VERY sick beardie :( Is a dragon turning white a behavior??

[randisjoy]

I have always wanted a bearded dragon and I just had a couple fall into my lap that really need help, especially one. The second one seems to be undernourished but pretty good. She's alert and pretty active and ate very good yesterday. She (Blazer) seems to be only slightly malnourished and dehydrated.

The VERY sick dragon (I named him Pilot) was COMPLETELY white yesterday. He was and still is not moving. He's just too weak. I visited a friends home and was so saddened by what a saw. This was several months ago and he was white but not all bones like he is now. The next time I went to visit the family I asked to see him & he was absolutely fine. They said they just fed him a few days in a row (aren't you supposed to feed them EVERYDAY?!! ) This past week I was there again and was so mad at myself for not asking if I could care for them sooner because what I saw was frightening. Seeing my concern, they asked if I wanted the two of them.

All the pet stores I've spoken with encouraged me to put them together. The sicker ones symptoms seem to be from being very dehydrated and malnourished (besides the mysterious white color which NOBODY has a clue) so I'm really thinking/hoping there's nothing to catch. I'm also thinking his color has to do with not enough heat? In the car on the way to my home, my daughter kept him close to her on her arm to warm him up. By the time the 10 minute ride was over, he already had a little bit of his color back.

I cant find his symptoms of the white on the internet at all. I'm not even sure if it's that important anymore and that maybe he just needs nourishment and heat?? He has gotten a lot of his gray/brown back except his head is still pretty white (I can give these updates because I've been at this forum for HOURS straight! . Does anybody have any ideas of what I can do to "bring this little guy back to health? I'm so scared for him.

He has opened his eyes today. A VERY little bit and it takes great effort. Yesterday he opened them for a split second right after I fed him and put him back in his home. He is really, really weak. It's hard to feed him while looking at his very sick face. His eyes almost look black and blue and they are "sunken in" too. He's just so sweet and fragile I hope I'm doing everything I can for this little guy!! Any suggestions would be SO appreciated.

Thanks SOO much,
Randi

 

[duke11]

Hi, I can't think of anything else but he might be shedding. When beardies shed, their skin turns whitish. Did you adopt Pilot? I thought in your other thread you said you had a Pilot and Blazer. I think...

 

[Birdoc]

My beardie seems to do the white thing once in a while too, I find that she usually does it when she's been out of her terrarium for a bit, and starting to get chilly. So your heat theory sounds legit. Also, like Duke11 said, shedding could be a part of it. Mine is a young beardie, so she's still shedding here and there, and whenever she sheds she turns white for a while, she'll switch between white and her normal greens from time to time while shedding.

hopefully with some love and care (which he most certainly seems to be getting now!) he'll be feeling better in no time

best of luck !

 

[duke11]

Duke is 21 months old (wow i just realized that!) and he is still shedding. Right now, the area around his mouth is shedding, and the top of his head is whitish.

 

[randisjoy]

Hi. Thanks for your reply. I wsh didn't have to say this but no, t's not sheddng. Nobody seems to know what it's from. I think, my gut tells me, it's from being just SO COMPLETEY undernoursihed, malnurished, horrible heating conditions, and no love. He is the sickest Beardie anybody has seen on this forum These dragons are my obsessons right now and I WILL get them healthy!!!!
Thanks for your concern

 

[zebraflavencs]

So it isn't shedding. Then what we need to do is get this dragon healthy again for you !
Let's go over your lighting; temps, how you measure temps; diet and all this so we can help you out.
Janie.

 

[randisjoy]

Thanks, Janie!! I see you're another very sweet person this forum!! Please, any advice will be greatly appreciated! I think I'm doing everything I can so far but it never hurts to make sure!!!! I have amillion thread going but the moderator, Tracie, was kind enough to try and get them to three main ones. Pilot, Blazer and lighting. THANKS!!!!!
Randi

 

[duke11]

I agree with Janie. Going over your setup would help a bunch. By any chance, could you post a pic of your beardie with the white stuff? That would also help us find out what's wrong! Keep us updated!

Erin

 

[randisjoy]

heres is pic of Piolot. His white id something that seems to come and go at times but his ead remains pretrty awhitkle at all time and so dees his left forr.
Thank you very much!

 

[duke11]

To me, the one on his foot looks a lot like a shed. But you said it isn't so I don't know what else it could be. :?

 

[Aznrainbowdime]

Im no doctor but when my MJ turns white.. it means shes happy. And not just her belly... her color will be light green,.. so light she almost looks white..when I let her out her viv. Or even during baths. every beardie is different I guess.. but when MJ is cold.. she turns into an ugly dark color along with stress marks.

 

[duke11]

I agree with Aznrainbowdime, that Duke does change colors. When I take him outside, or if he's basking, he'll normally be a dark color, and what's normally gray/purple on him will be almost black. When he's colder, or if I take him out, he'll be brighter. I don't think this is the problem though, because that foot really looks like it's going to shed.

 

[Aznrainbowdime]

I agree with Aznrainbowdime, that Duke does change colors. When I take him outside, or if he's basking, he'll normally be a dark color, and what's normally gray/purple on him will be almost black. When he's colder, or if I take him out, he'll be brighter. I don't think this is the problem though, because that foot really looks like it's going to shed.

I thought there was something wrong at first but I guess after getting to knw your beardie's behavior you can kinda tell. She's never light when basking and I thought beardies like to bask lol. I dont know but since i've had her... i've never seen her light when shes in her viv. Maybe she just hates her viv ? lol.

 

[randisjoy]

Thank you for your advice. i hope it else others. I wish I coulds say that could be what;s going on by im very scared tongith will be another slkeepless night, Im afraid he won make it through he night

 

[Aznrainbowdime]

how is he feeling today ??