My pet beardie Drake is lethargic and wont open his eyes :(

[iander]

My 7 month old beardie Drake is incredibly lethargic and will only open his eyes for a second or two when I pick him up or make a loud noise. He doesnt seem to be moving around much at all and only drank water or ate when i put it in front of his mouth. This started this afternoon.

Also, does it seem the pouch near his neck is swollen?

The only change i made to the environment lately was 2 days ago when I got a new light system which replaced the one I had that broke. Its a 24 inch Zilla double bulb fixture with two desert 50 UVB flourescent bulbs. It is 85 degrees on the cold side and 100 on the warm side.

Im really scared that something bad has happened, can anyone help?

 

[iander]

Can anyone help, i do not know what is wrong with Drake and im really worried.

 

[beardie parents]

I suggest you turn off the uvb bulb you have. First, the Zilla bulbs (even the tubes) aren't good uvb bulbs. Any compact or coil, including the reptisuns are bad and cause the problems you are seeing with Drake. As I said above, turn off the bulb and leave it off until you get the reptisun 10 long tube. It has been suggested to leave any uvb's off for several days until his eyes heals. Do you have a bright white basking bulb on him? That will help his eyes.

 

[Embee]

Its a 24 inch Zilla double bulb fixture with two desert 50 UVB flourescent bulbs.

I'm very sorry Drake isn't feeling well. I totally understand your fear. Ugh, I hate to concur, but Beardie Parents is absolutely right. In fact, thanks to the information I found in this forum, we removed our Zilla fixture. Ours was smaller, a compact, but also the desert series 50. Our beardie was shutting down (lethargic, eating less and less and not growing at all). He's a baby (4 1/2 months), and because of this bulb, he got off to a rough start. He's only 6+ inches. *sigh* Your post reconfirms my feelings about the Zilla bulbs, and what a quick reaction your bd had! He must be a smart little dude, sensing the bad quality from the get go.

We replaced our Zilla 13 days ago with a ReptiSun 5.0 tube (we have a small/squat starter enclosure so the 5.0 was a better choice for us, for now). The change in our beardie has been amazing, In fact, within hours of replacing the bulb, he was already turning around. He's active, eating more, and he even started shedding this week (hasn't done this since November). We're VERY relieved to say the least, but wish we'd known sooner. No telling how getting off to such a slow start will effect his long term health/size. At any rate, to have him growing again is quite an achievement, and we're very hopeful.

Sorry for the bad news here. Since it's only been a few days, perhaps the store will allow you to exchange it for something of better quality?

Best of luck, and hang in there!

Em

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Any updates on Drake? Wow you have 2 flourescent tube Zilla T-50 tropical series bulbs? If so, that is overload with an already bad bulb. Here is a report on them to explain why they are so bad. They do give off low wavelength of UVB which is hazardous to be exposed to because it is basically UVC borderline.

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

You will need to get a Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb instead & you can find that at:
http://www.petmountain.com for around $20 which is much cheaper than the petstores will charge you.

Begin rehydration therapy as soon as possible. Use a flavored pedialyte & mix with water, daily to help him get rehydrated after being exposed to those hazardous UVB emissions.

Tracie

 

[iander]

Well it appears that it was the worst possible outcome. I went to the vet yesterday and an X-ray revealed that he had a tumor near his lung and that there wasnt much I could do. The vet said that he doesnt have much longer to live. This really sux especially since it happened so suddenly with no warning and he was only 7 months old .

 

[Embee]

iander,

I'm so very sorry about Drake.

My thoughts go out to you.

Em

 

[Freeie]

Im sorry to hear that

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Oh geez, I am so sorry to hear about that, & only 7 months old too.
I assume then, it is inoperable.
Let us know if you need anything at all.

Tracie