Sick Beardy

[PupFinn86]

Hello I have a roughly 3 year old dragon and he has not been eating for months so we have been giving him some supplements to stimulate his appetite but he is so lethargic and has lost a lot of weight. He doesn’t move hardly at all in his tank. If we get him crickets or any other live food he tries to catch a few but then just sits there. When he does try to move around he trembles. He also will only drink a little bit of water when we give a bath a couple times a week. When drying him off after his last bath I noticed a hard lump about the size of a marble in middle of his abdomen. He has only had a couple very tiny poops in the last couple months.

His substrate is an Australian native reptile substrate and he has plenty of UVB light and heat.

 

[KarrieRee]

Hello I have a roughly 3 year old dragon and he has not been eating for months so we have been giving him some supplements to stimulate his appetite but he is so lethargic and has lost a lot of weight. He doesn’t move hardly at all in his tank. If we get him crickets or any other live food he tries to catch a few but then just sits there. When he does try to move around he trembles. He also will only drink a little bit of water when we give a bath a couple times a week. When drying him off after his last bath I noticed a hard lump about the size of a marble in middle of his abdomen. He has only had a couple very tiny poops in the last couple months.

His substrate is an Australian native reptile substrate and he has plenty of UVB light and heat.

Is the lump sensitive to touch? Trembling when trying to move sounds like possibly MBD -- what kind of UVB are you using? NO coils they are a health hazard-- Please post a pic of the dragon --- please start feeding him some Oxbow Critical Care Herbivore - it is good stuff and will provide all the nutrients he needs - start w/ 1 ML slowly syringe feed him -mix w/ water so its a runny consistency as this stuff is thick -you may need to get a syringe w/ a wider hole -- you can order off of Amazon or get it from your vet- have you taken him to the vet? What are your surface basking temps and how are you taking them? I would keep his tank around 80'ish at night since he is not feeling good --

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Can you review his tank setup for us, such as the type/brand of UVB light,
heating, supplementation so we can be sure everything is all correct for
him.
Do you have pictures of him along with his tank setup you could post?
Are you in the US?

Tracie

 

[PupFinn86]

Is the lump sensitive to touch? Trembling when trying to move sounds like possibly MBD -- what kind of UVB are you using? NO coils they are a health hazard-- Please post a pic of the dragon --- please start feeding him some Oxbow Critical Care Herbivore - it is good stuff and will provide all the nutrients he needs - start w/ 1 ML slowly syringe feed him -mix w/ water so its a runny consistency as this stuff is thick -you may need to get a syringe w/ a wider hole -- you can order off of Amazon or get it from your vet- have you taken him to the vet? What are your surface basking temps and how are you taking them? I would keep his tank around 80'ish at night since he is not feeling good --

Lump is not tender. Feeding Repa+ Boost. UVB bulb is a Zoomed Reptisun 10.0 UVB pic attached. Basking temp is 90° taken with thermometer.

 

[KarrieRee]

Lump is not tender. Feeding Repa+ Boost. UVB bulb is a Zoomed Reptisun 10.0 UVB pic attached. Basking temp is 90° taken with thermometer.

Please get rid of the coil uvb- this is the problem- coils are a health hazard- you want a long tube fixture there are 3 recommended on this forum- if you need links please ask I will post them- do this asap please

 

[PupFinn86]

Yes please, recommendations would be great for the UVB bulb although I’m not sure that is the main issue. He did great for 2 and half years with the current UVB bulbs. But I’ll try it out.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I believe he has likely developed metabolic bone disease essentially from not having adequate
UVB lighting. We recommend the Reptisun 10 T5 tube, or the Arcadia D3 12% or 14% T5 tube.
They are both excellent lights so I highly recommend upgrading to one of those lights, as soon as
you can.
Are you giving any type of calcium supplementation for him?

Tracie

 

[PupFinn86]

Hello,

I believe he has likely developed metabolic bone disease essentially from not having adequate
UVB lighting. We recommend the Reptisun 10 T5 tube, or the Arcadia D3 12% or 14% T5 tube.
They are both excellent lights so I highly recommend upgrading to one of those lights, as soon as
you can.
Are you giving any type of calcium supplementation for him?

Tracie

I will do that asap. And yes we have always dusted his food with calcium but ever since he has quit eating I’m sure he is very deficient.

 

[KarrieRee]

Yes please, recommendations would be great for the UVB bulb although I’m not sure that is the main issue. He did great for 2 and half years with the current UVB bulbs. But I’ll try it out.

You can get the 30" for a 40 + gallon tank I usually recommend the 24" these fixtures come w/ a 5.0 bulb you want a 10.0 T 5 I will post the link as well Zoo Med ReptiSun T5 HO Hood
22" Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0 UVB T5 HO High Output Fluorescent Bulb they were out of stock on pangeareptile
or this one this can also be found at PetSmart
Arcadia ProT5 12% UVB Bulb With Hood 24 watt 12% bulb
or this one
you will need to change the bulb out to the Reptisun above
24" or 2 ft fixture
https://hydrobuilder.com/sunblaster...mp.html?opts=eyJhdHRyaWJ1dGU5MDEiOiI2NjEwIn0=
When you get the UVB please post back on here and I will help you get it placed for your tank - the screen will determine where it needs to go

 

[PupFinn86]

You can get the 30" for a 40 + gallon tank I usually recommend the 24" these fixtures come w/ a 5.0 bulb you want a 10.0 T 5 I will post the link as well Zoo Med ReptiSun T5 HO Hood
22" Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0 UVB T5 HO High Output Fluorescent Bulb they were out of stock on pangeareptile
or this one this can also be found at PetSmart
Arcadia ProT5 12% UVB Bulb With Hood 24 watt 12% bulb
or this one
you will need to change the bulb out to the Reptisun above
24" or 2 ft fixture
https://hydrobuilder.com/sunblaster...mp.html?opts=eyJhdHRyaWJ1dGU5MDEiOiI2NjEwIn0=
When you get the UVB please post back on here and I will help you get it placed for your tank - the screen will determine where it needs to go

Thank you

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How is your dragon today? That is definitely an issue when they don't eat much & don't
get enough calcium, either. You can try giving some liquid calcium to help get the proper
amount into him for awhile.
Have you been able to get a new UVB light yet?
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie