sick dragon

[bmmst1]

i don't know what is going on with firecracker, he is really making me worry,of course theres nothing new there. He's not eating anything! he hasn't ate or pooped in about 2 weeks, maybe a little less or more. i don't know if its just because hes tired of the silkies? i found a stink bug in his enclosure last week,took it out, im just worried that if he ate one. would that make him sick? i don't want him to die, hes not very active. he's only active when i take him out of his cage and he roams the house, looking for a place to sneak up on the dog or cat. somebody please help me. i'm just out of ideas of what to try.im going to go buy some different worms today. maybe ill be lucky and hes just sick of the silkies.

 

[Lennifer]

I am not possitive about the stink bug but I don't think u have anything to worry about. The only bug I have heard that is toxic to bearded dragons are firefly's &/or lightning bugs. If your beardie ate one of these, I have heard that they will die with in hours

To help us help you, please tell us a little more about your set up & what u feed your dragon daily. Do you have a UVB light & if so what brand/kind? WHat is the basking spot temps? What kind of substrate do u use?

Sry to ask so many questions...just trying to help! lol

~Sandy

 

[bmmst1]

he's in a 70 gal tank. i have 1 halogen heat light, and 1 household coil light. i have a uvb. i cant remember what kind it is, but everyone on here said it was the best next to the mvb. he's about 10 7 inches away maybe closer. i'm using sand as substrate right now until i can find the right tiles. i feed his silkworms and butter worms on a daily basis. horn worms once a month, as a treat he loves them but their just too expensive for a everyday thing. his temps very now that the weather is changes anywhere form 90-105 on warm side about 80 on cold side gets to be 65-70 during the night.

i think i answered all the questions, i just cant figure out why hes not eating or pooping, hes not being very active.

 

[Lennifer]

Good morning.

Ok...get rid of the coil light! Coil lights are known to cause lathargy & have issues. So you have 4 lights?...a Halogen Heat lamp, a UVB, A coil lamp & a MVB?? That is way too much lighting/heating. Honestly, I don't know too much about the Mercury Vapor Bulbs but I believe when u have this bulb...it is the only bulb u need as it put off both heat & UVB. I also think the MVB bulb needs to be a certain distance away from them....more then 10 inches but I'm not sure so I'm going to look it up for u. Do u feed him/her any greens as well as the worms? Thanks so much for getting bakc to us! Let me get some info on the MVB & I'll get right back. I have a good friend who uses these lights & she has four beared dragons. lol! I use the standard method of lighting, which is a UVB (long tube that stretches across entire length of tank, ReptiSun 10) & a basking light in a dome fixture for his daytime heat. They do not need a source of heat at night unless the temps in your house drop below 65

~Sandy

 

[LJean]

I think we are a bit confused about your lighting.

He may not eat until after he poos. Have you tried warm baths daily? You can use a few drops of olive oil mixed with some unsweetened applesauce. Drip a bit on his nose to see if he will lick it off. The olive oil and applesauce may help him go, along with the daily bath.

Sure hope he starts perking up for you soon.

 

[Lennifer]

Yes, def give him a nice warm soak to see if that will help him poo!!

Ok...if u choose to go with the MVB, this is what my friend told me....
As for the MVB, if it’s 100 or 125 whatt, it needs to be 12" away from the basking spot, 160 whatts need to be 18" away. No closer. The UVB they emitt and all the heat can be harmful if to close.

So, now u just need to decide if u want to go with the standard lighting which is 2 lights. (The long UVB ReptiSun 10 tube & basking light in dome fixture.)

Or, the MVB bulb which is the only bulb u will need for both heat & light. Just make sure it is far enough away so u don't harm your beardie.

~Sandy

 

[bmmst1]

i didnt say i had a mvp i said i have the best uvb light next to the mvp(i think its a powersun but not positive). and i give him warm baths daily. i feed is cullard and mustard greens mixed with veggies everyday. i been force feeding him some baby food through a syringe,that way hes getting some nutrition.

 

[Freeie]

I think a powersun is a MVB. Is it a long tube or a bulb? it should say its name on the bulb along with wattage. Id remove the sand and use papertowls/newspaper intill you can get the tile.

 

[Lennifer]

We are asking about your lighting because u listed 4 lights for the enclosure. That is too many so we were trying to explain that there r two diff ways of lighting u can choose from. We don't know what kind of lighting u have because u have not said. It is printed on your bulb what kind of light u have. Bad lighting can cause these symptoms so that's why we are asking. Maybe I misunderstood & u have the correct lights. If so, thats great!! That just means it could be another issue. I would suggest taking a poo sample to the vet to rule out parasites.

