red / pink scales

[Lainezor]

Darius is roughly 11 years old. He has had his ups and downs over the last couple years for health. Mostly been on the mend lately, was treated for pinworms and giving a calcium injection early February. He got a lot better until about the start of his shedding a couple weeks ago, he started slowly declining a bit.

He has been slightly more lethargic than usual but hes also shedding his whole face and beard right now. I noticed also that he is not holding himself up as well right now and moving more like he did before the vet gave his last calcium injection. His UVB was last replaced in early January (arcadia 14% dragon) but hes been going into hides or staying in the corner of the cold end to avoid being in the light while he is shedding. I have been giving him greens according to the ARAV list and He continues to eat a lot, there is no problem with appetite and his weight is steadily increasing (he weighed in today at 486grams, up from the 474 3 weeks ago). He is alert and will pop his head up from a nap if you walk into the room but is napping more lately. I know shedding is hard on them and Darius hasnt shed in about a year.

Today he pooped all over himself and I had to take him out to bathe him. He is in full shed right now and rather grumpy about it. During the bath I noticed a couple of scales that were red, one was bright red like a raspberry and a couple more that were a darker more rust colour. Sometimes he gets rust coloured markings on himself from rubbing on the aloe plants or cork bark but the one spot on his leg is much more red. He has been dragging himself a bit and scraping on things to help with the shedding but seems to be a bit weaker than normal.

Is there anything I should feed him or do differently while he is shedding? This is taking a long time for him but I also understand he is old. I want to do the best by him.

Are the red scales (photos attached) anything of concern? do I need to make a vet appointment to have him looked at? Will the stress of the vet be too much while he is in shed?

 

[MollyM]

Not able to give tou advice on this matter, but I do hope everything will be ok for your guy,

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, the red scales are not a health problem at all. Mamy dragons including mine will have a few odd colored scales on their body. Just like we can get harmless moles,freckles+ blemishes .
So did Darius poo and just sit in it or did he actively move around and smear it ?

If he's eating a lot of greens that might have caused a quick urge to poop and just like older humans at times might have a bit of an accident now + then. Maybe reduce the amount of food, including greens, since he is actually gaining weight. If his body condition + weight is over all good then you don't want him gaining.

 

[Lainezor]

Hi there, the red scales are not a health problem at all. mamy dragons including mine will have a few odd colored scales on their body. Just like we can get harmless moles,feckles+ blemishes .
So did Darius poo and just sit in it or did he actively move around and smear it ?

If he's eating a lot of greens that might have caused a quick urge to poop and just like older humans at times might have a bit of an accident now + then. Maybe reduce the amount of food, including greens, since he is actually gaining weight. If his body condition + weight is over all good then you don't want him gaining.

He pooped and sat in it without moving very far. It was a bit loose. He is eating a lot of greens but hes been doing that for many years. He had one superworm yesterday as a treat since he hasnt had them in awhile and he did catch a piece of the leaf litter in his mouth with it (dried magnolia leaf). Maybe that upset his tummy?

He had head tremors that had went away completely from the last vet trip (I am assuming the calcium injection was why) but now since he is shedding they have come back. They are not as bad but still frustrating to see as I thought those were gone now.

He looks skinny to me but many have reassured me that he is a healthy weight now. I hand feed him his salad every morning and he will eat until I stop offering him more, haha. I will try to involve more variety in his foods. Is there anything in particular that I should add since he is older / shedding?

 

[AHBD]

Is he getting liquid calcium or powdered, also is the 14 % uvb bulb the type he is used to or is it a new strength which he might be hiding from ?

 

[Lainezor]

Is he getting liquid calcium or powdered, also is the 14 % uvb bulb the type he is used to or is it a new strength which he might be hiding from ?

It is the powered calcium. One is "repashy calcium plus lod" once a week and the other is "calcium without vitamin d3 by zoo med". I give this on bugs every other day. He gets greens with high calcium like collard greens, arugula, endive, escarole, mustard greens, turnip greens etc.

