VERY Black Beard ... UPDATED Now pooping where he lays

[cath1024]

does anyone think it is normal to do their business right on their basking area?
I just didnt know if they were like dogs and other animals who dont do it where they sleep.

He just did it again and he was almost laying in it.

one more thing he always makes these strange sounds like opening his mouth realy wide and almost like burping and you see him do the swallowing motion after he makes the sound ... hes been doing this the past few weeks - at first we thought maybe he was eating too fast but he does it other times too and not just after eating

 

[sunkist]

I have the same dual light fixture you have and have had no issues out of it. I do notice that it gets pretty hot under it but my beardie has been under mine for 2+ months with no eye issues.

With you being up north, wondering if he's doing the brumation although I don't think the beard happens when they brumate.

I wish I had some advice. I do know the UVB from the combo is not a coil but a florescent so I think it's ok. I could be wrong of course.

 

[cath1024]

he hasnt eaten again since the crickets he ate this morning ... i took him out and he was acting strange like he was very nervous.
It now looks like his whole body is going a dark color very strange ... the end of his tail is very black too.
I took a few pictures just now while my son was holding him.
does he look normal?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Ok, do you have the coil UVB's in the hood still in there now? If so, you need to take them out. They are not good for him. For now, just use the basking light that you are using. Can you take the bulbs back for a refund or an exchange perhaps? Or store credit, maybe.
Your basking light, is it blue or a bright white one?
The Reptisun 10 flourescent tube light is the best light you can get in the US. You can get it for pretty cheap at http://www.petmountain.com
It does matter on the placement of the UVB. It needs to be directly beside the basking light, so, he will get heat along with UVB & the bright white basking light will help protect the eyes from the UVB light. The UVB light only needs to cover 1/2 to 3/4 of the tank, so that he can have a cooler area & a place to retreat away from the UVB if he wants to.
That black beard & black tail means he is in distress, or pain. If it does not go away with the lighting adjustments, he needs to go to the vet to get a bloodtest.
Oh no, it is not a normal behavior for them to poop & then to lay in it. They do not do that unless they are not feeling well. Now they run through it sometimes, but to bask, poop & lay in it, no that is not a normal thing they do. They usually try to get away from that area.
Keep us posted on him.

Tracie

 

[cath1024]

Thank you Tracie ... no we have had the coil uvb bulbs and the hood since we got him 3 months ago so i couldnt take them back ... i wont put them on tomorrow and i will only put the heat lamp on.
I will go after work tomorrow evening and get the tube one.

We tried feeding him when my hubby came home tonight and he just backed right away from the cricket and turned total black we are so upset not knowing whats happening to him!

we turned off all lights as he looks realy tired and like he just wants it dark and quiet.

we have a reptile store around here and also have a petsmart - i will check the petsmart website to see if they have the uvb lights you are talking about.

Im wondering if he is having problem with his eyes as he is keeping one closed alot of the time ... we have 2 different uvb lights so maybe that was a no no? One in the combo and also the coil ones

 

[vickson420]

Hi
I just wanted to pop on and say I have been reading your thread and I do hope your beardie is ok.You have gotten terrific advice from Tracie and I do think all of this is because of the uvb situation so hopefully once this is corrected he will get better.I do think the eye issue is most likely associated with this as well.Please keep us posted.

 

[cath1024]

Ok i went to the petsmart website and i see the ZooMed Reptisun UVB Bulbs in 10.0 and 5.0 what is the difference and i see you recommend the 10.0
now what i cant find is the hood you put the tube light in ... the hood we have only has spots for the 2 coiled lights.
and also do i need 2 of these uvb or just one in the hood?

The only hood i see is a Zoomed Combination Hood.
Im not sure what size hood to get

i measured out tank ans it is 31" long 18" wide and 20" tall - would tis be equal to about a 40 gallon?

 

[vickson420]

Ok i went to the petsmart website and i see the ZooMed Reptisun UVB Bulbs in 10.0 and 5.0 what is the difference and i see you recommend the 10.0
now what i cant find is the hood you put the tube light in ... the hood we have only has spots for the 2 coiled lights.
and also do i need 2 of these uvb or just one in the hood?

The only hood i see is a Zoomed Combination Hood.

i measured out tank ans it is 31" long 18" wide and 20" tall - would tis be equal to about a 40 gallon?

