Please help my 10 year old daughter is freaking out.

[Ragnarock]

Hello,

My daughter is very worried and upset over her bearded dragon. Lately he has been less active, eating less, not as active, sleeping more. He has a log dome thing he has been going under alot lately. Today when she went to look at him under the log his skin is yellow colored an beard is very dark black. She picked him up and he really won"t be roused. He is alive as she got him to move a bit when she gently turned him on his back. He has remained the same yellow color and beard is still black.
She said he did eat yesterday (a little bit) and did poop yesterday as well.

She is convinced he is very ill or dying. I am her mother and will admit I know next to nothing concerning bearded dragons. She has only had him for a few months and is still learning about them. Her father is the one who has more knowledge and has set up his tank with a the proper lights etc. Unfortunately her father is out of town at the moment and I cannot reach him, I am googling like crazy trying to find out what is going on with him and what if anything we should be doing but I have found so many different possible answers I am even more confused.

Any help/advice would be appreciated, Thank you!

Rachel

 

[BlueMorpho]

Hi Rachel! Welcome to the forum; we'll try to help you as best as we can.
Glad that your daughter is such a caring owner, and that you both are seeking out help!

First, there's a few questions:
Do you know how old he is or have an estimate?
Do you have any way of taking the temperatures in the tank? If so, what is the temperature on the basking side? On the cool side?
What kind of lights do you use and how are they set up?
How far is he from the lights at the highest and lowest points in the tank?
What type of substrate (flooring) is in the tank?
Do you have any heat on him at night or anything else other than lights hooked up?
What does he eat?
How often?
How often does he poop?
Does he get baths or is there a water dish in the tank?
Is there a reptile vet near you or has he ever been to see one?
Do you have any other animals that may have had contact with him (even through forgetting to wash your hands between)?
Does he poop in the tank? If so, how often is the tank cleaned?
How do you clean it?
Is the yellow new, or has he always had some yellow colouring?
Is it possible for you to post some pictures? (Upload to PhotoBucket or Imgr and copy the link to your post)

*If I've forgotten any questions, would another member be kind enough to add them?*

Sorry for the bombardment of questions, but the more information we know, the better we can help.

Be sure to wash your hands extremely well after touching him, and it may be a good idea at this time to remove all the decorations in his tank and disinfect them. You can do this by soaking them in a bleach water mix, 1/4C bleach per Gallon water, for half an hour, rinse well, air dry.

 

[diamc]

Hi Rachel, sorry to hear about your daughter's beardie not acting right. Please answer the questions that BlueMorpho posted and give us as many details as you can.

I also wonder what he has been eating as far as feeders and veggies/greens?

Have you given him a bath lately and/or offered his oral fluids?

How often have you been dusting his food with calcium & vitamins?

What type of thermometer are you using and what are the temps?

How long has he been acting this way?

 

[CooperDragon]

The black beard for a long period of time usually isn't a good sign. Do you have a herp vet nearby who you can take the dragon to? That would be my first choice but if not, please let us know as much info as you can (based on the questions asked in this thread) and we'll do as much as we can to help.

 

[Ragnarock]

My name is Chloe and my bearded dragons name is Ragnarock. His beard is still black right now and his coloring isnt as yellow as it was earlier. I gave him a bath and he pooped a lot and drank a lot of water. He seems like he perked up but only a little bit better.

Here are the answers to your questions. Thank you for trying to help me.

Do you know how old he is or have an estimate?
My dad said he thinks Ragnarock is about 2 or 2 and a half years old.

Do you have any way of taking the temperatures in the tank? If so, what is the temperature on the basking side? On the cool side?
85 on the basking side and about 80 on the other side

What kind of lights do you use and how are they set up?
He has a uvb 10,0 its a long tube light. Also for a week he had a 150 watt flood bulb for heat since the other one burned out. Just today my mom got me a neodymium basking bulb that is 100 watt and says it has uva light and is made for reptiles so I took out the 150 watt bulb.

How far is he from the lights at the highest and lowest points in the tank?
I'm not sure I will have to get back to you on this But not far. When he gets on his rock he is maybe 10-12 inches away from it. Thats just an estimate

What type of substrate (flooring) is in the tank?
Crushed walnut shells

Do you have any heat on him at night or anything else other than lights hooked up?
I keep the tube light an the basking bulb on at night. I dont know what else I am supposed to do.

