Shedding or something else? lack of engery, not moving aroun

[tjthebeardeddragon]

Hello there ..i have answered all the questions below...So..anyways tj is shedding but we get worried because hes completly worn out..example... last night when i turned off the light..(i leave the red one on all the time) i noticed he was sleeping in the coner..
WHen i turned the light back on in the morning..i noticed he was in the same spot..so i picked him up..and he barely opend his eyes..
I put him back down..and went to school at 8..when i came back at 1 he was in the same spot i left him at..i gave him a little bath and he seemed to like it..and i put him back in his cage..and now its almost 6'ck and hes Still in the same spot.. Most of the time you see him go back and fourth in his cage.. I know he is shedding..and he hasnt really eating all week..last sunday i went to the pet store and got crickets..20..and he ate about 10.. Normaly when he sleeps.. he puts weight on his front legs..like pushes up so he can feel the heat.. but hes not doing that ..hes just ploped on the ground..branch..or where i had put him..So..Im just worried..Last time he went threw shedding he did this sad..lack of engery thing..but he still moved around.. Should i be worried about him??? Or is this normal?.. honestly i will worry no matter what until he starts being himself again

Thankyou!!

Jessi & TIm & Travis and their owner TJ the Bearded Dragon!

How old is your dragon? a baby
How long have you had your dragon? since december
How long is your dragon? about the size of my hand... 6 inches.. im werid i count his white stripes on his tail..when we got him he was about 14 stripes and now hes 17
What is the sex of your dragon? dont know yet
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? 40 gallon tank
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? green reptile liner.
Do you use UVB lights? yes. i have a red one that stays on all the time and a white one..that was choose for the basking distance
If so, Is it a coil, compact, fluorescent tube, or Mercury Vapor bulb? i guess its floresent
What is the brand name and number of your bulb? Wattage (if MVB)? not sure where box is but i know the tank tempature is about 85-90 and basking temp is 100... there is a cool and warm side..
How old is your UVB bulb? 3 mths
How close can your dragon get to the UVB? 6 inches...
Do you use a separate basking bulb? What kind and what is the wattage?
What are the basking temps? 100
What is the cool side temp? 85
Do you take the temps with a stick on thermometer, a digital thermometer with a wire and a probe end or a temp gun? little plastic round tepatures thingies..
Where exactly are you taking your basking temps? where he sits
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? NO..(aren't they bad?)
What do you feed your dragon? Please be specific. i feed him greens and baby crickets..as many as he will eat in ten mins..everyday
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)? in the afternoon when i get home
Do you gutload (feed) your crickets, worms, etc? i put poweder on them..and buy them from pet store
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them? every other day..
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)? yess very couple of days
Do you bath your dragon? How often? once a week or more when shedding
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath? yes...maybe once a day..more if he looks hot..Like hes doing that venting thing
Does your dragon share an enclosure with another dragon? no
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done? no

 

[dragons1222]

hello

ok one thing i notice is the bulbs

you dont have the correct one

what temp does your house get at night?

if it stays about 60-65 he doesnt need any heat sourse at night so get rid of the red bulbs altogether even if you do need a heat sourse at night we reccomend a ceramic heat emmitter b/c they only produce heat not any light which can disturb their sleep

and the uvb bulb is very important or they cannot process calcium

this is the bulb you need
http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-fluorescent-bulbs/504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-bulb.html
these need replaced every 6 months

now that only does light so you still need the bright light like you have

temps are too low as well

basking temp for a baby should be around 110-115 degrees for a baby (100-105 or so for an adult)

the round temperature things dont do an accurate job at giving correct temps
we reccomend a digital thermometer with a probe like this
http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-thermometers/509769/coralife-digital-thermometer.html

as for heat rocks YES they are bad that is why we ask to make sure you DONT use them

for food what kind of greens? here is a great food list http://www.beautifuldragons.com

as for crickets he should be fed 3x a day whatever he will eat in 15 min each time which can be 40-100 crickets a day!!!

gutloading is feeding the crickets to make sure they are eating healthy too

ok suppliments should be pure calcium(no vit.d3 or phosphorus) 5 days a week 2x a day
calcium w/ vit d3 1x a week
and a multivitamin 1 x a week

and i would reccomend a fecal to rule out parasites


my guess would be that he is acting wrong b/c of improper lighting and suppliments

which would definatly be my guess why he is acting sluggish and not eating much

 

