Really worried Beardie's beard pitch black.

[m00n1e]

Thank you for your time. He has been acting a little funny and I am a little terrorfied! On thanksgiving day I came home from work to find my normally happy rigz with a pitch black beard! It shocked me really bad and I was worried but had to rush off to the dinner. I was distracted the whole meal but when I came home he was as bright as could be and just had a huge poop (sorry but you know, it has to be talked about) and I mean huge. Which was good because it had been a couple days and I had already been worried about impaction (i was even planning to give him a bath after dinner sense that morning)
Anyways I dismissed it and we moved on and then the next day he had an extremely watery poo but I assumed with the girth of his last one he didn't have much left. As of today 11/25 he hasn't pooped again and about two hours ago he got an extremely dark beard again. I have given him a bath and feeding had been mostly normal we ran out of veggies yesterday but that wouldn't explain Thanksgiving day. He is also kind of lethargic? for lack of a better term he will just stay where I lay him, even in places he doesnt like.
I have some pictures below but let me answer some questions
He is in a 30 gal for now with a good repti-sun or glow i don't remember but the good one i know and then I use house lights but he has 2 over him. and carpet substrate eats crickets and collard greens mostly sometimes some treats mixed in. I only have one thermometer until next paycheck because i miss placed my temp gun so the probe is all I have to go by, the issue with that is it always read about 7-10 degrees colder than the gun. But the probe has been averaging 90 so my guess is 97 to 100. Any questions I forgot please ask and thank you for the help!

 

[sweetiepie9]

First, how old is your dragon? And how long have you owned him? Sometimes a black beard is just that, but I'm more concerned with the fact that he's lethargic. So first check to make sure that the UVB you have is a Reptisun & not Reptiglo, as the Reptiglo it will affect your beardie's health. Also no coils, only tubes and the Reptisun should be 10.0. The temps could be off & you really can't judge by the round temp guage, it can be off by 20 degrees either way. Depending on his age, will depend on the temps he needs. If he's under a year old, then his temps should be between 102=105F; if he's over a year old, then about 100F, as this will all make a difference in his digestion. Also the crickets can't be longer than the space between his eyes, that's really important, if they're too big they can cause impaction, which means he's not digesting them properly. He could also have parasites; all beardies have parasites in their gut, sometimes something will cause them to overrun his digestive system. The only way to make sure if to have a fecal (poop sample) checked at a vet. So, if you could answer the questions I asked, I may be able to determine what the problem is, even though I'm not a vet, I have owned dragons for 6 years. Right now I have 5 adult males, all healthy, but they have gone through parasites, so that is something I know some about. He could also be dehydrated. I know you gave him a bath, giving him a 20 min bath twice a day would help. If you have an oral syringe, getting him to drink water drop by drop would also help. So get back to me asap.
Deb\

 

[snazzyglasses]

I've also heard of dragons getting a black beard because of an upset tummy, and it goes away after they poop whatever was bothering them. Has your dragon eaten any new foods lately? (he's super handsome, by the way! <3)

 

[m00n1e]

Sorry I wasn't clear enough, it is the repti sun I just couldn't remember and didn't go look. and it is the tube 10.0. His crickets are never bigger than the space between his eyes. Also I have a zoo med one with a white cord and a probe, the dial you see in the picture is a humidity gauge that came with the cage, and I had a very accurate gun but lost it as I mentioned I do plan on investing in a new one. As far as heat goes I don't know what to do a third light would be far too hot but it is a little chilly recently (I live in alaska). He does maintain (until last 2 or so days) a 95 to 105 degree range.
I am not sure on age I got him at petco we approximated at 3 months old and that was 5 months ago so I assume the later end of 8 months old.

 

[m00n1e]

And thank you snazzy I have way better pics of him on my first thread! Haha poor guy he is growing nicely but so upset right now!

 

[sweetiepie9]

How is he today?

 

[m00n1e]

He is way better sorry I have been working alot! Thank you for your help!

 

[sweetiepie9]

At least he's not black like he was & don't ever apologize for freaking out when your beardie does something different! I've been freaking out about something or other the last 6 years I've had beardies. Just when you think you know all you need to know, something else pops up! He's a good looking dragon & looks really healthy, so it must have just been a tummy upset like snazzy said. It happens sometimes. As long as he's back eating, basking and pooping well, it's all good!