What does he eat?
Mostly Super worms and sometimes I can get him to eat greens but its hard to get him to eat those.
he eats about every other day or so

How often does he poop? About every 2 days

Does he get baths or is there a water dish in the tank?
There is a water dish i his tank. I replace the water every day. yes I give him baths 1-2 times a week

Is there a reptile vet near you or has he ever been to see one? There is one and my mom called and they said she wont be back until Tuesday. But my mom said if ragnarock doesnt feel better by then we will take him

Do you have any other animals that may have had contact with him (even through forgetting to wash your hands between)? We have no other pets at all

Does he poop in the tank? If so, how often is the tank cleaned? Yes he has pooped in this tank and yes i clea it by scooping out the poop. And onec a month clean out all walnut shells and replace with fresh. The walnut shells are ground up fine like sand. Is this okay to use for him?

Is the yellow new, or has he always had some yellow colouring? he was a just very light yellow, but it got a lot more bright and his beard is dark black and staying that way for all day since I first posted this. Only the yellow has lightened up since I first posted this.

Is it possible for you to post some pictures? (Upload to PhotoBucket or Imgr and copy the link to your post)
I will try.

 

[Ragnarock]

Also I am in gymnastics and maybe 2 and a half weeks ago I got ringworm from the gym I train at.

All I had to do was use a cream from the store and it went away but do you think maybe Ragnarock could have gotten it and made him sick?

 

[Brezzy99]

Hi Chloe! I am so sorry your beardie isn't feeling well. Few things that you need to change may help a little. His basking spot temp needs to be about 100*. At night all his lights should be turned off. The light makes it hard for him to get a good nights sleep. Most people set their lights on a timer. Your mom or dad could help with this. Ragnarock should have his lights on for at least 10 hours a day. The only time he would need his lights on at night are if the temp in his home get to 65*. Walnut shells are not a very good thing to have in his tank. The small particles can get stuck his stomach and make it hard for him to poop or not poop at all. Tile, newspaper, and paper towels are good things you can put in the bottom of his tank. I know it seems like we are asking a lot of questions but we are trying to help you. What size tank does he live in? What are you using to get the temperature in his tank? If you are using the dial thermometer the temperature it is saying won't be right. The best way to get the right temperature is to use a digital thermometer with a probe.

There are some really smart people on this site. I am sure they will give you some other things you can do to help Ragnarock. The things I said you can do are a good starting point. Please keep us updated on how he is.

 

[BlueMorpho]

Hi Chloe, thank you for answering those questions. It'll make it easier for us to help you figure out what's bothering Ragnarock.
Maybe you can go over this with your Mom, too.
I can already see a few things that might be upsetting him, though it's not your fault; a lot of pet stores sell the wrong things on purpose or give wrong information because they don't know any better.

I'm going to suggest a few changes, and maybe some others might have a few more, too.

Ragnarock is an adult, so he should be eating mostly greens by now. Always have greens in the tank for him to eat if he gets hungry.
Here is a list of foods that are ok for a beardie to eat:
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
If he decides that he doesn't want to eat every day that's ok, but food should be offered every day.
The food should be dusted with calcium one meal for four or five days a week, and with vitamins one meal for two days a week. Not a lot, just a light coating.

Using a probe thermometer (you can find them at pet stores) is important because the stick-on kind can be off by as much as 20*!
Putting the probe right on the spot he basks, it should read 95*-100*F. Since he's older, he doesn't need it hotter, but having it too cool can mean he's not digesting his food properly.
The cool side should be 75*-85*F, so the cool side sounds just perfect!

The tube UVB is great, just remember that they need to be replaced every six months, as over time they stop putting out as much UVB as they need to. ReptiSun is the safest brand, some other brands can cause eye problems if not used correctly. The UVB helps Ragnarock turn the calcium in his food into heathy bones, just like when we go out in the sun.
He needs to be able to get about 6 inches from it.
A regular basking bulb or flood lamp should be ok, either 100W or 150W depending on the size of the tank and how hot the basking spot gets.