[tjthebeardeddragon]

OKay.. so im going to go get the correct light RIGHT NOW! ..there is a petsmart down the street......thankyou!..be back and ill keep you updated..that should up his engery..so he can eat more! and be heather.. I feel soo bad....grrrr sales people at petstores..i thought i read that he needed those lights at other places..but i re read the info on this site..and they say the same thing..uhhg ..anyways ...leaveing for the store

 

[beardie parents]

I noticed you mentioned that you keep the red light on all the time. I would turn that off and not use it, even at night. They need bright white light during the day and as much total dark at night as possible. Maybe part of his problem is that the red light is keeping him awake at night, unless he sleeps in a hide of some sort like my girls have gotten used to.

 

[tjthebeardeddragon]

...i feel so bad..and its all my fault..as you can see its 430 in the morning and i havent been able to sleep all night..im researching trying to get more info so i can help and watching tj threw the night.. Its been a long night..i went to the petstore got the right light..but the pet store guy who has 4 beardies of his own said to get hte light fixture from walmart..it was cheaper.. when i did that came come..but i bought the wrong light fixture..ran back to walmart got the right one..came back home..and the Light i bought from the store was BROKEN!! i was in such a rush i didnt chck it!..oooohh..so buy no its 10'ck and the pet store has been closed for an hour..grrrr.so i turned off the red light alltogehter.. and will put him in the sun as soooon as it rises..because he needs the UV rays.. to feel better...and i will be at the petstore as soon as it opens at 8..to get the light.. I was questioning that the problem is...he cant turn his food into the Vit C.. (thats what the light does) so.. do you think he has Metabolic Bone Disease? Im researching this now..i may answer my own question.. uhh..i thought my white spot light was the UV light..when i went to the petstore..i had someone help me..knowing i needd the uv light..and to make sure his basking was the right temp... i thought the white light did both.. ..anyways...let me know ur thoughts.. The guy at the pet store told me of a wonderful pet store that specializes in bearded dragons..and he said they have phoniex worms there that are full go good stuff! and will hopefuly make my baby speed up his recover.. what do u think about that???
Thankyou sooo much again...i just wished i posted sooner..

 

[tjthebeardeddragon]

okay soo..this is my plan.. Im waiting for the petstore to open at 8.. im going to get some repta-aid also..and some gerber food chicken..and some pedialight.. and mix it up with some calcium..and feed that to him with an eye droppper. and see about taking him to the vet.. Again thankyou soo much! i should have posted this in the er section..have a great day..ill keep ya updated

-- heres the update..i just edited that last post.... I put the light inside his glass tank..just for a couple of days..i know screens can take away up to 50% of the uvs! and he needs all the uvs he can get.. i gave him the combo of..chicken gerber..pedialight..the yogert..calcium and some green leafs.. put it in the blender ..and he ate 2cc..and.. i can tell he feels better..he is as close to the light as he could get..and hes putting his weight on his front two legs and pushing up..so he can feel the heat.. ...How close is too close for the uv light?..You think just for a couple of days let him be close..as long as it doesnt get hot.?..mm -(a little relived)

 

[dragons1222]

he should be able to get at least 6-8 inches close to the uvb

and pheonix worms are great

the uvb helps them process vitamin d not c lol

just like people they need to be able to process calcium it not only helps with bones but it is also an important part of digestion and muscle movement

which light exactly did you get?

remember to give the right supplements as well

try to get him to eat the crickets before the other stuff b/c they will be much better for him than the mixture

but the mix is fine if he wont eat

he should seem much better after being under the new light for even a few hours

and remember the temps need to be bumped up to 110 degrees for a baby

this will also help

good luck and let us know how he is doing

 

[tjthebeardeddragon]

hello there.. i got the light that was recommened... the reptisun 10.0 uvb 24" 610 mm 20 watts
I also offered him some crickets but he didnt even care.. But he seemed to feel better after i gave him the mix..and he also has felt better since getting the light... Sooo About the red light...should i keep it for heat?...get rid of it? I thought since it was red..he couldnt see that light at night?.. like a black light?...