~Sandy

 

[bmmst1]

We are asking about your lighting because u listed 4 lights for the enclosure. That is too many so we were trying to explain that there r two diff ways of lighting u can choose from. We don't know what kind of lighting u have because u have not said. It is printed on your bulb what kind of light u have. Bad lighting can cause these symptoms so that's why we are asking. Maybe I misunderstood & u have the correct lights. If so, thats great!! That just means it could be another issue. I would suggest taking a poo sample to the vet to rule out parasites.

~Sandy

i'm sorry maybe i didnt explain it well enough. i have the main heat bulb, the halogen light, and the uvb light, which is not powersun its a reptisun. i have him eating baby food, the chicken and rice flavor, how much should i feed him? im giving him as much as he will eat which today i only fed him once and he ate two syringes full,i hope thats not too much, i've been tricking him and putting some greens in his mouth when he opens his mouth for the syringe, i have him trained from when he took his medicine. i gave him a bath last night and seemed to be more active, when i put him back into his enclosure today after feeding him he was looking for his worms, so i put 2 supers into him bowl but he just kept looking at them and ended up just going to sleep without eating them, but atleast he's showing intrest to him food now, he hasnt pooped yet, and i would take a sample to the vet, but he needs to poop for a sample first!! haha
i think he was just dehydrated maybe, i havent had the chance to give him a bath every day i been giving him one 2 a week for the past 3 so i hope its ok, but since my mom had her surgery ill be home more and be able to give hima daily bath until he's back to himself then go to one every other day. thanks for everyones help i really appriciate it,im such a worry wart, he's my baby<3

 

[otto]

I am going thru the same thing right now. My guy, Otto has not eaten or pooed for 2 weeks now and is presently at the vets in the hospital. I was feeding him baby food in a syringe also and pedialyte thru a syringe and giving warm baths to no avail so I brought him to the vet and they kept him. He is still going thru tests ( there is no obstruction on x-ray). Otto may have a dilated intestine which medicine will help hopefully. I hope that everything works out for you, I know how you feel. Hope this helps a bit.

 

[cherylann229]

I had the same problem with a beardie. One of the problems he had was the substrate was sand. The vet did an enema and he was packed full to the point nothing would pass. I was shocked with the amount that came out over the next couple of days. He passed last year at the age of 16. Our new little guy has snewspaper for a substrate. It is very easy to keep clean and nothing is getting ingested as he snags up the crickets. I feed him kale and carrots everyday. He loves the purple kale! I also mist his food for extra moisture. I do crickets twice a week. When he can't poop I give him some canned pumpkin and that seems to gently get things moving! Hope this helps!

 

[bmmst1]

ok, the sand is def coming out then. if that could be the problem if he dosent poop by Monday i am going to take him to the vet since i don't have work, thanks for letting me know. al thought i never noticed hi licking it and i don't feed him in the sand he has dishes that he eats out of.

 

[diamc]

Actually, it's ok to feed him chicken babyfood mixed with squash but you shouldn't use chicken & rice because rice is VERY binding and you don't want that. Also, a basking temp of 90 is too cold. Make sure you lay the probe so that it is resting on the basking area, wait about 45 min for the temp to stop rising before getting the final basking temp. What is the basking temp when you check it that way?

So, you are using the Repti-Sun UVB? What is the %, 2.0, 5.0 or 8.0? Also, is it a strip fluorescent or coil/compact UVB? How far away is that bulb from your beardie?

 

[bmmst1]

Actually, it's ok to feed him chicken babyfood mixed with squash but you shouldn't use chicken & rice because rice is VERY binding and you don't want that. Also, a basking temp of 90 is too cold. Make sure you lay the probe so that it is resting on the basking area, wait about 45 min for the temp to stop rising before getting the final basking temp. What is the basking temp when you check it that way?

So, you are using the Repti-Sun UVB? What is the %, 2.0, 5.0 or 8.0? Also, is it a strip fluorescent or coil/compact UVB? How far away is that bulb from your beardie?

ok ill go to the store and get the chicken and rice, im using a 5.0 and its the tube he can get about 8 inches away from it, im not using the probe. its just a square thing that lays there, where do i get the probe kind? its most likely moe than 90 b/c thats just what it is on the ground, i got the tiles today so after work im taking his sand out. how much of the baby food should i feed him? until he's done or is there a certen amount that he should get?