose him with anything yet?
Can you post a picture of him?
There are some morphs that have froggy eyes, that are supposed to look like that more than the normal bearded dragon look. However, if they fluctuate up & down, that could indicate a heart or renal problem, yes. I would highly recommend getting a blood test done if one has not been done yet.
Can you look on the base of the flourescent tube UVB light & see what brand it is? There are a few bulbs that are horrible on their eyes & cause swelling & irritation of the eyes.
How close is the light to him? Do you have a bright white light directly beside the UVB light? What type of basking light are you using, a bright white light or a colored light?
Do his eyes appear to be red, watery & irritated?
What kind of substrate are you using?

Tracie

 

[i182willsw]

I'm not at my house right now but his eyes are red, watery & irritated. And the vet didn't do a blood test he just told me that he was pretty sure it was a problem with poor blood circulation and that the medication he used on the last case didn't fix anything. there is a white light and he is about 12 to 15 in away from the uvb bulb. But there is another bearded dragon in there and has no problems at all. Along with his eyes he's beard or throat is swollen. huge. I'll put a pic up tomorrow

 

[hayl55]

could you post pictures

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Ok, did you find the brand of the tube UVB bulb? How long has he been underneath that particular light?
How long has your other dragon been under the light?
I would suggest getting some saline solution or some turtle eye wash & start using that daily to help his eyes out. I don't think it is poor blood circulation.
What are the temps in the tank, does he bask normally? How do you measure the temps, with a stick on thermometer, a digital probe or a temp gun?
What type of substrate are you using?
Could you post a picture of the tank setup please & your dragon, too. Thanks.

Tracie

 

[i182willsw]

the light is a ESU Reptile 7% DESERT UV UVB. I use calcium sand and they have been in this setup for 4 month. I use a ceramic heater that is off at night which cools it down to about 73 for a low. temps range from 80 on one side and 100 on the other. There is no basking spot but there are hot spots.

I use a laser and two regular digital thermometers to check temps. but along with the eyes is this throat which I'll put a picture up tomorrow morning. It is huge and unlike his eyes his throat swelling doesn't go down during the day.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

The dragon you are having problems with is he older than the other dragon? If so, then he is suffering from metabolic bone disease.
The ESU slimline 7% has no usable UVB emissions at all. So, for however long he has been under that light, he has not been adequately absorbing his calcium or vitamins at all. Nutritional deficiences cause all types of symptoms, including swelling of eyes & it can include swelling of the beard & just an overall bloated appearance.
Look at this UVB meter chart to see how little UVB it actually does emit:

http://www.reptilesdownunder.com/reptile/reptilesAsPets/enclosure/uv/uvSA

Now, compare the readings to the Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb the one we recommend:

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/fluorescenttuberesults.htm

Tracie

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

To avoid confusion, I am going to merge your topic from health to this one so we can keep your threads straight.

Tracie

 

[i182willsw]

You see that's the problem he's the same age as the female who is doing just fine, and she just laid 13 eggs two months ago. I've always given plenty of calcium with d3, and i know that people have their own opinions about d3 in calcium vs uvb but the main point here is that the girl who should being doing worse if calcium absorbing was the case, she is doing perfect. Thanks for the links for the light, i will change those out just for the sake of getting everything right. but i'm still very lost with my male.