He ate 2 cc's of the mixture..ive been offered more..but he wasnt that intrested.
Thankyou lots for all the advice! I will keep you updated!

 

[Beardys Rock]

The red light is useless get a ceramic heating bulb(gives out no light) for nights and any extra heat you need for the day, you'll also be needing a thermostat to set your temps right with the ceramic bulb.

You should get a Digital thermometer with probe or a tempgun because dial themometers can be out like 20F (you need to leave the digital thermometers with probes like an hour to get temp, instant with temp gun)

Goodluck

 

[dragons1222]

no heat source at night at all unless the temps are lower than 60-65 degrees

they need to cool down at night

 

[zebraflavencs]

Hi there ! You may also want to up the amount of bathes a week, since he is shedding. I would bath each day to increase hydration. Is he pooing daily ? That is the best way I know that the dragon is at least eating.
I also agree to lose the red bulb. Red can keep a dragon up all night, making an already irritated beardie even more unhappy.
I also suspect that your dragon is in the 2-5 month old age, yes ? Once you get your husbandry down, he will grow and shed quite often. One of my babies (born December 26 ) has shed 3 times and is working on his head for the last of shed 3, and is growing fast !
I have both my "infants" with a ReptiSun 10.0 tube through the screen lid on their enclosures, and made sure they can get within 3-5" of the UVB. I also made sure that their temps are : basking-113 and 117 respectively, cool end 55 is 82, cool end 20br is 80. I give them a bath daily, for hydration, and after a few times, they both paddle around with Orion the red splashing and splishing happily.
Janie.

 

[tjthebeardeddragon]

okies...I'll never use that red thing agin!~ got that down ... Since right now im little worried that the lack of engery is being cause by mb .. i took out the super tall branches.. i dont want him to fall!. He has his small brach that lets him get 6-8 inches from the floresent and the basking light.. and its about 110' and its about 85 on the cool side... He hasnt pooed.. or let me feed him..i did stick a phoniex worm in his mouth and he spit it out.. i have given him a bath this morning..and sprayed him.. he is still lacking engery..staying in a spot for a long time.. he seems to be sleeping..then when u walk by he raises his head and body towars the light..like we woke him up.. So my thinking is since hes sick...he needs more sleep to gain his engery?.especial since that red light has been keeping him up for 3 months now...should we try to limit handling him?..(because we want to all the time) Can i give him too many baths? Like is more than 2 a day to much right now? Thankyou again!

 

[zebraflavencs]

Two a day is fine. I would also find an "Exotic" vet that deals with dragons, and make an appointment. When you bath, stroke his tummy from top to bottom on the left side ( i think ) gently to see if there is impaction. This will also help to encourage a poo along with the heat from the bath.
Did you get a thermometer with a probe or a temp gun to get those temps ? I ask as the stick on kind can be off as much as 20*s.
If it is the probe or temp gun, your temps are right on line.
Since you have the correct bulb in and are getting rid of the red, you should see a change in the next day or so. If no change and the shed is complete, than seek the above mentioned vet for a checkup.
Hope this helps out !
Janie.

 

[dragons1222]

i would limit handling as much as possible

i would definatly take him to the vet or at least some poop for a sample to make sure he does not have parasites
that will definatly make him lethargic if he does



what suppliments are you using?

 

[tjthebeardeddragon]

Thankyou for all of the good advice.. i dont know what i would do with out you guys... I have never had a reptile before but my husband has had several.. So i keep thinking he will let me know when somethings not normal.. thats why it took me so long to ask about his lack of engery during shedding.. I think hes done shedding i dont see anymore flaky skin..

We have an appoitment today at 3 with the vet from the anapsid.org list. He did poop last night..but it was only black..no white spot..
I hope its enough to check! as far as suplemtns..Repashy superfoods. by trex is the calcuim suplement ive been giving him..

I looked for the reptial aid.. medicine but couldnt find it.. but when i spoke to the lady from the pet store ..(the one who the guy at petco who had 5 dragons suggested) She suggested Hyrdo-life from adanced research reptile product life sustaining reptile electrolyte formula.. . I have been giving him 3 drops a day..

Anywyas i will let you know how his vet visit going.. How long does a fecal take??
Again Thankyouuu