New beardie Mom needs help.

[caanderson]

My juvenile bearded dragon (not sure how old he is; purchased from a pet store Sept 23) is suddenly lethargic, turning down his crickets, and seems to have a some trouble walking. He was fine yesterday. His legs are turning a different color than his legs. We just this week introduced a calcium powder to his food (salad and fruits). Attached are pictures of him from today.

 

[Claudiusx]

Hi there,

He may be impacted. What is the temperature of his basking spot right where he is lying? And how are you measuring it? You need to know the surface temperature, not the air temperature.

How many crickets was he eating per day? And about what size were they? If you could post a picture of the crickets with him next to one for a size comparison, that would be helpful too.

-Brandon

 

[caanderson]

Hi there,

He may be impacted. What is the temperature of his basking spot right where he is lying? And how are you measuring it? You need to know the surface temperature, not the air temperature.

How many crickets was he eating per day? And about what size were they? If you could post a picture of the crickets with him next to one for a size comparison, that would be helpful too.

-Brandon

About 4 crickets a day. His basking area shows 100 right now. Shady side of his tank reads just a touch below 80. He also pooped once today.

 

[Claudiusx]

That thermometer is only reading the temperature of the air around the glass. And even then, it's not very accurate. The dial thermometers have been proven to be wildly inaccurate. Plus, they do not have the ability to show you the most important temperature you need, the basking surface temperature. Luckily, you can pick up a good digital thermometer with probe end for less than 5 bucks on amazon, and less than 10 bucks at a local petstore. You need to get one, as knowing your basking surface temperature is one of the most important aspects of a dragons health.

Second most important would be proper UV. Two things typically cause all of the symptoms you are describing. And that is 1, improper temperatures. And 2, improper UV. And sometimes it's a mixture of both.

What are you currently using for a UV bulb? Is it one of the coil (CFL) type bulbs?

-Brandon

 

[caanderson]

That thermometer is only reading the temperature of the air around the glass. And even then, it's not very accurate. The dial thermometers have been proven to be wildly inaccurate. Plus, they do not have the ability to show you the most important temperature you need, the basking surface temperature. Luckily, you can pick up a good digital thermometer with probe end for less than 5 bucks on amazon, and less than 10 bucks at a local petstore. You need to get one, as knowing your basking surface temperature is one of the most important aspects of a dragons health.

Second most important would be proper UV. Two things typically cause all of the symptoms you are describing. And that is 1, improper temperatures. And 2, improper UV. And sometimes it's a mixture of both.

What are you currently using for a UV bulb? Is it one of the coil (CFL) type bulbs?

-Brandon

Thank you so much for all this help, I really appreciate it! We love Iroh and want to keep him healthy and happy. The UVB bulb is a 13 Watt Desert UVB bulb that came with his tank set up. It was a 20 Gallon Thrive brand complete tank set.

 

[KarrieRee]

Thank you so much for all this help, I really appreciate it! We love Iroh and want to keep him healthy and happy. The UVB bulb is a 13 Watt Desert UVB bulb that came with his tank set up. It was a 20 Gallon Thrive brand complete tank set.

Please get rid of the 13 watt bulb they are inadequate ---- please invest in a long tube fixture like a Zoo Med or Arcadia Pro T 5 or a Sunblaster Nano ---- they are some of the best --- I recommend you get a 24" Zoo Med - you can use the 5.0 bulb that comes w/ that fixture -- it will need to be unobstructed tho and placed directly above the basking decor piece 6-8 inches -- then when you upgrade the tank you will need to upgrade the UVB bulb as well to a Reptisun 10.0 T 5 bulb