earthmarktwo":vuuuet9e said:Did you buy them from the same breeder/store? Is it at all possible that they were purchased already having some kind of illness? I'm certainly not an expert, so I'm going out on a wing here. Perhaps some kind of parasite has infested your tank, like coccidia? I'm so sorry for your loss, I recently lost my 9 year old blue tongue. It's not easy losing them
Could you have a vet do some kind of autopsy to determine cause of death? That would be the only surefire way to know, and if you intend to get another beardie the cost could be worth it to make sure this doesn't happen again.
ShannyBeard":34fp65ca said:I'm sorry about your blue tongue. I have one, too and they are really great reptiles.
I agree with this post - my question was did you get both dragons from the same place?
How old were these dragons?
If they were under 3 months old, then IF you get another one, then please get one that is at least 3 months old next time. They are less apt to die if they are older and well started. It will be easier to care for.
I would certainly advise that you not get another one until you can figure out what is going wrong. I'm sorry for your loss.:study:
kjpetriel":3si82z6e said:Just got back from the trusted, very experienced, reputable breeder. Even the exotic pet Vet suggested this breeder do the autopsy.
When he cut spike open, he was not impacted, but had a lot of gas in the intestinal tract.
Stomach contents was well chewed but all in his upper tract which means he didn’t have time to bask after eating.
Breeder had two thoughts…
#1 Cage too hot… Todays outside temp is even worse than yesterday so I’ll take readings. However the basking area has always been around 109 ->115 degree. And the shady area is about 75-80 during the day.
#2 Feeding to close to lights out. Apparently they need to bask to digest food and feeding him too close to lights out does not allow him to digest the food and it rots in his system. After evening feeding, DW likes to have him out on her knee/chest/head at night while the family watches TV.
Breeder suggestions:
1- In NH, when you have a hot day, it is also very humid (Today 92 degrees and almost 60% humidity). Since they are desert dwellers, they do not do well in humidity. Breeder said to aim for
85-90 in the basking area and 70 in the shade for baby as a temp/humidity compromise.
2- Stop feeding around 4:30p.
3- Keep him in the tank FOR AT LEAST two hours after feeding so he can bask.
4- Go back to 10 gallon tank until he is 6 months old.
kjpetriel":5blmq8xp said:There are still 4 available from a clutch that hatched at the same time. I'm going to go down tonight and study the 10 gallon tank they are currently in and replicate it before picking him up tomorrow. I have no tolerance for any more mistakes.
Having read several other posts in the ER section, I've been wondering about upper respritory infections.
One post described what I saw perfectly. Laying on the bottom of the tank sighing to breath. In this case it was an upper respritory infection that was cured by antibiotics. In the post I read, the symptoms where there for days, not hours..
I have two reasons for suspectnig this:
#1 My kids use WAY too much calcium powder and just dump it and the crickets into the viv. I dump the power and crickets into a plastic drinking glass, then use a spoon to chase the crickets out without making a mess. Until right now, I've concidered it just a waste of calcium and a mess... MAYBE the
excess powder got into his lungs?
#2 The viv gets a basic cleanning (poops and excess calcium) Monday and Thurs, and gets emptied and sanitized Saturday morning (before Cartoons). While we wait for the tank to air out and dry we give the beardy a bath. Is that cleanning schedule often enough?
#3 While the viv I built is by no means air tight, I did make the vent holes slightly smaller than recommended. Again, I was thinking about trying to keep the viv warm for our 50 degree bedrooms in the winter.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?