strange discolors

[Shoxaju]

Let me put the images up front for ease here

Pic 1 is Yoshi's right leg and the weird red/orange discoloration appeared a few days ago when we noticed he was about to shed his legs, it seemed to get a little worse when my fiance brushed his leg to help the shedding process. I have no idea what it is, I'm worried that it may be an infection of some kind.

Pic 2 is his middle back and it looks like some of his scales might be burned a little? We're using a 75w heat bulb in a ~20 gallon tank so it might be a little warm, we had a 50w and it was too cold (temp would barely hit 90). We also probably will get new thermometers because we're worried the digital one we have is inaccurate (but we also have a IR probe on the cool side hooked up to a heat mat in case it gets too cold) We're going to increase to a much larger hand built viv soon, once I have the money for materials. The other thing we think it could be is just an uneven shed piece that won't come off, but we're still worried.

For references, Yoshi has a Reptisun 10 for UVB and the heat lamp is from Zoomed, we feed him butternut squash, freeze dried worms (hopefully getting some phoenix worms again soon), a dry flukers blend, and sometimes give him some peas, green beans, blueberries, or scrambled eggs. We've tried to get him to eat different leafy greens but he just won't eat them.

Any thoughts would be super helpful, I'm going to call his vet tomorrow to see what he thinks and if necessary set an appointment (it's been close to 6 months since his last one)

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, if the shedding skin was pulled off too soon it will cause an injury like that. The best thing you can put on it is raw unpasteurized honey. It's a natural antimicrobial that heals wounds faster + better than any ointment. Just be sure there are no loose bugs in the tank. The spot on his back doesn't look worrisome but just keep an eye on it if it spreads.

BTW, are there any other live insects you can get for him ? They would be better than the dried. Other than that his diet sounds good.

 

[Shoxaju]

Thanks for the advice, I'll have to see what we have in terms of honey. I was really worried it might be an infection, but I thought it had to do with shed.

as far as live bugs go, we try to get them when we can, but we're poor and the pet store near us doesn't always have bugs in stock. Once taxes come in I'll probably be ordering some Phoenix worms because Yoshi goes nuts over them, but I'd also like to see him eating some Hornworms and Dubias if I can get them.

 

[lizardmom25]

I have the same issue with getting live feeders. I have found the dubiadeli has good prices for dubias. I can get 750 small for around $35 shipped. I also just ordered phoenix worms from dubiaroaches.com for the first time. The call them nutrigrubs and I paid $17 including shipping for 500. I will let you know what they look like in terms of quality when i get them.

 

[Shoxaju]

I have the same issue with getting live feeders. I have found the dubiadeli has good prices for dubias. I can get 750 small for around $35 shipped. I also just ordered phoenix worms from dubiaroaches.com for the first time. The call them nutrigrubs and I paid $17 including shipping for 500. I will let you know what they look like in terms of quality when i get them.

Awesome, thanks for the heads up

 

[EllenD]

I agree, his skin is fine, it's just retained/uneven shed. However, if you keep feeding him freeze-dried insects and pellets, he's going to certainly end up with nutritional deficiencies, bowel impactions and obstructions, chronic dehydration, and a host of other issues. I don't know how old Yoshi is, but if he is under a year old he needs a ton of live insects every single day in order to properly grow and develop. And they get most of their hydration from the live insects and fresh greens/veggies that they eat, and you say Yoshi won't eat any fresh greens, which is why I'm guessing he's under a year old. Freeze-dried insects contain zero moisture, and what happens when they are fed them is not only do they become very, very dehydrated from eating them, but then they stop being able to even digest them due to the lack of hydration, and then they start causing severe bowel issues. And if he's under a year old he's going to also end up stunted in growth without getting a ton of live insects every single day.

It's never affordable to buy live insects from a pet shop. Never. No matter how much money you have. You need to start ordering live insects online in bulk that you can keep in a plastic tub and gut-load with the fresh greens that Yoshi won't eat. That way not only will he get all of the nutrition and hydration from the live insects, but he'll also get the fresh greens/veggies. You can actually buy a huge bag of a mix containing Collard Greens, Turnip Greens, and Mustard Greens at any Walmart that is either called "Greens Trio" or "Country Greens Mix", it's a massive bag of all 3 healthy greens for Dragons, and it costs only $2.98! This along with a couple of raw, peeled slices of apples for hydration is all you need to feed your bulk live insects, you just throw a few peeled apple slices along with a couple handfuls of the greens into the plastic tub you keep your live insects in every morning, and you're good to go. And you can buy a couple of apples, any kind will do, for cents at any Walmart as well. That's all the live, bulk insects require to not only live, but to gut-load themselves for your dragon. And if you order the bulk live insects and they don't come in a bedding, you can go to any DollarTree and buy canisters of Rolled Oats (plain oatmeal) that you can use as a healthy bedding if so required. Crickets and roaches only need some egg carton or paper towel/toilet paper tubes and the fresh greens and apple slices, and I actually recommend ordering live BSFL/Phoenix Worms, as they are cheap in bulk, they aren't dirty and they don't stink, they don't get lose or make noise (if you live in an apartment), and they are about the healthiest live insect you can feed your Dragon. High in calcium and all other vitamins and minerals, high in healthy protein, unlike roaches/crickets which are high in purine-based protein, which often causes Gout and kidney issues, and they are also full of hydration. And any size/age of Dragon can eat size Large BSFL because they are soft-bodies...

I order my bulk BSFL/Phoenix Worms monthly from www.dubiaroaches.com (cheapest, I get 1,000 for $23 shipped) or from www.symtonBSF.com (about $36 shipped for 1,000). For only one Dragon I'd start with ordering 500 size large a month, on www.dubiaroaches.com this will cost you under $20 shipped, and see how many he eats per day. Then go from there. I keep mine in a 55 liter plastic tub I bought at Walmart for $10. I buy 2 canisters of the dry oats from the DollarTree ($1 a canister) and dump them into the plastic tub, dump in the BSFL, and each morning I throw in some of the greens from the massive bag at Walmart for $2.98 and remove the dried up greens from the day before. Then I make sure there are 3 or 4 raw apple slices that have enough moisture for the worms, and you're good to go. The BSFL will last for a little over a month at room temperature, that's why I said order 300 or 500 and see how many he eats in a month (I have multiple dragons). Always feed the darkest colored BSFL first, as they are closest to turning, and they also have the highest calcium content...You do still need to dust the BSFL in Calcium 4-5 days a week and in a Multivitamin 3 days a week, even though some vendors will tell you don't need to dust them, that's untrue.

 

[Shoxaju]

He's 7 months old, I know he needs more live insects and we're trying to remedy that. We do give him plenty of water and the veggies he does eat are loaded with moisture, and he drinks plenty of water during the day. as far as fresh leafy veggies, he'll eat maybe a bite or two and then not want any for weeks at a time, which is why we try to keep him eating the squash that he actually likes.

I know all about BSFL and I'm just waiting on paychecks to buy more. we used to buy them by the 100 before money got really tight, it's only this past few weeks or so that he really hasn't had much live food. I would also prefer to feed him bsfl because of the benefits you mentioned, but sometimes my fiance just gets some crickets or supers for him because that's what's easiest to get for us.

thank you for the suggestion about how to keep the bulk alive, that will help a lot, and I should be able to afford that in the next few days once I get paid. We don't have a walmart near us, but I should be able to get that stuff at target and the nearby DG, I think it'll all work out as well when I build the new viv for him (hooray tax return)