The neodymium bulb is not a good idea, because it is a coating on the inside of the bulb that changes the colour of the light. To our eyes it looks brighter, but to Ragnarock it looks darker. Also, UVB is the important one, as all bulbs put out UVA (from what I understand, maybe someone can help me there?)
His lights should be on for only 10-14 hours a day, and at night his tank should be able to drop to 65*-75*F. If it gets any cooler than that, you can get a "ceramic heat emitter" or "CHE". This looks like a coil and screws into a light fixture, but doesn't give off any light. Coloured lights can still disturb a beardie who's trying to sleep, and heat pads or rocks can burn them because they can't feel the heat from below. Having a timer on the lights can help you keep him on a good schedule and let him get some good rest.

Most dragons don't like to drink from bowls, and having water in a hot tank can make it humid. That's not good for his lungs, and can cause respiratory infections.
It's ok to give him baths every day or every other day. He will drink from the bath when he's thirsty, and even though he can't absorb water through his skin (so no misting), he can get some through his vent (bum).
Some dragons, like mine, have even learned to only poop in the bath! That makes cleaning the tank a lot easier, as long as you remember to clean him with a fresh bath.

Crushed walnut shells is really bad for him. He can accidentally eat it, and it feels like glass going through his tummy. It's also not sanitary, even if you scoop every time he poops.
You can use repticarpet, which can go in the washing machine every week, or tile, which you can wipe down with vinegar water (spray bottle, 1:3 vinegar to water). You can even use paper towel or newspaper if he won't eat it. Even if he gets a bite, it won't hurt him.
Every week, you should be spraying down and wiping the whole tank out with the same vinegar mix. All of his toys and decorations should come out and be washed with bleach (the method I posted before).
If you can feed him in a separate tub (Rubbermaids work great) and get him to poop in the bath instead of the tank, big cleans like that only need to be done monthly.

As for the yellow, beardies can get really dark when they get upset, and it sounds like that's what's happened with the colour. It would be easier to tell from a picture.

I think it would be a good idea to see the vet anyway, and if you can, take some poop for the vet to look at for parasites or excess bacteria.
I'm not sure how this collection is done, so hopefully someone can help out.

Keep us updated on how he's doing!

 

[Brezzy99]

Thank you BlueMorpho for giving a more detailed answer. I am half asleep and was following this post when my email chirped at me. Didn't want to leave her waiting for any responses.

 

[Jaskotch]

hee hee, me too… i was composing an utterly inadequate response but before i could post there was bluemorpho's eloquent answer, beat me to the punch!

 

[BlueMorpho]

Not a problem!
I didn't want to keep her waiting, either. I know how anxious I get waiting for answers when I'm worried for my guys.

I know it's a lot of information, and might even sound like a lot of work, but all of us here know how much it's worth to make sure out dragons are happy and healthy, and it sounds like you really love your Ragnarock, too!

 

[Ragnarock]

Thank you for the advice I am going to change out the crushed walnut shells for something better and get a better thermometer. I only ha the dial one and one that is like a sticker.

I am sad today Ragnarock's beard is still black and now his eyes look very sunken in. My dad is giving him another bath. He took two baths yesterday and drank and so he shouldn't be dehydrated right?

The vet that takes care of bearded dragons is gone until Tuesday. I will be so nervous to wait until Tuesday and I have been crying so much.

 

[Ragnarock]

This is Chloe's mom now. Her dad is bathing Ragnarock and he has now started vomiting blood.I now fear the worst. I am trying to prepare Chloe. I feel awful. I am going to try and see if there is another vet for reptiles we can take him to today. Thank you for your help.

 

[Esther19]

I am so sorry to hear this. It is good that you are trying to find another vet asap, and good that you are preparing Chloe. I hope you can pull Ragnarock through this. Please keep us posted as convenient.

 

[BlueMorpho]

Hi again Rachel. I am so sorry to hear he's not improving! This is scary stuff, especially for a youngster!!
Finding another vet is a great plan, and I wish you the best of luck! Crossing my fingers that he comes through this.
I really hope that some of the information we shared will help you in the future, either with him or another.

Let us know how he's doing, you have friends here who care about your little guy and the stress you and your family are going through.
*hugs*