Ok the difference between the 5.0 and the 10.0 is the % of uvb a specific uvb bulb type emits.So the reason we recommend the 10.0 is because it will emit more uvb then the 5.0 however these percentages are specific to brand so it souldnt be compared to different brand names.For example the reptisun 5.0 is a better quality bulb and will still emit more uvb the a desert series 7.0.I know its confusing but basically you want to stay with reptisun and bot the 5.0 and 10.0 are good bulbs but given the choice go with the 10.0.Also if your ordering online you may want to check out lllreptile.com the bulbs are much cheaper there.As for the fixture you can buy a pretty inexpensive one at your local hardware store,home depot,lowes,etc.It will only hold the uvb fixture you will still need to use something else to house the heatlamp.You only need one uvb bulb btw.If you prefer a fixture a little nicer you can also get this at lllreptile.Here is a link just to give you an idea:
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/reptile-supplies/light-fixtures/

 

[cath1024]

We already have a heat lamp cover that we used before getting the combo one so that part is ok.

I am just so confused with all the different tube lights and covers ... i will be going to petsmart tomorrow and dont know what size hood or light to get ... since out tank is 31" long should i go with the 24" lights and hood? I see the only sizes are 18" 24" 36" and 48"

If someone could be so kind and if they have a coupel spare minutes could you go to petsmart website and tell me exactly the light and light cover to get that will work for our tank size

 

[vickson420]

Well this is the uvb bulb I recommend however they are only showing dual fixtures on the petsmart site but as I said you would be much better served buying the fixture from a hardware store.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752589&keepsr=0
When your looking for the fixture you want to remember to get one with a T12 connection and you want to go for the 24 inch bulb.

 

[cath1024]

you have been great thank you so much for all your help.
I have a home depot next to my petsmart so i will check in there for the light holder ... i was just on the home depot website trying to find what i will be looking for and i dont know what they would be called!

I just wanted to be prepared to know what to look for that is why i am looking this stuff up online first.

I am going to go first thing in the morning --- i feel so bad for Max i want to get this all straightned out and hopefully everything will go back to the way Max was before all this!

 

[diamc]

Ok, this should help: http://www.petmountain.com/product/light-fixtures/516021/perfecto-fluorescent-perfect-a-strip-light-black.html
http://www.petmountain.com/product/fluorescent/504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-bulb.html

Edit: Sorry Vicky, didn't realize you posted that info. I bought the Perfect-a-strip hood from a Petsmart just like the one pictured in Petmountain so that's why I posted the picture of it. Here's the one from the Petsmart site though: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754552
Here's one from Home Depot that would work too: http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100652902&N=10000003+90401 but that one says it's a T-8.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Great job guys. Good luck with the lighting issues, they can be a mess can't they?
Here are some pictures of Yellow Fungus first:

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Pogona_Diseases/

http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/yellowfungus.html

Here are some pictures of Gout:

I hope that helps.

Tracie

 

[cath1024]

ok i went to petsmart and they are just knobs as they told me i didnt realy need the uvb light if i didnt want it.
another pet store only had one call repti-glo so i decided to just go to my reptile store because the lasy in there is super knowledgable ... i told her about my coil uvb bulbs and the combo bulb i was using ... when i picked up the repti-sun 10.0 she said the coil bulbs would be exactly the same and do the same thing.

She showed me one called Mega-Ray which is both heat and uvb and can be upto 6 feet away and still get the correct effects and will also put off enough heat.

so i got the mega-ray 160W - she gave me a guideline and told me to get the basking area to 100-110 and then about 1-2" from the bottom of the hot side to 90 and then on the cool side to get the temp 1-2" from bottom to 80

Now here is my problem - i can get the basking area to 100-110 b ut the lower part on hot side i cant get past 82 and the lower cool side i can get over 75

She says hes probally going dark and not eating because hes cold and pooping on his rock because he doesnt want to leave the heat area.

well the mega-ray has been on for over an hour now - he stayed under the light for only about 5 mints when i turned it on and then went over to the cool side and stayed there ever since - whats up with him doing that when its cold over there??

 

[sunkist]

I think they have to get use to the heat again. Mine does the same thing. Stays on the cool side of the tank alot.