Possibly Dehydrated Bearded Dragon! Need HELP Fast!

[TheRealGamer03]

Ok, so i posted on here a few weeks ago about my baby bearded dragon (6-8 weeks old) not eating and acting very lethargic. I got a few replies, on what to do, and most of them said it could be do to shedding, because he was still shedding at the time. He still has not eaten a thing, and it has been 3 weeks now since he last ate a good amount (he ate one cricket two days ago, and nothing since then). I took him to the vet about a week or two ago, and he said to wait it out, and that my bearded dragon (named Spike btw) seemed pretty healthy, and that it seemed that we were doing everything right, and the husbandry was fine. However he hasn't improved, and I believe it has gotten worse. I have been doing tons and tons of research, and came up with a possible solution, that he is dehydrated. He is lethargic, won't eat, he somewhat perks up after me giving him a bath (which I do once a day now, because I thought it was because of the shedding), and his skin has been very wrinkled (may also be wrinkled due to weight loss, I'm not sure), and when I did the skin test thing, his skin took a while to back to the same spot. I have no idea if I'm right about him being dehydrated or not, but I need help. I am very new to reptiles, and don't know much on what to do in this situation. PLEASE HELP!!!

Husbandry Info:

Tank size: 20gal.
Temp. on basking side: 95-110 degrees F.
Temp on cool side: 79-84 degrees F.
Has a basking rock on the basking side, has a piece of bark/wood on the cool side that he can hide under(even though he never does) or that he can use for shedding. He also has his food and water on the cool side. Has a small stick for him to climb on in the middle, even though he doesn't really climb on it anymore due to the extreme lethargy.
Humidity: recently bought a humidity gauge, and turn out the humidity is 0 (good or bad thing???)

Again, PLEASE HELP!

 

[Esther19]

Your temperatures sound good. Often they will not eat if the temp in not sufficient to help them digest. What type of thermometer are you using? Some of them are unreliable.

Using a plastic syringe or dropper, offer him water by dribbling it on his nose. You can flavor the water with unsweetened juice or Gatorade. Get some Stage 1 baby food: turkey or chicken and squash. Warm them slightly. Water it down a bit if needed, and give it to Spike the same way. He might also like a slurry of greens. Put your collard, mustard, or whatever greens you use in the blender with some water or juice. Liquefy, then strain, and give as above. You can also mix his calcium/vitamin supplements in the baby food or slurry.

Please describe for us your lighting set-up, to include shape, brand, and distance Spike can get to the UVB. Are you measuring temps directly on the basking spot?

We'll do our best to help you and Spike through this rough spot. Let us know the answers to these questions, and how little Spike is doing today.

 

[PastelBeardie]

I'd give him some diced cucumber for hydration. What temp is the beardie bath? If it's too cold, my beardie fights his way out and doesn't seem to do much in the way of hydrating himself. Maybe it's just him, I don't know. I use a fish thermometer to measure the temp in my beardie's bath, they go for about $2.00 in the pet stores.

 

[Ofthelime]

I too have had a dehydrated dragon at one point. If he still looks dehydrated after a bath give him some watery veggies

 

[TheRealGamer03]

Here are some pictures of the cage setup, I just put them in a Google Drive folder, because I don't know how to put in images in the post. The UVB light is a Repti-Sun 10.0 bulb, I use a ZooMed temperature gun to get the temperatures. I get the temperatures for the basking spot by taking several temperatures at different points on the rock. As for the distance from the UVB bulb to the basking spot, I recently moved it close because the Vet said he may not be getting the UVB while basking, so I moved it closer. I am going to try the vegetable slurry in about half an hour, becuase I think I'm at the point where I need to force feed him, and that will also be a good way for me to get him his calcium, because he hasn't gotten any for a long time, because he hasn't been eating.
Just let me know if you have any other questions.
Thank you for helping.

 

[TheRealGamer03]

Oh here's the link to the google drive folder, sorry!
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BwsKjcmMStOkQTlLTUhuMFZRd2c&usp=sharing

 

[PastelBeardie]

I think I see the problem, or at least part of it. Those bulbs don't do what they're supposed to do and can cause trouble. You'll need to switch to a Reptisun 10.0 tube.

 

[Pasakaina]

I agree with Pastel Beardie. Your UV light is probably at least part of the problem. You can order the repti-sun 10.0 TUBE bulb here: http://www.petmountain.com/category/286/1/reptile-fluorescent-bulbs.html .

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT: START WITH A VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF FOOD. ESPECIALLY WITH THE ANIMAL-PRODUCT BABY FOODS. OR ELSE, YOUR BABY MIGHT DIE OF PROTIEN SHOCK.

 

[TheRealGamer03]

Ok, I just went out, got a new UVB tube, and several other food. Now, I have seen some people put the UVB tube inside the cage, how would I got about doing this, because it has 2 prongs at the end?

 

[Ofthelime]

You install a T8 fixture inside.

 

[TheRealGamer03]

I also got him the Repti+Boost, and fed that to him through a syringe. Im about to try the vegetable slurry right now, but how often should I give him the Repti+Boost?

 

[TheRealGamer03]

Ok, I have given him about .3 CC's of the Repti+Boost, and about .1 - .2 CC's of the vegetable slurry, which comprised of some dandelion greens, and some endive, and I believe that was it. It didn't change to much in him, but I figured at least now he is getting something in his stomach. I am going to try some chicken flavored baby food tomorrow (probably about .1- .2 CC's of that). I am also going to start giving him baths, in 95-100 degree F. water, about twice a day, instead of once. I just want to make sure I'm doing everything right. Is there anything else I can do, besides what I'm already doing and waiting it out? And also, how much would the UVB bulb I have right now be affecting his appetite, activeness, etc.? Is it something that can wait a few days?

P.S. Thank you all for all your help

 

[Ofthelime]

Proper UVB is SUPERCALIFRAGALISTICESPIALOGOSIS important. The reason proper UVB full spectrum lighting is important is because UVB allows for the production of vitamin d3 in the body which is vital to absorbing calcium. UVA also given off by full spectrum lights is also important to mental health. Bad UVB and UVA which is given off by bad bulbs that don't filter them due to glass quality can cause health issues usually starting with eye problems. A better half of the health issues I've read about on this site have come out of improper lighting. Using the wrong bulb would most certainly affect his mood and appetite.
The Reptisun 10.0 and Arcadia 12% mercury vapor T8 bulbs are what you should be using.

 

[PastelBeardie]

Proper UVB is SUPERCALIFRAGALISTICESPIALOGOSIS important. The reason proper UVB full spectrum lighting is important is because UVB allows for the production of vitamin d3 in the body which is vital to absorbing calcium. UVA also given off by full spectrum lights is also important to mental health. Bad UVB and UVA which is given off by bad bulbs that don't filter them due to glass quality can cause health issues usually starting with eye problems. A better half of the health issues I've read about on this site have come out of improper lighting. Using the wrong bulb would most certainly affect his mood and appetite.
The Reptisun 10.0 and Arcadia 12% mercury vapor T8 bulbs are what you should be using.

Make sure it's the tubes, not the bulbs.

 

[Ofthelime]

Well T8 are the tubes, but very useful clarification.