The UVB light is the same strength as before, I use a solar meter to make sure its not too strong.I did change the light around a bit last December when he was really bad but since then hes been improving steadily and basking on and off. Only for the last couple weeks of him shedding have i noticed the tremors and staying out of the light / napping more.

The vet trip is stressful on him so I dont want to bring him out again if i dont have to. I am glad to know the red scales arent a problem.

 

[AHBD]

O.K, hopefully it's just the mood and partly from the shed but do reduce the amount of food + greens for a while to see if it helps. BTW, can you post pics of his enclosure ? If his cave is moveable you might take it out a few times a week during the day so he gets more uvb exposure and only return it at night for him to sleep.

 

[Lainezor]

O.K, hopefully it's just the mood and partly from the shed but do reduce the amount of food + greens for a while to see if it helps. BTW, can you post pics of his enclosure ? If his cave is moveable you might take it out a few times a week during the day so he gets more uvb exposure and only return it at night for him to sleep.

I have attached photos of his cage, it looks dirty but it is just stains from minerals in the water on the glass, I havent been able to get them to come off and I dont want to use chemicals.

He is currently behind the cork tube in the middle in the hot end. Last week he spent a couple days inside the tube, once inside the rock on the cold end and one night in the aloe in the cold end.

 

[AHBD]

Looks pretty nice, a couple Q's to rule some things out.
Does he use the stick or mostly avoid it ? If he doesn't you might consider removing it to create more room.
What size is the enclosure ? It's probably a non factor but just wondering.
Is it possible that he's avoiding whatever is in the enclosure on the left ?

 

[Lainezor]

Looks pretty nice, a couple Q's to rule some things out.
Does he use the stick or mostly avoid it ? If he doesn't you might consider removing it to create more room.
What size is the enclosure ? It's probably a non factor but just wondering.
Is it possible that he's avoiding whatever is in the enclosure on the left ?

He does use the sticks from time to time. He loves the cork tube on the right side. The tank is 55.5"x22"x23".

In the enclosure on the left is my adult male leopard gecko who is about 15+ years old. I dont know his exact age but their tanks have been side by side for about 4 years, I figured the since gecko is up much higher that Darius cant see him. He mostly stays inside of his hide until the lights turn off and Darius is asleep before he comes out at night.

I have had two other reptiles in the room with Darius for about a decade now. I dont think they are bothered by each other, I have never seen them look at each other or show any signs of distress.

When I put him back in the cage I set him on top of the cork flat in the far right. He laid there for a couple hours and scratched his beard / chin on the cork before jumping down behind the aloe plant on that side and now hes staying there napping. He doesnt seem to like using much energy to move around. At least he is under the lights right now.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I agree, the red spots/scales are not a concern, a lot of them develop pigmentation issues like that.
Since it is such a thick heavy shed this time, that is probably what is causing him so much grief. Also, if his head is going to shed, his third eye could be blocked so he can't detect the brightness of the light very well causing his lethargic behavior.
Hopefully he will start sitting under his light more. I agree with AHBD, perhaps move the cave out of his tank from time to time to ensure he doesn't spend too much time in there right now.

Tracie

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Any updates on your boy today, I hope he is doing better. Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[Lainezor]

Hello,

Any updates on your boy today, I hope he is doing better. Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

He has been doing a lot better since I posted on here, its like he knows I am worrying about him, haha.

He shed his elbow and the red spot was on the shed, I dont see it on his arm anymore. He spent Wednesday running around the cage trying to shed his chests and toes. Hes got some coming off around the corners of his mouth now. He hasnt done the tremors in a couple days. Appetite is good and he is alert.

 

[Sue E.]

Thats so awesome! Mine is in shed too, pieces hanging off his beard and chest. Its great that Darius is so lively during a shed!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is excellent he hasn't had any tremors in a few days, I hope that continues for him.
If he is alert, that is a great sign.
At least the red spot is gone now, it came off with the shed, interesting. They definitely look pretty funny when their shedding gets out of hand. LOL

Tracie